.45-70 Unique loads?

Anyone here use Unique in low-power .45-70 loads. I just want to make up some light, inexpensive loads for close range plinking with my Marlin 1895. I want something that will be comfortable to shoot. I have never loaded rifle ammunition before......only .38 special, .357 mag, .44 special, and .44 mag. I'd like to be able to use the powder and primers that I have on hand instead of going out and buying special components just to make a few .45-70 target loads.

I'm thinking about trying 11.0 grains of Unique under a 350 gr. cast bullet with magnum large pistol primers. I've read that I won't need to use any filler with Unique. Sound like it will work?

I've reloaded 45-70 for many years, but never with Unique... Mostly because I've never wanted to even look for such a load with that powder. I'm one of the few that cares not for Unique powder.

Regardless, if you can find a load for that bullet and Unique powder PRINTED in a reloading manual, then go for it and stay within the minimum-maximums listed... In fact I recommend starting in the middle of those extremes and then slowly work up or down to suit your needs.

My two favorite smokeless powders for the 45-70 are XMP-5744 and H4895.

Old Judge Creek said:

I've reloaded 45-70 for many years, but never with Unique... Mostly because I've never wanted to even look for such a load with that powder. I'm one of the few that cares not for Unique powder.

Regardless, if you can find a load for that bullet and Unique powder PRINTED in a reloading manual, then go for it and stay within the minimum-maximums listed... In fact I recommend starting in the middle of those extremes and then slowly work up or down to suit your needs.

My two favorite smokeless powders for the 45-70 are XMP-5744 and H4895.

Click to expand...

You can count me in "the few" too Judge... :wink:

But what's your view on SR-4759? I'm looking for reduced recoil with 405 gr bullet for my young sidekick...Tried any?

Bucks Owin said:

Old Judge Creek said:

I've reloaded 45-70 for many years, but never with Unique... Mostly because I've never wanted to even look for such a load with that powder. I'm one of the few that cares not for Unique powder.

Regardless, if you can find a load for that bullet and Unique powder PRINTED in a reloading manual, then go for it and stay within the minimum-maximums listed... In fact I recommend starting in the middle of those extremes and then slowly work up or down to suit your needs.

My two favorite smokeless powders for the 45-70 are XMP-5744 and H4895.

Click to expand...

You can count me in "the few" too Judge... :wink:

But what's your view on SR-4759? I'm looking for reduced recoil with 405 gr bullet for my young sidekick...Tried any?

Click to expand...

I like SR-4759 very much for such loads. I have used it quite a bit in my 458 with good results. It will fill the case much better than unique, and is not likely to be position sensitive.

captainkirk

captainkirk said:

Bucks Owin said:

Old Judge Creek said:

I've reloaded 45-70 for many years, but never with Unique... Mostly because I've never wanted to even look for such a load with that powder. I'm one of the few that cares not for Unique powder.

Regardless, if you can find a load for that bullet and Unique powder PRINTED in a reloading manual, then go for it and stay within the minimum-maximums listed... In fact I recommend starting in the middle of those extremes and then slowly work up or down to suit your needs.

My two favorite smokeless powders for the 45-70 are XMP-5744 and H4895.

Click to expand...

You can count me in "the few" too Judge... :wink:

But what's your view on SR-4759? I'm looking for reduced recoil with 405 gr bullet for my young sidekick...Tried any?

Click to expand...

I like SR-4759 very much for such loads. I have used it quite a bit in my 458 with good results. It will fill the case much better than unique, and is not likely to be position sensitive.

captainkirk

Click to expand...

I agree with you, Captain.

The 405 grain is my favorite bullet. These days, 99% of the time I load it over 28.0 (twenty eight point zero) grains of XMP 5744 for all my 45-70s. That pretty well does it all for me these days. And it's exceptionally accurate in my Shiloh Sharps.

