Can anyone suggest Trapdoor loads using a 420 gr lead bullet? Powders I have on hand, in quantity, are Trap 14, Green dot, Unique, 7625, 2400, Surplus 4895, WCC846, WCC844 and Black. Obvioulsly I can load black but I don't care for the clean up, particurarly the brass. I have a feeling the 844 would be good, since it is the closest to 4198, but, I have never seen any loads for it in this application.
Posts: 813 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 02 November 2000
It is an original rifle, I want to be nice to it. I don't have enough IMR 4198 to mess with. I was using that as a comparison to the somewhat simmilar but slower WCC844, a surplus powder, that I use in .223.
Posts: 813 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 02 November 2000
With an old girl like you have.I would not go over a 350gr bullet.With IMR4198 keep it low,say 32 to 34 grs of powder.For 1421fps.IMR4227 is a good powder for it also.25.0grs=1271fps,29.0grs=1445fps.
Posts: 255 | Location: Wurtsboro,NY.USA | Registered: 11 May 2003
Scott; I looked in my "Lyman 48th edition" they didn't list any powders you mentioned. I have a cutdown trapdoor, I've had good luck with 23 gr's of Accurate 5744 with a Lyman 457124 bullet. I also loaded 55gr's of Goex CTG grade black with the same bullet. Cleanup isn't as bad as you would think.
Why not shoot black powder? It's a blast. Besides, that was what it was designed for and the stuff shoots quite well. Black Powder may even be superior at long range.
Posts: 305 | Location: Indian Territory | Registered: 21 April 2003
I've seen loading manuals with sections for "Trapdoors" or for "All .45-70 Rifles In Good Condition" that seem to limit around 18 Kpsi. The sections for "1886 Winchesters, Modern 1895 Marlins" and such seem to be the ones using the SAAMI limit of 28.5 Kpsi. But I can't imagine that SAAMI would have settled on the pressure limit they did for factory ammo without taking into account the large number of original Springfields out there and assuming that their owners would fire factory ammo.
Posts: 1325 | Location: Bristol, Tennessee, USA | Registered: 24 December 2003
The 4895 loads look like what I was looking for. I have had good luck with it using pure lead swaged paper patch bullets. I'll give it a try.
My beef with black is the clean up fuss. I don't mind with my hooked breeech muzzle loaders. I have a contraption rigged to my wash sink in the garage. It allows me to flush the bore with hot water. Works great. Even the bore cleaning of a breech loader is no big deal. Especially my rolling blocks. I do have a manual decapper for the brass. It is very fast. I just don't like soaking brass or swabbing it out. My time is at a premium these days. If I get time to shoot I don't want to fuss with a pile of brass after.
Posts: 813 | Location: Left Coast | Registered: 02 November 2000
