Am I risking blowing my new Turnbull 45-90 up by not using filler in my cases.
I am using IMR 3031 and was told from Turnbull that I did not need filler in the cases.
I have loaded up 100 test cartridges with out fillers and you guys have me worried that I did something wrong
All of the slugs that I have cast are gas checks will that make any difference.
Any advice would be appreciated
My .45-90's are single shots, easily cleaned, so I never have loaded smokeless in them. Is yours an 1886?
You can run a test by holding a round nose down, to shift the powder to the bullet, away from the primer. That simulates what might happen in the field when you have a round chambered, with the muzzle down. Then chamber and fire it and see if there is any perceptible hangfire or lost velocity/accuracy. If it works okay, enjoy the rest of your loads.
In the .375 H&H I had to use fillers, for reduced loads of 3031, to prevent hangfires. But there was a bunch of space in that long case.
If you do have problems, then a filler (not a wad!) is indicated. Or switch to a slower burning powder, like say Varget, that more completely fills the case. Or black powder, which as stated is never loaded with air space in the case.
You'd be surprised at the killing power of a big bullet, launched at 1300-1400 fps by black powder. Different bullets are required for black, than a gas checked hard cast, however.
