This is from Joe at Real guns..


The Model 1895G Part II - Handloads for the .45-70

But first, the un45-70, the .450 Marlin

I was preparing a list of loads I would work up for the .45-70, and I wanted to get a better feel for the pressure dynamics of both the .45-70 and .450 Marlin, get a better understanding of the relationship between the two cartridges and see how far the new cartridge exceeded the full up loads for the .45-70. I ran across the July 2000 "Shooting Times" .450 Marlin article, so I looked through the data, pulled out all of my manuals, and poked around in the various smokeless powder companies' web sites.

Source Cartridge Bullet Powder Charge MV Barrel
Shooting Times .450 Hornady 350 gr AA2015 58.0 2041 18.5
Hornady .45-70 Hornady 350 gr AA2015 59.4 2000 22.0

Same bullet, less powder, 2.5" shorter barrel, yet, the Shooting Times .450 Marlin load out performed the hottest 5th Edition Hornady Ruger No. 1 .45-70 load. The article rated the .450 load at 40,200 psi, while the Hornady listing for the larger capacity cartridge has the .45-70 load at 50,000 cup. When you run both of these loads through reliable interior ballistics software, both come in below 40,000 psi, within 200 psi of one another. This odd load result could have been an anomaly, but it wasn't. The Shooting Times data also didn't track with the Speer #13 reloading manual.

Source Cartridge Bullet Powder Charge MV Barrel
Shooting Times .450 Speer 400 gr N-133 52.0 1994 18.5
Speer .45-70 Speer 400 gr N-133 59.4 1995 22.0

There were bullets included in the review that won't cycle through an 1895. Even Speer specifically excludes their own 350 grain bullet as excessively long for use in this gun. While the ejection port and bolt travel are long enough to clear almost a 2.900" combination, the feed and ejection mechanisms are not. You can expect feed and eject reliability problems to begin appearing above 2.600" COL. Most reloading manuals peg bullet seating depth to result in a 2.550" COL.

My point is not to critique "Shooting Times", they are obviously a first class publication with a first class staff, and clearly a greater mastery of the English language than I could ever muster. My point is, the industry sometimes becomes a little overzealous in putting their seal of approval on new products, while the new products may not actually have much to offer. As a result, data tables and conclusions be set aside as not being credible, rather than serving as basis for understanding
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Pretty crazy isn't it?It just goes to show sometimes independent test are much better than "Some" Reloading Manuals in actual Pressures and Velocities.

Were on our own with Mr. Common Sense..............................Jayco

Inherent variability.