Looking for Shiloh Sharps 45-70 Loads

[AxeHandle]

Buddy has a new Shiloh Sharps 45-70. 4 year wait and $4000. Absolutely beautiful rifle. Looks like Quigley is in the building! Looking for some proven bullets and loading data.

[kings6]

Check with Zeus, I believe he has one he shoots.

[zeus]

I cheated and shot smokeless loads in mine. I have a new 50-90 here that I have yet to load a round for. BEAUTIFUL rifle.

[axman]

They’ll handle any 45-70 load.
Black or Smokeless.

[bearskinner]

I haven’t shot mine since I used it in Canada on an Elk hunt. ( no handguns allowed) I loaded 405 GC LFN bullets with 43.0 grains of H4895, as I was attempting to duplicate a BP load of around 1300-1400FPS. Shot a little 6 point at 168 yards ( Texass heart shot) going away, cresting a hill. He hunched up and stumbled off 20 yards and dropped. The bullet was found in the cartiledge of his ear after coursing long ways thru him. 
      I took that bullet, reloaded it, and used it to drop another Elk 10 years later, from a custom 1885 Winchester. Full pass thru, gone. 

[bigmuddy]

Bearskinner, that’s an AWESOME story. That’s all the velocity needed in the 45-70, and you proved it.

My “go to” smokeless powder is AA 5744. Easily gets in the range of the black powder loads, and extreme spreads are often single digit. Have not found any other smokeless powder that does that. Accuracy in all of my rifles has been great. Best part is how easy they are on my shoulder.

Dan

[bearskinner]

I have always caught a lot of guff about not loading to absolute full power, maximum loads while hunting. I test a lot of bullets, and load for accuracy first. Once my group opens up, I stick with the original loading. I have found a 78% load is more accurate than a 100% load.
Under most circumstances, those loads are complete pass thrus, with no recovered bullets, and two holes lending to quick recovery. At 5 feet plus penetration, I’m satisfied.
I’ve heard many stories from old time bison hunters ( cull , or hide harvesters) where they would short load, so the bullet would not leave the animal, and the skinners would recover the lead projectile, and the hunter would recast around the campfire at night. Lead was a commodity that was heavy to transport, and not to easy to come by on the frontier. If you could recover it, you could recover and reload many times. 
     Just as accurate the second time around. Only 1/2” off center. 

[paul105]

I didn't read thru the linked thread but you might find something of use here. Lots of BP experience in the Shiloh Sharps forum.
.
shilohrifle.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4519

[parallaxbill]

Sept 15, 2023 23:36:06 GMT -5 bigmuddy said:

Bearskinner, that’s an AWESOME story. That’s all the velocity needed in the 45-70, and you proved it.

My “go to” smokeless powder is AA 5744. Easily gets in the range of the black powder loads, and extreme spreads are often single digit. Have not found any other smokeless powder that does that. Accuracy in all of my rifles has been great. Best part is how easy they are on my shoulder.

Dan

I agree.
I shoot 24 gr of 5744 in my Uberti 1885 with 405 cast bullets and find it very accurate. But I'm only shooting a full size steel buffalo.
I have not chronographed it but as noted it is easy on the shooter.

[stubshaft]

I shoot 27 gr. of 2400 behind a 405 cast in my Shiloh Sharps 1874 Carbine. Works great on hogs!

[matt56]

The 45-70 load I was using was around 36gr IMR 4198 behind a 400gr gas checked bullet. I’ll have to check my notes but I believe it was around 1500 fps or less. It was plenty to punch through the shoulders of a 200lb boar