Worked up a few loads to try at 100 yards,using a 535 gr. Postell....I found my best accuracy using only about 58 grains of goex 2f   sounds like a pretty light load,I know..But I had 5 shots in about 1 inch..Or do you all think this load is too light for shooting 500 yards...And all I used was a felt wad,no cards..
Any thoughts on this?

Not really, my standard Trapdoor black load was 53 grs 2 F Goex lightly compressed and the 405 grain arsenal bullet. Used it in my Standard rifles, carbine and now in a Cadet model Trapdoor.  Cadet it did OK to 1000 yards. Not a target rifle but still held the paper on the 1000 yard target.  Much easier to shoot 200 offhand 300 sitting and 600 prone than a heavy bullet. No doubt heavy is better for 1000 though.

Wolfe's book said the Arsenal carbine load was 59 grs black compressed and that same 405 gr bullet.  I found with modern cases a little bit less filled the case nicely .

Can't get 70 grs of black powder in a solid head 45/70 case unless you seat the bullet almost all the way out of the case.

I plan to ding our 600 yard buffalo this Wed with that Cadet and a 365 gr bullet pushed by 22 grs of 4759. Shoots to roughly the same sight settings as the black standard carbine load.  500 yards I use 550 on the Buffington. This will be it's first outing on our Buffalo

You don't need a lot of velocity for distance. 

Boats

One time a long time ago, this fella named Jeff Higgins came to a match at Tacoma with an old Ballard 45/70.   

First time we'd seen him with that Ballard. Told us he just got it. Told us the barrel wasnt perfect, which it wasnt. We all took turns looking through it.

Jeff sat down and got her lined up on the target. Pulled the trigger, we all heard a faint pooof!  We all sorta snorted and laughed under our breaths. Some laughed out loud and pointed a finger. Not me of course.  Then the bullet hit the target.  In the center. He did that nine more times and won the match.  We groaned and moaned.  I miss Jeff Higgins. 

I dont think that Ballard had any rifling for the first half of the barrel. You could almost see the bullet arcing down to the target, the center of the target.


                  Joe.

westerner wrote on Jan 30^th, 2012 at 8:48pm:

don't know yet...will let you know ..that is if I decide to keep using this load...How accurate is your rifle at 500 yards...well...I suppose you got a good shooter..

Now all you have to do is figure out which ones are true 

Boats

My story about Jeff Higgins is absolutely true.   

He normally used a 1875 C Sharps. 

Havent seen him for years.


              Joe.

dogman,

I'm guessing that your MV will be relatively low, maybe 1100 fps.  The main problem with a load
that has a slow MV is the verticle spread usually
gets worse the farther you go out.  Nothing more frustrating than highs and lows or over and under the target at Long Range.

My LR load [45-70] is 82.5 grains of Fg Swiss. Under a 523 grain PP bullet gets about 1280 fps MV.  Most folks shooting LR are partial to 1300 fps MV [mostly 45-90's].

As has been said before, only some trigger time at LR will tell the tale.

Keep on hav'n fun!
MikeT