Home Forums Hunting & Shooting BPCR Smokeless loads for 50-70

I have been shooting AA2015 in my 50-70 Sharp's carbine

I am.just tired of all of the unburned powder that lays in the bore.
I tried 5744 but just as bad..SR 4759 is gone.
I am too lazy to deal with cleaning cases from BP loads.
Any suggestions?

It’s a big bore straight wall case and you are going to have kernels in the bore, big deal, shoot 5744 and don’t look down the barrel…

IMO...There are very few problems in life that can't be solved with the judicious application of 4227 or 4198. Like you, and contrary to Shrapnel and Venturino's view, no disrespect intended, I have a personal abhorrence for scorched hard carbon particles in the bore of my 150 yr old rifles. Baked carbon particles do not do engine cylinder walls any good, but maybe they are good for rifles.

Sell it and use the money to buy something intended for smokeless comes to mind....
But if the unburnt powder kernels bother you, then simply wipe the bore shouldn't be a problem.
The Lyman reloading handbook does have smokeless data for the 50-70, they do mention tho that that data should not be used in original rifles or balloon head cases.

I agree & add that those granules wind up in the chamber or worse, the action. Potentially interfering with mechanical reliability.

I have fired hundreds if not thousands of rounds loaded with 5744. Have yet to experience any of the unburnt kernels in the chamber, and the unburnt kernels left in the barrel are generally pretty crumbly. Even if one was hard enough to roll out the barrel and chamber it certainly wouldn't be enough to make the action of a Sharps malfunction...

Glad you haven’t had any problems. I have.

In original & Shiloh Sharps, Ruger#1 & Rolling Blocks.
Not with every load but with some loads enough kernels can get into the chamber to prevent chambering, also leave hard dimples in the brass after some do chamber.

well, you know a simple quick pass with a patch on a nylon Brush will solve that problem if it exists....

Indeed. If you’re at the range shooting from a bench.

Not so handy when you’re in the field hunting & such.

^^^^^ This ^^^^

Awe yes hunting
One maybe to shots and it’s all done

5744 works for those that actually use it

There is always a reason something won't work, but I can give you hundreds of reasons 5744 will work. I have shot thousands of rounds in all sorts of calibers and manufacturers of original and reproduction black powder rifles with no problems in the function and reliability with each gun:

Browning 1886 45-70
Winchester 1886 40-65
Winchester 1876 45-60
Winchester 1886 SRC 45-70
Colt Lightning 40-60
Colt Lightning 50 Express
Winchester 1876 50 express
Shiloh Sharps 1877 45-70
Shiloh Sharps 1874 45-70
Sharps 50-70 Carbine
Whitney Kennedy 45-60
Winchester 1895 40-72
Winchester 1895 38-72

All but the Shiloh and Browning rifles are original guns and none has ever suffered a problem or malfunction in decades of shooting. The internals of repeating rifles are much more susceptible to problems with debris than a Sharps, and none has ever even shown a sign of a problem with 5744. This is not contrived or speculated, this is experience with these rifles and 5744 over a long period of time. To claim there is really any problem with 5744, the person making that claim obviously never shot much black powder to really know what fouling and dirt can do to a gun...

I’ve shot & hunted with black powder & smokeless & my own cast bullets since the 1970’s, in many firearms modern & antique.

I like 5744 fine for some applications, not all.

I’ll get my reloading advice from someone who’s screen name is not based on how many fine firearms he’s blown up.

I’ve slowed down aloft in my shooting but there was a time not long ago when 2-3 cases of Blackpowder would just get me thru a year
Black powder problems are often over stated by those that simply repeat the same ol bs on the internet with no real world experience Much like we see with 5744
One thing I did learn over the years is that buying 5744 by the case of 1 lb cans worked out better than the 8lb jugs
5744 may not turn out the most accurate loads in some cartridges but it’s never a bad place to start if you just can’t bring yourself to shoot black

Agreed.

But why the 1 lb. cans instead of 8 lb. jugs?

Cheaper in some instances
Plus for most straight walls rifle cartridges a can will load 300 or so rounds
More for smaller stuff such as the wcf cartridges
Less chance of a case of cans getting contaminated than a single 8 lb jug

Makes sense.

I wonder if condensation in a big jug becomes an issue. Never noticed a problem personally but it does seem logical.

I always try to keep my gas tanks fairly full for that reason.

I e seen a keg of 4895 go bad
It just makes since to keep the bulk of the case of powder sealed that way if something happens your not out a whole bunch

Smart

I have had good luck with 5744. My screen name is what it is.