I ran into "Old Mick" again yesterday and ended up talking for quite a long time about this BPCR and the grouping that he was getting. He showed me several other targets including sub 2" at 200yds and a 3.25" at 300yards all shot with a Pedersoli 45/70 and aperature sights.
Seems that he is an old benchrester who is applying BR techniques to a new class of rifle.
Cases are sorted and weighed, trimmed to length, primer pockets uniformed and flashholes belled heavily on the inside. 58gn FFFG Wano is dropped into the case and the powder lightly compressed using a home made die and plunger and a beeswax wad pressed over the charge, followed by a card wad and lubed unsized projectile. During bullet seating, the powder and wads are not compressed further by the projectile in any way.
The clearances and tolerences quoted are amazing. Cast bullets are weighed to 408+/- 0.1gn. (I checked some 500gn jacketed softpoints and the variation was more than this.)
Powder charges are weighed, necks expanded with a .458 button to hold a .459 bullet and seated 0.010 short of the lands.
The PACT chronograph printout 1163fps shows a shot to shot variation across 5 rounds of only 6fps!!!
I must rethink now just how I'm loading my 50/70!

BAW, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem! I read once that loading black powder in NOT elementary, it is graduate work. AH, but the rewards!!!

BA Wallace;
Not sure you will ever get the .50-70 to shoot like the .45-70 (a matter of twist I believe) but the fun is in the trying, right? I shoot .45-70 in a Rolling Block and .40-65 in a Sharps, both with BP. The loading technique is pretty much as you described except for the beeswax wad. I use a vegetable fiber or ldpe (plastic) wad over the compressed powder and the bullet seated on the wad. The bullet is lubed with a BP compatible lube. I can't argue with the gents method as he is getting the results described, but fellow shooters of mine achieve pretty much the same with out the "lube cookie". I have achieved 1 1/2 minute groups with the .40-65 to 300 yds.

I got that 50/70 down to 4" groups at 100yds. I just bought a copy of Mike Venturino's book 'Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West' which has a heap of different suggestions.
I started my changes by using Federal 215 magnum primers but that blew the groups out to 8".
I have now a powder compression tool and a CH neck expander .510. Measured the Lyman projectile as cast at .515. Should these be sized to say .512?
As they say, 'Keep trying different combo's till you hit upon the one that works'.

Bullet diameter of course will depend on your bore diameter. I assume have slugged it? .001 to .002 over should be good. I load the .40-65 cases unsized; just bell the case mouth to aid in starting the bullet. I have tried this with my .45-70 but I haven't been shooting it long enough to form conclusions. It seems that if the bullet can be seated out to the lands, one may get away with no neck tension. If the throat is too long for this more neck tension or crimping often works.
I am not an expert by any means, just eager to encourage fellow travelers. These rifles give me more satisfaction than any I have tried.
You might look up www.msn.BPCR for just about anything you want to know.

Wallace, I got thqt link wrong. Here it is.
http://groups.msn.com/BPCR

Six weeks ago I was admiring the groups shot by another shooter who I subsequently befriended. It is amazing how quickly one can learn from a master shooter passing on some knowledge and experience

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7 consecutive shots at 100yards 45/70 Sharps - 485gn cast with 70gns FFG Black Powder

Bad, back during the mid '70s, I frequently shared the range with an elderly gentleman who had shot for the US in the '36 Olympics. His offhand groups were the size of my bench groups (I've gotten a little better since) and he'd cuss and bemoan getting old with every shot.

Feller who has been at it 50 years is likely to have learned a little something about what he is doing.

I think the abject lesson for us all is that to become a good shot you have ask questions and be a good listner.

Yup. I Always learn more when I"m listening than I do when I'm talking!