New member with an 1873 45-70.

[mjpchief]

Kudos to Dixie Gun Works. Ordered rear sight and nose cap last Sunday and received them today. Perfect match and fit on original parts for my rifle. Now the search is on for a bullet mold. Any suggestions on bullet weight? Will be shooting paper so will not need anything special.

[Tom Trevor]

?? Just going to shoot paper. if you have no interest where on the paper you hit it The Lee 405 hollow base government style comes out of the mold at about .462 { sometimes} and is ALMOST round and is a good plinker that will serve your purpose. Now if you wish to hit the center of the paper we move on to Buffalo arms custom molds either their .462405 HB or the 500 grain Saeco M-1881 Government mold will last you a lifetime. The Lee aluminum mold will last a couple of years with careful use.
Black powder or smokeless also comes into play depending on the powder you use.

[mjpchief]

Probably just shoot paper for now. Gave up active hunting when my dad passed away. He was my lifetime hunting partner. At my age my knees in their condition won’t take much walking in the woods. With that thought in mind I am pretty particular about where I hit the paper. I like the long distance stuff.

[mjpchief]

Got a bullet mold today preparing to reload. What do you guys use for bullet lube when pouring your own lead? I have a set of dies ordered and all I have to do now is make a bunch of empty cartridges. Oh well, somebody has to do it.

[Jim]

Got a bullet mold today preparing to reload. What do you guys use for bullet lube when pouring your own lead? I have a set of dies ordered and all I have to do now is make a bunch of empty cartridges. Oh well, somebody has to do it.

I’ve used Alox and SPG lube . . .no complaints on either.

[mjpchief]

Finally got to go shoot the trapdoor today. Using the subsonic rounds at 50 yds I finally got the group down to
1 1/2”. By the sights lowered all the way down it would shoot 2” high. Allowed for that and put the next 4 in the bullseye. Had 2 rounds with me that I had loaded with a 150 gr. Flat nose and 55 gr of 3f Goex. These 2 round shot 2 inches high and thumped me a little harder than the factory subsonic. Think I will back off 5 grs and try again. Thoroughly enjoyed shooting this rifle.

[Tony Beck]

On bullet lube, if you are shooting black powder, SPG is excellent. If you want to make your own, 4-5 parts bees wax (real bees wax not craft store substitute) and 1 part olive oil melted together. The ratio isn't real critical. Unless you are shooting long range, that works very well.

[mjpchief]

Will try that. I have the bees wax already. Just loaded 20 today but they won’t last long. As soon as the weather clears here they will be gone pretty quick.

[mjpchief]

Shot 10 rounds today with 50 gr 3f and ground corn cob filler using the bees wax lube. Really like shooting this rifle. Distance was 50 yds. Good 2” group. This rifle will shoot better than I can shoot it with these old eyes.

[Dick Hosmer]

Try Cream of Wheat - more historical, and you'll love the smell, kinda like fresh-baked bread...