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trapdoor smokeless load

jonkjonk Member Posts: 10,121
edited August 2009 in Perry Shooter Competition Shooting and Reloading Forum
Anyone have a good load for the trapdoor springfield using imr 4198 an a 405 grainish bullet?
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    cbyerlycbyerly Member Posts: 689 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    IMR 4198 is not a very suitable powder. If loaded to recommended specs, it will leave a lot of unburned powder in the barrel. The more appropriate powder is SR 4759. It was designed for large capacity cases to replace black powder. The correct load is 24 grains with a lead bullet. Is is best to place a tuft of Kapok over the powder to hold it is place over the flash hole.
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    Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,189 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have no experience with either the 45-70 or the trapdoor Springfield, so can only urge you to refer to the CORRECT section of a good load manual for this. I heartily recommend the Lyman - and also that you triple check you are in the right load pages. They are separated by action types for strength, and DO make sure your pages have not flipped on their own while the book is on the bench.
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
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    rusty3040rusty3040 Member Posts: 131 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    popular load for trapdoors is 28 grains of imr4198 with the 405 grain bullet, i use a little dacron filler with it
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    aap2aap2 Member Posts: 203 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    For the 405gr jacketed bullet in the trapdoor, I used 14 grains of Unique, no wads or filler. This is within 10% of the max working pressure for the trapdoor action and you have to be quite sure that you don't double-charge (or triple charge) that huge case with this fast-burning powder. Charge a case then seat the bullet, one at a time. I never had any luck with the slower stick powders and don't like to use wads or fillers. I got several unfired trapdoors (1884 and 1873) back in the 1970's and was surprized how hard it was to work up a decent smokeless load. If you are serious, get Wolf Spence's book on loading the Trapdoor Springfield, it's a goldmine of info. Lots of the loading info published is useless for the trapdoor; be very careful that the data you use is the low-pressure loadings for the fairly weak trapdoor action. The blackpowder loads are a blast (again read Spence's book); a trapdoor wih proper loads will outshoot just about any 45-70 repro out there if you take the time to do some research. Most of the published 45-70 smokeless trapdoor loads shoot groups that look like shotgun patterns.
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    MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,972 ******
    edited November -1
    I'll suggest 'trail boss' powder, burns clean, full case, and you cann't overload
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