56-50

[Okiepan]

Greetings:

does any one have a good smokeless reloading data for the 56-50 spencer carbine ?

I will be using lyman 515139 350 grn lead in starline cases, I have the GOEX data but none for smokeless, ( Trail Boss etc )

Thanks to All.

[Tyrel Cody]

My buddy used Trail Boss for smokeless in his Spencer; he's no longer with us and I wouldn't venture a guess. Here's the formula for Trail Boss:

 

 

1. Find where the base of the bullet to be loaded is located in the case and make a mark on the outside of the case at 
this location. Then fill the case to that mark with Trail Boss, pour into the scale pan and weigh. This is your 
maximum load. Pressures will be below the maximum allowed for this cartridge and perfectly safe to use!
2. Take 70% of this powder charge weight (multiply the maximum load from step 1 by .7), and that is your starting 
load.
3. Start with this beginning load and work up to your maximum charge, all the while searching for the most accurate 
reduced load. Once found, the fun begins!

[Trailrider #896]

Your 350 gr. .50 caliber bullet has a Relative Sectional Density (weight in pounds divided by the square of the diameter) of .188.  A .45 caliber bullet of that RSD would weigh about 271 gr. That is heavier than most .45 LC bullets for which there is published data. A smokeless load for a 271 gr .45 cal. bullet should be reduced by the ratio of bullet weights, or 250/271 = .92 or 92% of a .45/250 load.  An old standby for the .45/250 load was 8,0 Unique.  So a probable load for the heavier bullet would be .92 x 8.0 = 7.38 gr. or about 7.4 gr.   In my original .56-56 Spencer Carbine, using cut down Dixie Gun Works .50-70 brass and a 380 gr. .54 caliber bullet (RSD = .181), and 8.8 gr. Unique, I got MV = 989 ft/sec from the 22 inch barrel.

[Not responsible for the use of the above in guns other than my own, and maybe not then!]

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Here is my smokeless recipe for 56-50 Spencer

5.0 Grains of Tralboss using a .512" 350 grain RNFP bullet from Buffalo Arms.   Large Rifle primers.

I use the cut down .50-70 brass from Buffalo Arms.

 

 

[John Boy]

Read this thread on CasCity about the 56-50 Spencer ... http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,12325.0.html

[largo casey #19191]

I may have to get everything together for my old spencer.

                                                                                                                Largo