Tonk, thanks for your concern. Well, it's not exactly my little secret - it's from the Hodgdon reloading data table for 45-70 lever actions. See below, I pasted it in. Max is 60 grains of H4198 but even with IMR4198 it's 57.2 for almost the same velocity. I got this velocity with no signs of excessive pressure and I'm very pleased. I've been reloading since the mid '70s and still have all my fingers, etc. As with any new load or new can of powder, I approached this load from the recommended starting charge and worked my way up, inspecting each fired case for signs of pressure. Possibly, this will change your perception of me as either a liar or an idiot.

check out the Hodgdon site http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp and try their load. I rarely achieve published velocities but, in this case I was pleasantly surprised. I can't promise you'll get the same results from your rifle, but you ought to be able to get close anyway. My bullet was the Hornady, but probably Sierra and Speer will give similar results. I read that the Nosler and Barnes bullets produced higher pressures, so be careful there and as always, approach with caution.


Filters

Load Type *Cartridge Manufacturer
Bullet Weight
Powder




Cartridge: 45-70 Government (Lever Actions)*
Load Type: Rifle
Starting Loads
________________________________________ Maximum Loads
________________________________________
Bullet Weight (Gr.) Manufacturer Powder Bullet Diam. C.O.L. Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure Grs. Vel. (ft/s) Pressure
________________________________________
300 GR. SIE HP IMR IMR 4064 .458" 2.525" 59.0 1858 20,300 CUP 65.5C 2125 28,700 CUP
300 GR. SIE HP IMR IMR 4895 .458" 2.525" 58.5 1800 19,900 CUP 65.0C 2087 30,000 CUP
300 GR. SIE HP Hodgdon H335 .458" 2.525" 61.0 2073 22,500 CUP 68.0 2326 38,800 CUP
300 GR. SIE HP IMR IMR 3031 .458" 2.525" 58.0 1971 21,900 CUP 64.0C 2196 29,500 CUP
300 GR. SIE HP Hodgdon H322 .458" 2.525" 57.0 2002 21,400 CUP 63.0C 2252 32,600 CUP
300 GR. SIE HP IMR IMR 4198 .458" 2.525" 53.7 2293 33,100 CUP 57.2 2407 39,100 CUP
300 GR. SIE HP Hodgdon H4198 .458" 2.525" 55.0 2221 27,600 CUP 60.0 2424 40,000 CUP


You can also go to handloads.com and see that other reloaders have gotten similar results. http://www.handloads.org/loaddata/d...ype=rifle&Order=Velocity&Source=


www.fischercustomknives.com