.45-70 and Trail Boss

[GH1]

Anybody ever use it? I'm looking to load some 300 gr swaged bullets and was wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom for me, or actual experience .
GH1:lol:

[school of mines]

I've just loaded some 385 grain lead bullets for my 45-70 with Trail Boss. Unfortunately, I haven't tested them out! l plan on using them in my Encore. I have used Trail Boss in my 38-55 and it was accurate. I am curious to see how your 300 gr swaged bullets work with Trail Boss. Keep us updated.

[GH1]

Will do.
GH1

[GH1]

I had to cancel my range day due to inclement weather. I'll try again next weekend.
GH1

[GH1]

The 300 gr swaged bullets on top of 14 gr Trail Boss was quite pleasant to shoot. Very accurate, low recoil, and no leading.
That load is definately a keeper, I just wish the T.B. wasn't so hard to meter out of my Uni-Flow. I think I'll make a powder dipper and skip the Uni-Flow.
The 300 gr Federal jacket loads, on the other hand, were punishing. Definately not a plinking round.
GH1:lol:

[versifier]

GH1,
The problem isn't in your Uniflow, or with the powder. The powder measure is the reloading tool that takes the most time and practice to master. Sadly some never master it and all too often blame the tool. (I am NOT accusing you of that - you have simply noticed the inconsistancy and rightly want to take steps to insure consistant charges, but you really don't need to go back to dipping.) [smilie=1: Ball powders are easy to meter, but some flake powders and most extruded powders need a more refined technique for consistant drops. Any powder that is problematic with a progressive press (where the charge is dropped automatically by working the press handle) often needs the hand of an experienced operator for non-progressive loading. This includes many flake powders and virtually all extruded ones.

First, set up the measure so that it fills on the upstroke and drops on the downstroke, using the two of the three screw holes that will give you the greatest length (and leverage) of the charging lever.

To fill, bring the charging lever up with a sharp, deliberate motion (like you do to load and eject a rifle action) so that the steel bushing through which the adjustment screw passes makes a noticable tap against the cast body of the measure at the top of the stroke, and sometimes more than one tap is needed, depending upon the powder. This insures a consistant fill.

Make sure that you use the same speed and pressure on the lever for each stroke up or down (this is where the practice comes in).

Use the same technique for the downstroke when the tap or taps create a shock wave through the measure that prevents the charge from bridging. Extruded powders will shear grains sometimes, but ignore it and use the same amount of force for each stroke. Hold the roller end of the handle in the palm of your hand, not with your fingers when you drop - it gives you more force and better leverage on those strokes when grains are sheared - insufficient force will cause the lever to stop or hesitate when any shearing happens, and this makes for inconsistant drops.

The Uniflow and similar designs by other manufacturers is more than capable of .1gr accuracy, but it can take a few thousand drops with more difficult powders before most can achieve that accuracy especially with extruded powders. Your scale will tell you when you get it right, but don't be surprised or frustrated if it takes several months or more, depending on the volume of ammo you are producing. I took me a year or so way back when loading a few hundred rifle cases a month with IMR3031 before my trickler moved to the shelf and started collecting dust. The only time I ever use it now is when teaching a new loader. If your volume of ammo is correspondingly greater and you are paying careful attention to keeping your hand motions consistant, you can master it that much sooner. Once you can do the extruded powders, you will never have any trouble at all with flake.

[runfiverun]

there are a few powders that you will have to measure.
rl-19 and steel come to mind right off.
i can drop unique ,4895,2400,through my powder dump all day and never vary more than .01.
but i have to weigh each and every one of those two powders.
lyman makes an automatic powder dispenser that i really like for stuff like that.
even on the progressive presses different operators can make a bit of a difference in the powder drop.
i tried an experiment a few years ago on a couple of ponsess warrens weighing samples from me ,my dad, and my uncle.
i would consistently have a lighter powder charge and more consistent weights than either of them on a full progressive.
it was because i slid the thing into home and they tended to rock and roll the machine a bit more.
now on the dillon 650 i cannot get the thing to operate for me.
my dad can run the thing like an indy car. but all i get are skipped primers, case hangups, and frustration.

[GH1]

Intereting thoughts on mastering the Uni-Flow. However, I seriously doubt I'll load enough .45-70 to master the technique. The .45-70 I loaded for doesn't belong to me, it belongs to a co-worker who recently bought an RCBS starter kit. The only reason I loaded it for him was because he doesn't have his bench set up just yet.
I load for .380 and .357 using AA#2 and #9. These ball powders meter properly with little effort on my part, that's partly why I like them so much.
However, given the way TB performed in the 45-70, I would definately recommend it to anyone that wants a mild, accurate load.
GH1