Cas City Forum Hall & CAS-L
Special Interests - Groups & Societies => The Winchester Model 1876 => Topic started by: WesDurn#18998 on July 20, 2019, 10:37:47 PM
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Hello folks! I'm going to be loading up some .45-60 loads for an Uberti/Cimarron '76, 28"bbls. I plan to use smokeless (been looker over the load-date above) at present. Just wondering if anyone could recommend a good bullet to start with. I'm thinking 300gr, as that seems the standard. I will not shooting past 300yds. max - more 1-200 generally. I'm new to rifle-caliber loading, so any related thoughts, or even a good starting powder recommendation is appreciated. Thanks! (Will be using these for CAS long-range)
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I have been using Lyman #
457191 292 grain bullets lubed with SPG on top of a case full of black powder in my original 1876 for years. They work so well for me that I have never shot anything else. I have never fired anything but black powder loads in this rifle and I really like Swiss 1.5 fg.
Enjoy your '76,they are a real hoot!
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Thanks for the info Jubal!
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I have Uberti's Centennial rifle in 45-60 cal. and I've had some nice shooting with the following load:
Lyman's 457122HP @ ~ 350 gr. over 14 gr. Herco with a 5/8" long foam plug for filler. The foam is 1/2" round window sealing foam rod that comes in a coil from building supply stores.
I made a new plunger for my mould to eliminate the hollow point, but I've not tested it for accuracy comparison with the original pill. It brings the weight of the bullet up about five grains.
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Thanks Gabriel! Interesting!
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I cast all of my bullets.
Using plain based RCBS 325 grain bullet, primarily with smokeless (2400).
With black powder, I find the 400 grain Lee hollow base mold works well, carries enough lube for sustained shooting. Due to case capacity, I'm using 3f...about 48 grains. I'm planning to mill the top of this mold about .O40 which will reduce weight slightly & make the flat diameter a bit larger.
Both loads shoot well at 200+
Slim
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I have has good luck with 457191 from Lyman and 26gn. IMR 4198.
Dave
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Thank you for all the input gents! :)
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If you go to the 45-60 reloading thread, you will find all kinds of data re: bullets and powder. From my experience (whatever that is worth) there is not a lot of difference between accuracy from the 300gr vs. the 350. If you are brand new to the reloading game, I would start off by buying bullets (I am using Meister Bullets-300gr- right now in smokeless loads). The cost of all the casting equipment added onto the rifle and the reloading stuff can be prohibitive.
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Thanks Matt - I agree completely. I bought some 300gr. bullets. Casting may come down the line somewhere, but for now, I just want the basics to be able to load up some decent rounds. I will definitely be using the 45-60 thread for load-data suggestions etc!
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Hello WesDurn,
I too bought the 1876 rifle, and I have used both the Lyman bullet and the RCBS bullet. I had the best result with the RCBS bullet, and I used Starlight .45-70 cases that I cut down. The first time I did this, I cut the cases to the original length of the .45-60 brass. When I loaded these rounds into my rifle, they would not cycle. The short version is that they were to long. I seated the RCBS bullet to the crimp grove on the bullet, and this made the loaded round to long. When I used the RCBS bullet, I had to cut the cases to 1.84". After I cut the cases to this length, and seated my bullets to the crimp grove on the bullet, my rounds worked just fine. Cut the brass to 1.84", and load the round to an over all length of 2.27". The only other issue I have had is that I have had to re-anneal the brass. After about 3 loadings, the cases started to split. Good luck, I think you will really like the 1876 rifle. Mine shot to point of aim, right out of the box with my smokeless loads. Black powder, that is a different story...