Is my .45/70 a safe shooter?

[Merc]

I bought an 1885 Model 1873 .45/70 Trapdoor several years ago for about $250. The stock is a little rough but it seems to be in nice mechanical shape and I immediately thought about shooting it, so I bought a box of modern black powder .45/70 cal. cartridges. Well, the Trapdoor still hanging on the wall and the box of ammo is still in the safe. I own several WW1 and 2 rifles that I enjoy shooting occasionally but I haven't taken the Trapdoor to the range yet.

I can see that the Trapdoor's rifling is crisp, the bore is clean and the action still works well. The only thing that seems worn is the hinge which is a little wobbly when door is open but is solid once locked into place. My problem is basically a lack of knowledge of the Trapdoor. What are the rules that would determine if it's a mechanically sound rifle. Is a wobbly hinge unsafe? What else could make it unsafe to shoot?

Thanks,

Merc

[Sportsdad60]

When you say "modern black powder cartidges" are you talking about smokeless cartridges or Black Powder "Cowboy" loads? The latter is made for the lower pressures that these old trapdoors can endure. You do not want to use off the shelf 45-70 Gov't loads, they exceed the pressures the old trapdoor can handle.

If the hinge pin seems slighlty wobbly that's a normal condition and if the breech block locks tight then it should be okay to shoot BUT, spending $40 or so to have a gunsmith take a look would reduce the risks of damage not only to your trapdoor but your health as well.

[psteinmayer]

Ok, I was always under the impression that the Winchester and Remington factory 45/70 (Remington uses a 405 gr jacketed bullet while Winchester uses a 300 gr jacketed bullet) were safe for Trapdoors. I've fired a few boxes of these through my "Bannerman" 1873 rifle with absolutely no problems. If I'm incorrect in this, please let me know!

There are other loads which are loaded extremely hot and are for modern lever action rifles that handle considerably higher pressures - I believe these are from Black Hills or some similar company.

[Sportsdad60]

They are not safe to shoot in trapdoors and they HURT~! Trust me on this one.

Before I started reloading I was using Powder River Cartridge Low pressure smokeless loads (405 gr) and they work phenomenally well.
So much that I duplicated their load when I started reloading. Now I am pretty much reloading just black powder for the 1883-cartouched trapdoor but the 26 grs of AA5744 topped with a Oregon Laser cast 405 grain bullet is what Powder River uses for a low pressure load.

You can buy a box of 20 from Powder river, they cost about $1.85 a piece. (I reload the same thing for .54 cents a piece )

[Merc]

When you say "modern black powder cartidges" are you talking about smokeless cartridges or Black Powder "Cowboy" loads? The latter is made for the lower pressures that these old trapdoors can endure. You do not want to use off the shelf 45-70 Gov't loads, they exceed the pressures the old trapdoor can handle.

If the hinge pin seems slighlty wobbly that's a normal condition and if the breech block locks tight then it should be okay to shoot BUT, spending $40 or so to have a gunsmith take a look would reduce the risks of damage not only to your trapdoor but your health as well.

The box of ammo I bought but never used is made by Goex. I'll list everything that's printed on the box:

Goex
Black Dawge Cartridges
Traditional Black Powder Ammunition
Center Fire Cartridges
45-70, 350 gr., RNFP Black Powder

Merc

[blackhawknj]

Black powder and lead bullets only in my TDs, one should be gentle to that 140 year old metal. And there's something about that big white cloud.

[Sportsdad60]

The box of ammo I bought but never used is made by Goex. I'll list everything that's printed on the box:

Goex
Black Dawge Cartridges
Traditional Black Powder Ammunition
Center Fire Cartridges
45-70, 350 gr., RNFP Black Powder

Merc

There is no doubt that they can only get so much Goex into the case so this should be a safe load to shoot. Note that the Carbine was meant to shoot those 350gr bullets what I've been told.

Personally I did NOT have mine inspected by a gunsmith because I knew the previous owner and I knew what he shot through it. And the fact that it was in immaculate condition.

If I bought a trapdoor from someone I didn't know, I'd have it inspected by a reputable gunsmith. But that's just me...

[Sportsdad60]

Black powder and lead bullets only in my TDs, one should be gentle to that 140 year old metal. And there's something about that big white cloud.

I have shot over 1000 rounds since 2014 with smokeless low pressure loads in my old trapdoor. Just recently started BP loads. No issues whatsoever and the pressure is well under 18,000 with smokeless powder if you load them Cowboy. There are purists though.."Thou shalt NOT use smokeless powder"....And that's okay.

I agree the BP loads sure are a hoot to shoot, and they're an attention getter too.

[Merc]

Sportsdad,

Thanks for the info.

Merc

[Merc]

There is no doubt that they can only get so much Goex into the case so this should be a safe load to shoot. Note that the Carbine was meant to shoot those 350gr bullets what I've been told.

Personally I did NOT have mine inspected by a gunsmith because I knew the previous owner and I knew what he shot through it. And the fact that it was in immaculate condition.

If I bought a trapdoor from someone I didn't know, I'd have it inspected by a reputable gunsmith. But that's just me...

Thought about taking the Trapdoor to the range this spring. I want to be sure that everything goes right and I don't cause any damage. Even though the 350 gr bullets I bought were made for the carbine, there shouldn't be any issues shooting them in the rifle, correct? What's the recommended bullet weight for the rifle?