45/70 hollow base bullets

[sundance44`s]

Is anyone loading 47/70 Gov. hollow base 405 gr bullets .. someone gave me a batch to try and i`m wondering about the hollow base ... would it be ok to put lube in the hollow base ? These bullets have 3 lube rings.

[Fox Creek Kid]

DO NOT fill the base with lube for two reasons:

1. It won't allow the base to obturate.

2. It does absolutely nothing in as far as adding extra lube to the barrel.

[sundance44`s]

One more question .. do i still need use a card over the powder ?

[44caliberkid]

I use this bullet in my 1873 Springfield.  No wads, no cards, 65 grains 2F, compressed till the bullet will seat all the way to the crimping groove.   Federal Large Mag rifle primer and enlarged flash hole.   Works good, better than I can shoot with those dinky stock sights.

[sundance44`s]

Tested some this morning .. 60 grs of goex 2f and one card ..lubed with crisco & bees wax mix .thats a good shooting bullet shape .. probally would be easyer to load in once fired brass ..looks like the old 45/70 Gov. bullets .. guess it worked well in its day and is still ticking today . I`m gonna go ahead and buy the mold from the pard that gave me the bullets to test .. shot 10 shots at 100 yrd 2inch bull and put all 10 in the bull with 2 out just a tad ..probally me . and i fired all 10 with out swabing the bore .

[Grapeshot]

I've been testing them out of my 1874 Military Sharps Rifle with both a measured 70 grains of 2Fg Goex with my own BP Lube in the grooves only, and a measured 55 grain charge in WW 45-70 cases.  Seem to work very well as compared to solid based .458 dia. cast lead bullets.

[sundance44`s]

Grapeshot .. thats all i had ever tested before too ..were the solid base bullets , and thought they were shooting pretty good .. but these hollow base bullets seem to be just what my 45/70 buffalo classic likes .
It might be the .459 Dia makeing the difference .. i beleive every thing else i`ve shot were .458`s.
I`ll have to test them a little further out one day .. but i was trying to find a bullet for hog hunting and this one will work fine .