45-70 500 gr bullet sized .459 with round nose

[Tater Pickens]

anybody know where I can get some 500 grn, 45-70 bullets, round nose sized .459 for my original 1884 model Springfield trapdoor? Buffalo Arms shows the model number M1881 but they are out of stock and don't know if and when they will get anymore in stock.

Thanks
Tater Pickens

[cpt dan blodgett]

is this close enough
https://www.montanabulletworks.com/product/45-saeco-645-480gr-semi-pt/

[Ranch 13]

 Cheycast makes a good bullet.https://www.cheycastbullets.com/Black-Powder-45cal-RN-512gr--50-Count-Box_p_176.html

[Tater Pickens]

Thank you gentlemen for your replies. Looks like Chey Cast has almost the spitting image of the bullet I was getting from Buffalo Arms. Only difference I can see is that the round from Buffalo was a 500 grn bullet and Chey Cast's bullet is 512 grns. Don't imagine that will make any difference as long as both are sized at .459.

[Ranch 13]

 Shouldn't make any difference, as long as the diameter of the bullet is good for your barrel and throat

[Tater Pickens]

Got 50 rounds of the .459 45-70 bullet from Chet-cast. Only difference in this round and the 500 grn round I was getting from Buffalo Arms is that the Chey-Cast round is 512 grns. Basically it is just a little bit longer than the 500 grn in that it has 4 lube groves versus 3 lube groves on the 500 grn round.

Should it make any difference in the 70 grn powder charge I usually load with the 500 grn or should I reduce the charge slightly?

[Cap'n Redneck]

The 12 grain increase in bullet-weight will not blow up Your TrapDoor with blackpowder loads.
The slightly longer bullet might mean that You will have to reduce the powder in order to seat the bullet deeper and have the cartridge chamber freely.  It all depends on the dimensions of the bullet-nose and the dimensions of Your rifles throat.
The extra lube groove should prove an added bonus.
With the new (and slightly heavier) bullet You should expect a slight change in point-of-impact vs. Your earlier sight settings...
There is also the question of what lead alloy / lead hardness Chey Cast uses vs. Buffalo Arms...
Please keep the forum updated on Your experiences...

[Tater Pickens]

Cap'n Redneck, thanks for your response. I use a compression die to compact the powder down to the proper depth so when the bullet is seated and crimped with a Lee factory Crimp Die the cartridge  OAL is same size as the 500 grn bullet at 2.76 and it does fit nicely  into the chamber of my trapdoor. Both the Chey-Cast and the Buffalo Arms bullets are soft cast 20-1 alloy. I made up one round yesterday to set my dies up for this different round and to attain the correct overall length all on top of the 70 grns of BP but I just wanted to pick some brains out there that may have a wider background and experience in loading for this old trapdoor to make sure that using a bullet with  the extra 12 grns, which is additional length of the round, would not be problematic. Tomorrow I will load up the rest of the 50 rounds and take it out to the range soon.

Thanks,

Tater Pickens