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45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:05 am
by opencountry
What is a good starting load for a 45-90 using a 535 grain PJ Postell, Starline brass and regular Goex Fg powder? How does 80 grains sound? From my measurements this will give the powder about .370" compression.

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:13 am
by Brent
Why would you NOT start with whatever is the minimum load to fill the case to the base of the bullet+wad?

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:16 am
by opencountry
Brent wrote:Why would you NOT start with whatever is the minimum load to fill the case to the base of the bullet+wad?
OK, but that sounds like such a pitiful load, Brent. :) From my experience Goex Fg likes compression.

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:21 am
by shovel80
How about 90 Grains??

Terry :D

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:51 am
by opencountry
Brent,

Your advice makes perfect sense. Work up from that point until I find what the rifle likes. I guess I should have asked the question, "What is a good fireforming load"? Thank you. I understand what you were saying.

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:34 am
by Jim Watson
I recall the Rdnck Recipe:
Loose dump the case full of powder.
Weigh for reference.
Load that amount with proper drop tube and compression die to make room for the bullet.

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:49 am
by opencountry
Jim Watson wrote:I recall the Rdnck Recipe:
Loose dump the case full of powder.
Weigh for reference.
Load that amount with proper drop tube and compression die to make room for the bullet.

I'll give that a try. Thanks.

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:56 am
by opencountry
Jim Watson wrote:I recall the Rdnck Recipe:
Loose dump the case full of powder.
Weigh for reference.
Load that amount with proper drop tube and compression die to make room for the bullet.
That's 85.7 grains of Goex Fg in my FL-sized 45-90 Starline case, scraped level on top.

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:53 am
by Tasmanian Rebel
Agree with all the advice above. One thing you may want to try is 3F Swiss in your 45-90. Brian Chilson uses this I think and I've had at least a couple of 45-90's that shot 3F spectacularly. Just don't try to compress it as accuracy in my experience falls off quickly if you do this.
Keith Lay

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:28 am
by opencountry
Thanks Keith,

I may buy a can and give it a try.

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:52 pm
by LJBass
Robert,
Check your pm's and get back to me on using 3f.
Regards, LJ

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:39 pm
by deerhuntsheatmeup
Rdncks formula works, Keith won the Nat'ls with a 45-90

Why fix something that ain't broke?

Best, Barvid

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:51 pm
by opencountry
Tasmanian Rebel wrote:Agree with all the advice above. One thing you may want to try is 3F Swiss in your 45-90. Brian Chilson uses this I think and I've had at least a couple of 45-90's that shot 3F spectacularly. Just don't try to compress it as accuracy in my experience falls off quickly if you do this.
Keith Lay
Keith,

Are you experiencing more felt recoil with the Swiss 3F over, say, Swiss 1.5? Higher velocity?

Robert

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:49 am
by Tasmanian Rebel
Robert, all my '90's are for Creedmoor, Mid-Range Prone, or gong(Q) matches and weigh 14 1/2 lbs so there's not much recoil differential between the powders. It's actually been several years now since I've used 1F or 1 1/2 F in these guns because 3F and wiping works so incredibly well for me. Depending on the lot I usually use somewhere in the 75-76 gr range so it's not going super fast and kinda like a souped-up 45-70(1265 fps on the manditory chrono test in Raton last year if memory serves) but boy is it accurate and burns so clean the second patch looks like it came out of the box. I started testing 3F Swiss several years ago when I started looking at the winners loads in Raton and noticed lo and behold 3F was being used more often than one would think(and alot in some 45-70's). I started testing it and haven't looked back. The only time I deviate from the 3F is with my offhand load at the Q where I use either 1F Swiss or 2F KIK and a blowtube.
Keith Lay

Re: 45-90 starting load?

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:11 am
by Tasmanian Rebel
My edit function timed out before I could correct. The off-hand blowtube load should read 2F Goex Express or 2F KIK- not 1F Swiss.
Keith Lay