Green Dot in the 56-50

[Hombre]

Has anyone ever tried Green Dot in the 56-50 cartridge for a Taylor Spencer?  I have 8 pounds of it.

Just curious.

Hombre

[SGT John Chapman]

I loaded a bunch of 45 ACP Green Dot loads,....they were less pressure and as much velocity as my Bullseye and Unique loads.

I really don't know however,..

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

No, not in the .56-50, 'cause I don't have one.  

GREEN DOT is a very versatile powder, of use in shotgun, pistol, and rifle in light loads.  Don't compare it to UNIQUE, as Green Dot is a bit faster but it serves a similar role.  

I found ALLIANT powder data in their 2000 Reloaders Guide for .45 Colt in bullet weights from 200 to 300 grains, and in .44. Mag from 240 to 310 grain bullets.  I f no one else chimes in, (highly unlikely!), these might show the way to a safe load.

Mister GOOGLE showed lots of "hits", but I didn't have the time to research them, but have at 'er!

[Trailrider]

Obviously, we are dealing with an unknown here.  But I have found that in .50-70 brass cut down to make .56-56 ammo, the water capacity is very similar to .45 LC.  The Relative Sectional Density of a 250 gr. .45 bullet = .173 .  (That is the weight in grains divided by 7,000, divided by the square of the bullet diameter.)  If we square the bullet diameter of the .56-50, .515"x .515" x .173, we get 322 grains, which is probably close to the weight of your bullets.  If the bullet you use is heavier, then divide 322 by the bullet weight, which will give you a number less than 1.  Multiply that decimal fraction by the minimum recommended charge for the powder used with a 250 gr. bullet in .45 LC.  IF GREEN DOT IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR .45 LC, then DO NOT USE IT!

(I can assume NO responsibility for damage, injuries or death sustained by the use of the above information.  Usual disclaimer.)

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Here is a link to a couple of older threads in SSS;

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,12325.0.html

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,12448.0.html

P.S;  Just found this;   

http://petloads.com/members/search_detail.cfm?MetallicID=4153&caliber=.56&caliberid=32&header=.56%20Caliber%20Reloading%20Data

[Hombre]

In the Alliant booklet there are a few loads for the 44 Magnum and 45 Colt with Green Dot.  Based on
this I loaded 8g.  of green dot in one starline cartridge with my RCBS 50-350 at 370g. and .514" diameter.
I held it at arms length and fired.  The load was fairly mild and quite clean.  No signs of excess pressure.  Armi Sport 56-50 Spencer.

Any thoughts?

[Mossyrock]

In the Alliant booklet there are a few loads for the 44 Magnum and 45 Colt with Green Dot.  Based on
this I loaded 8g.  of green dot in one starline cartridge with my RCBS 50-350 at 370g. and .514" diameter.
I held it at arms length and fired.  The load was fairly mild and quite clean.  No signs of excess pressure.  Armi Sport 56-50 Spencer.

Any thoughts?

OK...we can assume that the rifle didn't spontaneously disassemble itself.  That's a good sign.  How difficult was extraction?  What did the primer look like?  Measure the case web (just forward of the rim) and compare that measurement to a factory round fired in the same rifle.  I think a chronograph would be very helpful here.

The Spencer isn't the strongest action around.  I would advise treading lightly......

[Hombre]

Other than measuring the fps on a croni, I checked the areas you mentioned and found no sign of excess pressure.
I don't know that I will use this powder, but I will say that a full load of ff Goex leaves more sign of pressure than the 8g.
of Green Dot.  In the end, I don't really trust an Armi Sport Spencer action very much.  Of course any smokeless powder is a sort of a gamble in any Spencer, theoretically.