A 45-70 squirrel gun???????

I recently aquired some new molds. (see "Boolit Casting" 5 New Molds thread.) One was a .457 round ball for my 45-70 to be "plinking" loads. The first picture is a five shot group shot at 50 yards from "the Mule". It's .584" for four shots and 1.069" with the flier. I twitch a lot! What can I say. I did call it though.



The next one is a four shot group. Four shots because a crow landed about 75 yards away in a bare tree top and I couldn't stop myself from taking a pot shot. I missed but scared the crap out of him/her. Back to the group. It is .613" with another called flier. A pecan fell on to the tin roof just behind me at the instant of trigger break. Shame too because I had a good group going.



This is the set up and "the Mule". I call it the Mule because with a 500gr cast lead boolit and a full load of IMR3031, it'll kick you like a mule. Make that a VERY mad mule. The load for the round balls was 10gr of unique under a 144gr (as cast in pure lead) round ball seated even with the mouth of the case and lubed with homemade 45/45/10 lube. This load could make the 45-70 a squirrel gun. I estimate the velocity around 1000-1100 fps. Maybe less. It sure tames the 45-70. The scope is a nikon prostaff 2x7 set to 4 power.



For those who wonder about the mannlicher forestock and the straight rear stock, I got them at Gunstocks Inc in Iowa. I had them install a pacmeyer decelerator pad on the stock. It helps tame full loads from the Mule.They are on the net at www.gunstocksinc.com.

Doggoner

Added

For SGF-- This is the round ready to shoot. Not much to look at I'm afraid. I agree about the head shots but I feel confident it'll do little damage to a squirrel with a shoulder shot. It's not much more than a 22 long rifle in speed, just a larger projectile. My son and I hunted Herbert squirrels in New Mexico with our 54 cal muzzle loaders shooting round balls and 30gr of pyrodex and enjoyed a good squirrel stew in camp the next afternoon. Head shots were the order of the day though.



For cottonmouth and msredneck. With only 10gr of unique under the ball, it doesn't kick hardly at all. Not much more than a squib load. The pecan hitting the tin roof sounded like a 40 S&W going off next to me. Quite a suprise when I thought I was alone in the back yard and the nearest other folks live a quarter of a mile away.

Doggoner

That wood makes it one fine looking rifle!

I like the stocks also.
scott

Must have a good kick to it if that pecan made you jump like that! You need to try it out on an ole lick head after the 19th.

J.B.

Nice squirrel gun there Doggoner. I am guessing you will be going for head-shots on those tree rats..... Coming home with a mess of headless squirrels.....

Please post a picture of a loaded round.

.

You are obviously "into" pain and suffering

luv the stock

Really actually the kick of a 45-70 with a 405gr lead flat nose
an 14 gr of unique powder is like a .223 i shoot this load
at 150 yds through my sharps falling block

talking bout fun shoot 9 or ten rounds though the same hole

Your roundball load looks like quite a load doggoner.
Another one you can try is a load a gentleman uses in his Springfield trapdoor...says it's fun to shoot. He uses 40 grs. of 3f Goex, an .030 fiber wad, and stacks 3 of the .457 roundballs in the case...crimps the last one a little past halfway. I'm wanting to try it myself.

thats funny i live in perk to and my dad made him a long fore arm stock for his buff clasic 45/70 it looks great

Quigley
Before you load some up, go to www.castpics.net/LoadData/Round%20Ball%20Loads.pdf and check out the info there. The article is by John Goins aka Beagle on cast boolits forum. He has several calibers shown. My interest came from an article on Junior Doughty's site www.castbullet.com. He loaded a 30-30 with a .311 round ball and had good results. I said "what the hell, I could do that with my 45-70." Goins article showed me there is nothing new under the sun in reloading. Goins loads single ball load, double ball load and a three ball load like your friend does. He gives loads for all three ways.

For dragbike, I got my stock at www.gunstocks.com. They are in Iowa. Check them out if you are thinking of gussying up a handi-rifle. I'll bet the buffalo classic looked way cool with a full mannlicher style fore arm.

I apologize to you both for not answering sooner. Last week was busy with getting ready for the casting doings at Byram, MS on the 5th of Nov. We had a ball there.

Doggoner

Thanks for the link doggoner.

yes dads gun is cool looking to he used a ax handle . i was thanking of doing this to my 444 but u and dad beat me to it so i just cant copy yaw two . he got the but stock from them with the cheak rest on it from the same web site as u shoped from