Tom Horn loading .45-70

[Erasmus]

I'm prepping ammo for my next big shoot where I'll be shooting Tom Horn with my '86 in .45-70. I know I don't need full house loads and so put together some reduced loads with 2.8CC of FFFg, 1.0CC of charcoal, a card wad for a little additional height, and the only bullet I currently have on hand, a 405.  It chono's at about 1050 so cool, good to go. 

 

This got me to thinking, anyone shoot Tom Horn with a round ball load? I don't know if I could get something like that to feed in my '86 (even if I loaded the ball and build up the wad/filler stack so I could crimp juuuuuuust in front of the ball); but that seems like a winner for the single shot people. I remember seeing a reference to this in one book or another putting together reduced loads for training for hunting small game. 

 

Anyway my buddy will be shooting his trapdoor and it seems to me a round ball load might be just the ticket for him. Maybe 2.5CC 3F, a card wad, a bit of compression, and stuff the ball all the way down? It'd be a bit more powerful than shooting a .44 cap gun but still economical on powder and lead. 

 

edit: Turns out it's all academic, I thought one of us had .458 balls on hand, but we do not. He shoots .454 in his pistols and I'm shooting .490 in my front stuffer rifle. 

Edited May 8 by Erasmus

[Kid Rich]

A .457 RB does a good job of providing a light but accurate load. Also a 300g conical is very accurate.

kR

Edited May 8 by Kid Rich

[Hoss]

Bear creek sells a 305 grn bullet that I like with my 45-60 & trapdoor. 

[Sedalia Dave]

For Plainsman my 45-70 load is 2.5 cc of Real BP and 2.5 cc of fine Walnut Media. .457 round ball held in place with a slight crimp to keep the ball in place.

 

I have also used a 350 grain RNFP over the same load with good results. 

 

The fine Walnut Media makes excellent filler.

 

[Erasmus]

Thankfully we'll have some experimenting to do! I'm going to run with what I've got but my buddy might try a round ball load. 

 

I might just mock a couple up and see if it cycles in my '86 for next time. 

[Irish Pat]

What’s Tom Horn?  We have Cody -Dixon but haven’t heard of Tom Horn 

[Erasmus]

I think the two are similar, it might be something of a regional difference. 

 

Tom horn uses two .40+ caliber revolvers shot dualist, a main match shotgun, and a medium+ bore rifle. The .38-40 counts for pistols, and .38-55 counts for rifles. Rifle targets are at an extended range. Rifles can be repeater or single shot, each in their own category. There's some other nuance with other variation on the theme (not dualist, smokeless, and even sub .40 pistols and a .30-30 rifle). 

[Irish Pat]

Right, Cody is big lever and  Billy Dixon is buffalo single shot

[Cotton Eye Joe]

I very much like the sound of these Tom Horn and Cody/Dixon stages. I've always wanted the rifle targets to be further out in cowboy matches, and using rifle cartridges is an added bonus. Not sure if any of the southern Arizona clubs hold them, though. If so, I haven't heard anyone talk about them. 

[Erasmus]

This'll be my first time shooting Tom Horn and I'm excited. I really like the idea of farther rifle targets. The targets aren't so far out that I would feel bad about shooting them with our main match rifles, but just being able to use rifle caliber rifles is a nice change. Now I just need to figure out how to carry 4-6 rounds of .45-70 to the loading table, lol. 

[Hoss]

Many clubs in Texas shoot Cody Dixon. Main match rifle replaced with rifle caliber rifle. Min .30 cal. Targets are further out, depends on how much room the range has. Typically 6 rounds per stage. Shotgun & pistols same as everyone else. My home club targets are 40 yds or so, so not that far, but mixed in trees so harder to see/hit. Other clubs I shoot at have them as far out as 75 yds or so. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I shot this variation a few years ago when I went out to Nevada to do a multi day shoot there.  I found it to be a lot of fun.  Used my 86 Winchester in .45-70 cuz I didn't have my Large Frame Lightning yet. 

I even too the trophy for 3rd place in the "smokeless repeater" category.

 

An interesting category allowed for the use of the Winchester 94, but only in .30-30.   I do have a pre-83 one in that caliber, but I would have really wanted to use my pre-64 in .32 Winchester Special   Oh well.   (And, I really wanted to use the 86 anyway.)

I wish some clubs here in New England would offer the option.

Edited Thursday at 10:07 PM by H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

My Plainsman load for my .45-70 Trapdoor:

 

292gr coated FP-BB out of Lyman mold 457191 over a veg card just touching 30gr (vol) / 23.3gr (wt) of Triple Seven FFG.  Very easy to shoot, very soft recoil, very high fun factor.

[Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655]

years ago in a plainsman match I loaded 2 cc FFG with 2 cc walnut media on top seated a .457 (ruger old army ) round ball seated just past the equator and roll crimped in place from rolling block would shoot 2 inch groups at 50 yards.  Load 2 dummies using all filler and see if they will feed properly in the 86

 

[Jasper Agate]

On 5/9/2025 at 10:13 PM, Erasmus said:

I think the two are similar, it might be something of a regional difference. 

 

Tom horn uses two .40+ caliber revolvers shot dualist, a main match shotgun, and a medium+ bore rifle. The .38-40 counts for pistols, and .38-55 counts for rifles. Rifle targets are at an extended range. Rifles can be repeater or single shot, each in their own category. There's some other nuance with other variation on the theme (not dualist, smokeless, and even sub .40 pistols and a .30-30 rifle). 

Erasmus,

Close -  .40 caliber pistols shot in  any SASS legal style.  Look me up at the High Sierra Shootout and I'll tell how we load Black Powder

                          Jasper

[Erasmus]

Good catch Jasper!

 

I'll see you there!