Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Substitutions when reloading

Reloading for a new 45-70 Henry Big Boy. With today's situation finding components, I cannot find the exact list of brass, primers, bullets etc for loads I want to load. What is a good rule of thumb when substituting brass and bullets? Same weight bullets but different makers. Start at minimum, 10% etc. On some loads, 10% would place the load below the starting load. Brass is Star Line vice Remington or Winchester. Bullets are Hornaday vice Sierra. In the past I have used different brass and primers with other loads with no issues. Not trying to get max loads, just good ones. Curious what the experts say.

Why do you guys insist on not following book load data? Using a Hornady bullet now, pull out the ol Hornady load manual. This stuff isn't hard, but you always seem to want to cut the wrong corners.. To each their own, but sometimes this schidt is ridiculous.. As for switching components, you switch something like a primer or different lot or brand of brass, work up a new load. Do yourself a favor and use the bullet manufactures load data. That is always the safe bet..

The Hornaday and Sierra loading manuals lists powders I do not have or can find.. Yes its simple, if things were available. So I guess you have never varied from published loads? For now I will stick to loads that I have the combo's for, perhaps things will come available eventually.

If you don't try---you don't learn!

I do it all the time, just don't try it with max loads!

Hip

All the manufacturers have manuals, books or online.

If you are loading a 300 grain bullet in a 45/70, in a modern rifle, mix and match; it won't matter. This is a pretty forgiving combo. There may be some capacity differences with brass, but it won't be life-threatening. Load in the middle of the list, and you'll be fine. Check with the chronograph to see any differences. GD

I can honestly say that a large portion of the components you see here on the campfire and modern reloading books are NEVER to be found on the shelf in the rural west. Once a year, I go to Reno, 6 hour drive, for a gunshow, hit a few stores, and there you will see the new stuff, limit one per customer, so why buy it if it can't be replaced? Online order? Buy something new to try, let's say it works for you, for the 1 pound test you are out shipping and hazmat...60 bucks maybe? If it works, then you try to order an 8#...nope, unobtainium. So I can see why guys deviate from the published beaten path of loading data. It's not a quest for danger and thrills...it's necessity. Perhaps it is just me, but I see an unholy alliance between Hornady and Hodgdon, and they are narrowing data choices and pushing new stuff that is just not to be found outside big cities.

Stop it. You're scaring BSA.

Simple solution to the bullet scarcity problem: cast your own. It's one of a handful of cartridges seemingly custom made for shooting cast bullets, probably because it came into existence when that's all there was. Once you've determined which bullet and alloy works best in your gun you'll never be without an unlimited supply of projectiles, as long as there's scrap lead in our midst. That leaves just powder and primers to stymie you.

Molds and casting equipment aren't cheap, but once "settled in" with what you need, a setup will last forever. At least it'll eliminate being at the mercy of The Big Bullet Companies.

As for brass differences, you won't notice any significant changes by mixing brands unless you're playing at the ragged edge of maximum loads. Ditto primers. The differences are slight.

I use the manuals as a "guideline", not as the words of Jesus Christ himself! The difference between Hornady, Sierra, Nosler ... bullets is negligible as long as they are the same weight. Differences between same powder/different lots is negligible, unless you are comparing 4198 from the '60's to 4198 of today. Since the '60's, IMR has changed hands at least 3 times and moved at least 3 times - formulas may have varied between owners and manufacturing processes.
BSA is a bit anal retentive. Probably worked in a lab all his life where these things mattered. Don't sweat it, load and shoot.

I have most all reloading manuals. Most current. 4198 IMR or H would be preferred but cannot find any. RL-7 next, again Unobtanium. Looking at my manuals, perhaps I will use the Lee load data, no particular brass, no particular primer, and just a 300g jacketed bullet. Published data, so I guess then a warm and fuzzy...

Sometimes we're our own worst enemies when it comes to overthinking some of this stuff. If the goal is to dominate the next benchrest competition with the Henry Big Bore then anal attention to the minutiae is paramount. Otherwise, just have fun with it.

I'm seeing scads of powder on the shelves here in Maryland now, in a blue state not known as a hotbed of gun-friendliness. I can't but think that the powder situation in general is improving, based on that observation. Primers remain a sticking point though. .45-70 brass is seemingly everywhere, I see it all the time in classifieds around the Internet - buy a couple hundred of one make and forget about that variable.

Powder Valley currently has 4198 in stock.

Yes in stock, put one in the "cart" to see what the cost would be. About $87 with shipping and hazmat fees.. Dang that is a bunch for 1 pound. Going to try a trade in a local forum, have some primers and other powders that are surplus to me.

Yeah, that's a tough bite. I would say "just buy 4 or 5 pounds to amortize the hazmat and shipping fees" but I won't because frankly I can't afford that kind of money a lot of the time either. It's a f*cked up time we live in.

Find the powder that is closest in burn rate to the powder you have on hand, using the Hornady manual.

Find the bullet that is of similar design (jacketed bullet to jacketed bullet, copper bullet to copper bullet, etc) and same weight as the bullet you're using and use that load data for your Hornady bullet.

Have you checked the powder manufacturers load data? In recent times I use their data when they are using the same or similar bullets as often as bullet manufacturers data.

What bullet, bullet weight, brass, and powder do you have on hand that may be appropriate?

Sorry. GD

Let the chronograph be your guide. If you can’t find the exact case/powder/bullet/primer combo listed for what you have, use load data utilizing as many of the components as you are using with the closest burning rate powder you can find, start low, and watch the chronograph.

Been handloading for over thirty years, only occasionally have I found load data listed for an exact primer/case/powder/bullet combo I was using, and of course, that rarely matches up to my results exactly.

Sometimes you’ll find you get similar velocities with a grain or two less powder than “book”, sometimes the opposite is true.

That’s why they list starting loads, and not just one single load.