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reloadin 50's


ORNERY OAF

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Pards,

 

I have started to reload and make some loads for my c.sharps 50-90, i have read everywhere that its hard to get a large amount of powder without a droptube and all in these big boomers. I may be doing it wrong or something but i seem to have no problem what-so-ever putting 90grains of swiss 1.5 in the case after measuring(both with a counterbalance scale and a new digital scale) it doesnt fill the case and leaves plenty of room for the bullet with very little or no compression, even with wads and bullet seats all the way to the top lubegroves. Is this normal? Im used to trying to stuff goex in a 45-70 shell with hardly any room left. Any advice would be great, I have not shot these yet as this is kinda perplexing me. The brass is correct at 2.5 as well. Bullet is a 650gr postell.

 

Ornery

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Are you loading by volume or weight (mass)? You may need to adjust the powder load depending on the compression you need to seat the bullet. 1.5F is rather large grained and may have an effect on the compression.

 

When I load 45-70 I calibrate weight of 55 (cavalry load) or 70 grains (infantry)of BP on that specific day. Weight (mass per unit volume) of the BP will vary a bit depending on relative humidity. Load one case and compress the powder until you can properly seat your bullet.

 

Once calibrated you can then use that specific weight for the day.

 

Here is a good reference: http://www.wahsatchdesperadoes.com/Intro_to_BPCR_Loading.pdf

 

DD

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With black powder always load by volume. You want to compress the charge 1/8th inch or perhaps more depending on the load with a compression die optimally, so as not to damage the nose or base of the bullet. I like a card wad over the powder charge, but have found that card wads that fit too well tend to create an airtight seal and pop back up after being compressed. Once you find the volume that works, weigh it and record it if you like, but with any change in powder lots, you will potentially have to adjust slightly to obtain equal performance.

 

To determine powder charge you can do it mathematically if you take the OAL for the cartridge and the OAL for the case and using the bullet length figure out how much of the bullet is in the case. For instance if the Cartridge OAL is 2.5 inches and Case OAL is 2.1 you have a difference of .4 inches. If the bullet is .9 inches long, then the amount in the case is Cartridge OAL minus case length, subtract that number from Bullet Length (2.5-2.1=.4) (.9-.4=.5) This tells you how far down from the rim the bullet is going to seat. Fill the powder to this level plus 1/8th inch to get a starting point for compression.

 

If you do not drop your powder through a drop tube, it will settle over time and your compression will change. My experience is that more compression is needed in larger calibers. If you start at a 1/8 inch compression, you can alter your load from there to find best accuracy and fouling characteristics. Uncompressed loads seem to foul more, due to less effective combustion.

 

or if it is a pistol cartridge, fill to 1/4 inch from the top and seat a bullet to the crimp groove. . . loading pistol cartridges is so dang easy

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Just as Sam said: Mark is spot on for the cheaper black powders but for me in my 45-90 with 540gr paper patch slugs I get best accuracy with no compression and 88 grains of Swiss 1 1/2 through a 25" drop tube but with the same slug and paper and primer etc best results were 86GR of Goex Cartridge hit with heavy compression from a compression die and the slug seated on the grease cookie with my fingers and no crimp just before I fired it... and at 300 yards my group was twice the size of my Swiss group 9 1/2 " vrs 5 and a bit inches

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