Model 1873 Springfield

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  • Last Post 05 June 2018
[email protected] posted this 01 June 2018

Hey All! I'm John Griggs and I am a new member. I am hoping to get some information / advice on using the groove free NOE bullet moulds with a high tech finish as opposed to the traditional bullet lube. Has anyone tried this yet in one of these rifles? What coating are you using and how is it affecting accuracy? Please advise.

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Ed Harris posted this 02 June 2018

Never tried the new high tech coatings. 

 

When I used to shoot an original 1884 Trapdoor I found that most of these rifles needed a large diameter bullet of .460-.464" to fit and that the common Lyman #457124 was hopeless because it was too small both on nose and driving band diameters.  I used 1:40 tin-lead and a custom nose-pour 370 grain flatnosed mold from Richard Hoch which was .462 on the driving bands and .454 on the nose, and used 50-50 beeswax and lard with 55 grains of Goex 2Fg and a 5 grain charge of Red Dot or 700X as a booster next to the primer.  My best score on the 200-meter rams was 38 out of 40, which was good enough for third place in the match.  Tom Muddiman and the late LTC Ellis Lea (US Army, Ret.) both fired a clean score and elected for a shoot-off firing standing at the rifle-sized chickens at 200 meters,  Muddiman missed out at 5 straight, Lea broke the tie and went on for ten straight before running out of ammunition. 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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John Carlson posted this 02 June 2018

Trying to wrap my head around the concept of combining the terms "high tech" and "1873 Springfield".  Kinda sounds like one of those oxymoron things.

John Carlson. CBA Director of Military Competition.

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[email protected] posted this 02 June 2018

Thanks for the input Ed. Right now I am using RCBS FN moulds of 405 and 500 grains with a GC, sized to 460. I just loaded some up the other day in new, re-sized brass, after read that the chambers on these old guns were longer than the standard for today's guns. I haven't tested them yet but I'm hoping for a better result. I may still have to increase bullet diameter yet though. Do you still have that 462 mould? Would you be willing to sell it?

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Ed Harris posted this 02 June 2018

Don't have the .462 mold, but Accurate design

http://www.accuratemolds.com/img/bullets/detail/46-365G-D.png 

is close to what I used if you reduced nose diameter to fit your chamber and origin of rifling a bit and tweaked driving diameters for your gun and alloy when you order.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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GP Idaho posted this 02 June 2018

Hello JW: Welcome to the forum. You will find some here more tolerant to the notion of Hy-Tek and powder coat than  others.  Me, I love the stuff. I can see the point behind the traditional lubes for a lot of reasons the least not being that a lot of the guys have a lot tied up in lube-sizing gear and it's worked well for them for years,  so there's not a big incentive to change systems. For my 45-70's  I like the NOE 460-405-RF. I have the RG2 version that gives the option of cup point, hollow point or flat nose. Also the old Lee 400gr. HB is a favorite. These are powder coated. I also have a scope on my Henry lever action 45-70 that gets me a sideways glance on occasion. LOL  Gp

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Bud Hyett posted this 05 June 2018

Shooting the SAECO 1881 mold; 25:1 Pb/Sn alloy, SPG lube in all grooves, run the mold hot (825 degrees) to get a bigger bullet, size in 460 die that lubes only, 68.0 grains Swiss 1 1/2 Fg, 0.030 cardboard wad, Federal Magnum rifle primer. This load shots well in my Trapdoor, 1874 Sharps, Browning High-wall and Remington Rolling Block with shallow grooves.

I had several old Lyman molds that cast oversize bodies and undersize noses that I sold to a friend before I left Illinois. After reading Wolfe's .45-70 reloading book, I went to soft alloy and was able to bump up the heavier bullets to engage the rifling. 

Shooting the RCBS 45-300-FN, 45-325-FNU, 45-405-FN and 45-500-FN in 1895 Marlins and a Siamese Mauser. The loads vary using from 34.0 to 48.0 grains Reloder #7 powder, Federal standard large rifle primer, wheel weight alloy, sized in .460 die, Jake's Red lube, no wads, 

The .45-70 has been a lifelong venture and I have tried many combinations. The Marlin Micro-groove barrel will shoot cast bullets very well if you size to the chamber leade. The Siamese Mauser will shoot a 400 grain bullet to 2200 fps without leading, too much for my shoulder.

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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