Wallace,

just what kind of 50-70 are you going to shoot? It
makes a big difference as to how heavy a bullet you should use. I've got both RCBS bullets and both Lyman 515141 & 515142, plus the Lee. None of them will outshoot the Lee in old Springfields or Rollingblocks......Geo

Saeco makes a near copy of the 515142 that casts larger and is a really good shooter in the trapdoor. You can get these from Buffalo Arms.

My rifle is a Sharps reproduction, 13lb, 34" barrel 1:26" twist, 6 grooves.
From Greenhill formula, a 550gn bullet in this barrel at 1100fps will stabilise in this twist. The only reason Lyman makes the 450gn is to accomodate the old 1 in 42" twist of the trapdoor carbine but it is not what one would call a very aerodynamic design in consideration of those designs available for the 45/70.

WallAce,
Have you read Croft Barker's 50-70 Shooters Handbook? He uses a 600gr NEI Postell type bullet with 71gr of powder to get 1111fps. He claims 1 minute of angle at 200yds from a Badger barreled rolling block with 1:26 twist 34". He uses Lymans 515142 also and gets 1 1/2" M.O.A. out to 500 meters...Geo

Hello Again. The lee mould I have throws them at close to 530 grains. RCBS also makes a .50 caliber adjustable body length mould that will likely go to 650 grains. I've made short bullets at 430 grains in search of the "express" bullet. This mould throws them at .502 inches so I patch them and they work well. I work with .50-90 though. Have you tried smokeless, smokeless duplexing, or black duplexing regarding capacity concerns? Regards, ned

Thanks for the information re 50/70 handbook.



Ned, I'm not interested in duplex or smokeless. Just want to explore the maximum outputs from the old warhorse. Even if my 560gn doesn't work in the 50/70 then I will use it in a new 50/90.



George Custer in his letters to Remington said he was shooting game up to 630 yards including deer at an average of 250yds. Don't know how he measured it but I can only guess he was a good estimator?

There are a lot of really heavy bullets that will work. I used a cast 50 BMG bullet that weighed about 860 grains and a CBE one that topped 900 grains.

That's a real problem, the 50/70 just ain't got the boiler room to push bullets over 550gns. The bullet I have designed should allow about only 68gn FFG in the case.