14 grains of Unique will drive a 350 grain bullet 1285fps according to Lyman's Handbook of Cast Bullets (1958)

Unique loads (w/350gr cast) shown about 2/3 of the way down the page.

http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm


12.5gr of Unique under a 300gr Laser Cast chronographed right at 1,100 fps from my 26" Marlin 1895 Cowboy. I didn't use a filler. Primers were standard Fed 210s. Very light recoil and good accuracy. I shot some ground squirrels several years ago with this load.

Use extreme caution to insure that you don't double charge the case with these small charges in the big case.

Paul

Well,
All I can say about this is from my book "40 years with the 45-70"
So this isn't my statement. So don't all you experts get your panties in a wad.
From the book. The most accurate load for the Marlin is 10 gr. of Unique and a 300 gr bullet with large pistol primer. Well he is correct I have been shooting this PLINKER load for around 5 years. It will get you around 1050 fps from a 26" Marlin and is good for 100-150 yards.
Not a shoulder breaker just a great round you can shoot all day and it is cheap to load.
Jim

If you want to hurt yourself or shoot very little go with the 500 Grainer and a case full of powder.

^^^ Isn't that Elmer Keith's 45/70 load? Sounds familiar.

I cast and shoot the Lee 457-405-F sized to .459. My loads are different from what you are looking for but I'll tell you my Unique load anyway.
Unique is a great powder for the 45-70. It isn't position sensitive at all and you don't need a filler to hold the powder to the primer.
Besides Unique powder, I use Starline brass and CCI 200 primers. The gun I use is a Marlin Guide Gun with an 18 inch barrel.
I started with 15 gr and literaly got one hole 3 shot groups at 50 yards with a velocity of 1265 fps right from the start and I should have stopped there.
I figured I would see if I could save some money by reducing the powder since these were just my plinking load anyway. I worked my way down to 12 gr for a velocity of 1070 fps. My groups were still acceptable at 2".
The problem I ran into with going down in velocity was point of impact would rise too far from my heavy load so I went back to 15 gr and stopped.
If you want some load data that is in print, my Lyman 46th edition list a 322gr cast bullet with Unique starting at 9.5gr and a max load of 14.5gr.
Like mentioned earlier, the gmdr.com web site has great reduced load data that I use alot.


Key

Ah, Unique, the powder that some love to hate.
The Lyman Reloading Handbook 45th edition shows several Unique/cast lead loads. The joys of reloading... 8) Chief aka Maxx Load

Chief,
Could you give me the info on some of those Cast/Unique loads? I have the Lyman 49th edition and it doesn't show any 45-70 loads with Unique.
Thanks.
- Russ

I will copy some of what has been published on page 140 of the 45th Edition of the Lyman Reloading handbook.
45/70 Government/ 1886 Winchester:
292 grain cast #457191
Unique 18.0 1496fps-20.0 1689fps

385 grain cast #457124
Unique 14.0 1244fps-17.0 1408fps

482 grain case #457406
Unique 13.0 1012fps-16.0 1242fps

Hope this helps...Chief aka Maxx Load

I use a hard cast 385 RN with 11gr Unq with good results offhand in a TCC 16". Mild recoil, have not chronographed or benched. Still hits hard.

I use a 405g cast bullet with 13 grs Universal in my 1895 Marlin CB. Good accuracy and moderate recoil.

Take a look at Trail Boss. It fills the case and works well in a lot of different rifle and handgun cartridges. Sort of the modern Unique.

If you use Trail Boss I have a warning. It'll take a week to get the smile off your face.

I use 13 grains of Unique under the 340 & 405 grain cast boolits. It's cheaper, more useful, and works just as well.

Unique does everything well. If I could only have one powder it would be Unique.

I had forgot all about this post until now. I am using 11.5 grains of Unique and a 405 grain bullets for a great low recoil target load out to 150 yards in my Marlin 1895.

Now I'm ready to work up some .30-30 Unique loads.

I agree with you Smapman.....if I were limited to just one powder, my choice would also be Unique.