Humor me with some 45/70 info please

[Mason Stillwell]

I sold off all my 45/70 long range stuff a while back . Thought I would never need it . YEA RIGHT ! Now the boys at Page want to shoot some 400-500 yard stuff. Mid range I think for this round.
I'll just use my handi rifle till I can find something.
Now for some ammo with more punch than my plainsman loads.

I have Mixed Brass. But a lot of starline in it.
I don't resize the case (have not resized  for years) as it is going back into the same rifle . Well I do size just the neck where so the boolit will be held in firmly.

Also I made me a compression die from an old RCBS seating die for a smaller caliber. I also made a drop tube.

With this setup I have been able to get 70 gr of Elephant FFG under a 385 Dick Dastardly Big Lube boolit. Now That is just measured with my old Muzzle loader powder measure.  I don't weight bp just measure.

This should at least put a couple of rounds on a life size Buffalo at 400 yards don't ya think ??

Any Suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks for lookin
Mason

[Shotgun Franklin]

For resizing the, kinda, straight walled rifle cartridges I always just sized down to about where the base of the bullet would set. I wanted as much grip on the length of a bullet as I could get as I believe it aids in a better burn of the powder.
Because the thickness of a case wall can vary by maker, I sort the brass and load 'lots' of the same brass together.

[Howdy Doody]

Howdy Mason,
I would do like Shotgun suggests and just neck size to hold the boolit firmly, since it is a single shot rifle. I have never really shot out to 500 yards with my Handi, more like 350 yds and that was hard for me to see and hold steady on and I had one hit in five attempts if I remember right. I would outfit the Handi with a tang mounted peep sight at least. You are muscular enough to hold rock solid, but I have issues.
I never tried to get 70grs of true powder in and I have to admit that I use 777 these days for all my long range loads, but you are going to need a 500gr boolit I would think at those ranges.
I have never had my 45-70 load over a chrono, so no help there, but I have decided on a load of 62grs by weight of 2F 777 and milk carton wad and a bullet no longer made by Mid Kansas that is 500gr and SPG lubed. I use my Handi mostly for plainsman and for that I shoot Goex 3F and a Big Lube 405gr boolit. I don't know how accurate it is, I never miss with it at the 40-50 yards we see targets at for plainsman and I am after the smoke and fire factor mostly.
Now if you want to talk about what I shoot for long range lever action, then we have to talk about 38-55 in a Marlin that was set up by Old Scout who is no longer with us, but it is a tack driver. I have always wanted to get a NEF Buffalo Classic is 38-55 and get it set up, but so far I haven't, but it is always on my mind if a great deal came my way.

[Mason Stillwell]

Howdy I have a Buffalo classic in 38/55 with the tang sight. All the whistles and bells. BOY HOWDY if you hold on the target it will hit. What a fun rifle to shoot. I just have to catch the brass when it is ejected or it will hit the screw that adjusts the elevation on my sight and damage it.

I also (Had ) a Marlin in 38/55 that was a tack driver set up by Larsen E . Then the safe rust got the last 6 inches of the barrel. Now I have a not so accurate Marlin in 38/55

I hope to take my loads to Page next weekend and give the handi a try out. We will be shooting seated using sticks to support the rifle.

Should be fun.

[Shotgun Franklin]

My right shoulder was rebuilt and they took the padding off the front so even though I'm a big guy I can't handle much recoil. I gave up .45-70 and found the .38-55. I have a Marlin Cowboy in .38-55 that is honestly a tack driver.

Mason Stillwell, if you check quick you should be able to get a new Marlin barrel. I understand that the new owners are dropping some Marlin rifles in some calibers but I don't know for sure about .38-55. The barrel swap is petty easy. Make sure the new barrel is cut for at least a .380 lead bullet if you do get one. Marlin re-cut mine for free postage and all.

[Howdy Doody]

Mason are you sure that 38-55 is ruined? That bore polishing stuff Brownells gives away in shooters packages works prtty well, but if the lands are bad, then I don't know what to tell you. The muzzle can be redressed too and maybe by Larsen. Now on the Brimstone Pistoleros website they had an article about how to disable the ejection on those and make them into extraction only and a lot of folks out my way have done that and that is why a lot of shoots have classes for east and west plainsman. Having extraction only might be the answer to your sight damage. Bet you could still harvest an antelope with that rifle though you might not beat out Billy Dixon with it. 

[Mason Stillwell]

Yes Howdy. I probably could hit a deer at back home distance with it. But it was a tack driver.

Now I do have some of that polishing compound that you are talking about and will get it out and get started. I really feel bad that  I left my guns in the safe that long without pulling them out and running a rod threw them.

The Buffalo classic was unharmed. The Marlin lever action was the one with the damage. I liked this gun so much that I have thought about getting a new barrel if this one cannot be salvaged.

Thanks for all your help .

Pete (er) Mason Stillwell