Dittos on what elde said. 3031 is one of the best powders for loading the 45-70. As far as "not too brutal", a 500 grain bullet at 1550 in a handi-rifle will be brutal.

The charge depends some on the bullet. Some 500g RN bullets seat pretty deep into the case limiting how much powder can or should be put in the case. The 535g Creedmores and Postells have a longer nose and don't seat as deeply into the case. With the Handi Rifle you can seat the bullets out to the lands or at least to the edge of the first grease groove. Get a Lyman tapercrimp and set it up to gently squeeze the case bell. Over crimping can resize a lead bullet. In my rifles I have discovered that soft lead bullets have worked better than hard lead.

IMR 3031 and H322 are good places to start. With the heavier 500g bullet H4895, IMR4895, and Varget and IMR4064 are good choices as well. I've shot over a hundred 535 and 545g Postells out of my Shilo Sharps Long Range Express using RP cases, FC210M primers, between 44 and 47g of Varget and a .060" fiber wad to keep the heat off the bullet. The bullets are 20-1 alloy and are lubed with SPG. I chronographed a few at ~1620fps. I am not seeing any leading, just a few sparkles in the cleaning patches.

Lyman #48 has loading data for the 535g Postell bullet and I am pretty sure it has data for the 500g RN as well.

gcf



In your Ruger you can load anywhere from mild plinking loads up to 458W levels. Brass strength will be a bigger concern than rifle strength so I would watch for signs of primer pocket loosening, case head expansion, etc.



On the low side, 40.0 grains of 3031 with a 300 grain bullet will give you about 1400 fps which will be close to commercial 45-70 ammo. On the upper side 60.0 grains will get you around 2300 fps which is about all you can get out of the 45-70 brass. You're probably going to find out that best accuracy with the 300 grain bullet is at around 2000 fps (57.0 grains).



I wouldn't worry about unburned powder. Factory loads are always on the low side especially in something like the 45-70 where they could be used in some very old weak rifles.



Also, give heavier bullets a try. The 350 grain Hornady's are the choice of a lot of shooters. Some shooters also like 4198 instead of 3031 and maybe some of them will post their favorite loads.



As always, start low and work up. Actual mileage may vary.



Good Luck



Ray

I agree with Cheechako on his recommendations on the .45/70 in a No. 1. MY particular No. 1 did not like 300 grain bullets much. I loaded them to 2350 FPS, but 350-grain bullets and 400-grain bullets shot much better at all velocity levels than the 300's did. however, the ONLY 300-grain bullet I ever tried in mine was the Brnes Original semispitzer. The Barnes Original SS 400 grainers are very accurate at a MV of 2270 FPS (60 grains of RE 7). Needless to say, this load is hard on your shoulder!! No fun at all. My "standard" load is the same as Elmer Keith's: ANY 400-grain bullet (depending on what you're shooting!!) with 53 grains of IMR 3031 - this is around 1800 FPS, and a lot more fun to shoot, plus adequate for anything up to mooses!