ok here's a question maybe one of you can assist me on. what kind of distance can i expect to be able to compete at with a midrange steve baldwin or parts unknown 'mega soule' sight, when mated to an original 1885 winchester highwall. i've been told that the winchester nets you some yardage over some other actions due to less drop, but to what extent?? 600yds/?700yds?? the caliber is .45-70, the twist is 1:18 and operating velocities are 1100 to 1150 fps m.v.. i know the midrange suffices  for all my sillouette needs, but perhaps not my longrange ones. i'm guessing that 1000 yard performance is out of the question with the midrange sight on a highwall but some of the guys say .45-70 is 'marginal' for the longrange stuff anyway. what's the concensus of the readers????.....as usual, all comments are welcome....blue

hi ho bs 45,

one factor to consider is bbl length, a 25" bbl will require a much shorter site than a 34". and with a shorter site you don't have to stick your neck up like a stork. much more comfortable.

don't worry about the short bbl and velocity. it will do the job nicely.

..ttfn..grampa..

Bluesteel45:  I routinely shoot both a 1885 Browning and a 74 Shiloh in 45-70 to 1000 yds.  Regardless of the rifle, brand of sight, thickness of the barrel, centerline bore front sight height, tang drop, barrel length, etc. etc.  for a normal 30" barrel  BPCR   Here is a simple answer:   In checking my records, it appears that from a 200 yd zero , you will need somewhere around  an additional 145 to 151.5 MOA to reach 1000 yds.  If you are only going to shoot to say 800 yds. subtract about 42-43 MOA from the 1000 numbers.  If you only have a 100 yd zero add an additional 12 MOA.  This should tell you if you have enough travel on the mid range sight to reach 1000yds and be in the ball park. You of course would need additional movement upward to accomodate any headwind problems.   As to your load of 1100-1140.fps  This load should reach 800 ok but will be challenged to reach 1000 yds with consistancey.  I would suggest a minimum 75 gr. Swiss 1 1/2 compressed powder load for serious 1000yd work.   If I can be of any furthr help let me know.  Best regards steve witt, Waterloo, Ia.

BS45,
I shot a LR match 2 weeks ago at Quantico, VA using a hiwall.  It was a 45-90 with a midrange Hoke sight.  Jones 545 bullet at 1366 fps. I had enough elevation with about 20 moa to spare.  A midrange sight will run out of staff using a 45-70 with the lower velocity.  I started out with a Sharps LRE in 45-70 about 15 years ago and had to purchase a LR staff for it when my midrange sight ran out of staff at 900 yds.  My LR rifles all have 34" barrels.  Frank M.

BS45,

  I'm not sure where this idea of not compressing Swiss comes from. Altho I don't use it in fixed ammo I have found when breech seating I have to compress it at least .100 for best accuracy. A firend has had good luck compressing Swiss in fixed ammo as high as .300.

Like any other BP you have to play with the compression to see what works the best for your load in your rifle.

PETE

With an appropriate bullet, it is not all that hard to get 75grs of Swiss in a 45-70 cases with a moderate amount of compression - just use WW brass, and a borerider having most of the bullet out of the case.  I load a 526gr bullet (actual weight) with 74grs 1 1/2Fg without any problems.  I can get more in there if I want to...
I would suggest getting the LR sight, BTW - you can always use it for midrange events, but the reverse could sometimes be a problem...