Load Development Handloading the .45-60 WCF

Brian Pearce n the last issue of LoadData. Cases measured 1.8850 com, we offered loads for the inches. Maximum case .40-60 WCF chambered in a re- length is 1.89 inches, I with normal trim to length production Model 1876 rifle. Now let’s take a closer look at the .45-60 being 1.88 inches. WCF. The .45-60 WCF was first of- Brian tried sizing cast bullets to .458 and .459 inch. There was no perceptible fered in 1879 and chambered in the difference in accuracy with the factory open sights. Winchester Model 1876 rifle, which of items to be aware of before sitting On the other hand, most smokeless less corrosion) or IMR Trail Boss was essentially a larger version of the down at the bench. For instance powders leave space in the case and (a modern bulky smokeless pow- Model 1873. In spite of its size, the Lyman mould 457191, a 292-grain do not support the base of the bul- der designed for this application). action of the Winchester rifle was cast bullet, is a natural choice for let. As a result, bullets were observed Both powders can be loaded to 100 not long enough to accommodate this cartridge, but to allow proper being pushed deeply into the case, percent case capacity to support the the .45-70 Government cartridge. function through the Model 1876 which can cause function issues, but The .45-60 was created by shorten- base of the bullet. action, the overall cartridge length worse, can cause pressures to spike. ing the .45-70 case from 2.10 to must be limited to around 2.250 When loading smokeless pow- 1.89 inches. Bullet weight was listed The groove diameter of the .45-60 inches. With a case length between ders that are less than 100 percent at 300 grains, and when shot with WCF measured .457 inch, and in an 1.88 and 1.89 inches the bullet must capacity, another option includes around 60 grains of black powder, effort to tighten the bullet to case fit be seated so the case is crimped over trimming cases to 1.81 inches, then muzzle velocity was advertised at and keep them in place, they were the front driving band and on the seating the Lyman 457191 bullet to 1,315 fps. sized .458 and .459 inch; however, ogive (and is how it was originally the upper lube groove and using it this still did not provide enough In the past couple of years, Uberti designed). When using a case full of as a crimping groove. In this fashion hold to satisfy this gun writer. (imported by Cimarron Firearms black powder, the powder supports the overall cartridge length remains Brian used three Charter 2000 Model 1876 rifles chambered in .45-60 WCF, effectively the same at 2.250 inches, and Taylor’s and Company) and .45-75 WCF and .40-60 WCF to develop load data. the base of the bullet, effectively pre- One option to cure the above Chaparral-Repeating Arms (im- venting it from being pushed deeply problem includes using Hodg- which allows cartridges to function reliably and the bullets to positively ported by Charter 2000) have been Hodgdon Triple Seven powders) the destruction limits of the im- into the case when subjected to tu- don Triple Seven FFg (an excel- offering replicas of the Winchester bular magazine pressure and recoil. lent black-powder substitute with stay in place. (This particular bullet in original Winchester Model 1876 ported Model 1876 rifles. features three lubrication grooves, Model 1876 and are available in rifles. the four original calibers, including Handloading the .45-60 WCF was and with the upper one being used .40-60, .45-60, .45-75 and .50-95 As of this writing, TEN-X Ammu- relatively easy, but there are a couple as a crimp groove, the two remain- WCFs. These guns are crafted of nition is the only company offering ing grooves hold enough Alox lubri- modern steels and are suitable for factory loads for the .45-60 WCF. cant to prevent barrel leading.) loads containing smokeless pow- A sampling of the smokeless loads Another cast bullet that gave good ders. It is not recommended to use was tried in the 22-inch barrel of results is Lyman mould 457122, accompanying smokeless data (with the Chaparral-Repeating Arms rifle, which is a 330-grain hollowpoint. the exception of IMR Trail Boss and which clocked 1,367 fps. This bullet is rather long for the There are no SAAMI specifica- .45-60 case, and some die sets might tions for the .45-60 WCF cartridge, not properly size the case to assure but like many black-powder car- that the base of the bullet is sealed tridges from this era, 28,000 CUP against the case wall. (Keep in mind is considered maximum. While that this case does have some slight no pressure barrel was available, it Lyman mould 457191, weighing taper and is not “straight.”) If it does is believed that no loads exceeded 292-grains, is a traditional plain not properly seal, lubrication can 21,000 CUP, which is way below base cast bullet for the .45-60 WCF. As of this writing, only TEN-X Ammunition is offering factory loads in .45-60 WCF. leak into the powder contaminating

1 LOAD DEVELOPMENT • Oct-Nov 2008 www.loaddata.com www.loaddata.com Oct-Nov 2008 • LOAD DEVELOPMENT 2 Load Development Handloading the .45-60 WCF

Brian Pearce n the last issue of LoadData. Cases measured 1.8850 com, we offered loads for the inches. Maximum case .40-60 WCF chambered in a re- length is 1.89 inches, I with normal trim to length production Model 1876 rifle. Now let’s take a closer look at the .45-60 being 1.88 inches. WCF. The .45-60 WCF was first of- Brian tried sizing cast bullets to .458 and .459 inch. There was no perceptible fered in 1879 and chambered in the difference in accuracy with the factory open sights. Winchester Model 1876 rifle, which of items to be aware of before sitting On the other hand, most smokeless less corrosion) or IMR Trail Boss was essentially a larger version of the down at the bench. For instance powders leave space in the case and (a modern bulky smokeless pow- Model 1873. In spite of its size, the Lyman mould 457191, a 292-grain do not support the base of the bul- der designed for this application). action of the Winchester rifle was cast bullet, is a natural choice for let. As a result, bullets were observed Both powders can be loaded to 100 not long enough to accommodate this cartridge, but to allow proper being pushed deeply into the case, percent case capacity to support the the .45-70 Government cartridge. function through the Model 1876 which can cause function issues, but The .45-60 was created by shorten- base of the bullet. action, the overall cartridge length worse, can cause pressures to spike. ing the .45-70 case from 2.10 to must be limited to around 2.250 When loading smokeless pow- 1.89 inches. Bullet weight was listed The groove diameter of the .45-60 inches. With a case length between ders that are less than 100 percent at 300 grains, and when shot with WCF measured .457 inch, and in an 1.88 and 1.89 inches the bullet must capacity, another option includes around 60 grains of black powder, effort to tighten the bullet to case fit be seated so the case is crimped over trimming cases to 1.81 inches, then muzzle velocity was advertised at and keep them in place, they were the front driving band and on the seating the Lyman 457191 bullet to 1,315 fps. sized .458 and .459 inch; however, ogive (and is how it was originally the upper lube groove and using it this still did not provide enough In the past couple of years, Uberti designed). When using a case full of as a crimping groove. In this fashion hold to satisfy this gun writer. (imported by Cimarron Firearms black powder, the powder supports the overall cartridge length remains Brian used three Charter 2000 Model 1876 rifles chambered in .45-60 WCF, effectively the same at 2.250 inches, and Taylor’s and Company) and .45-75 WCF and .40-60 WCF to develop load data. the base of the bullet, effectively pre- One option to cure the above Chaparral-Repeating Arms (im- venting it from being pushed deeply problem includes using Hodg- which allows cartridges to function reliably and the bullets to positively ported by Charter 2000) have been Hodgdon Triple Seven powders) the destruction limits of the im- into the case when subjected to tu- don Triple Seven FFg (an excel- offering replicas of the Winchester bular magazine pressure and recoil. lent black-powder substitute with stay in place. (This particular bullet in original Winchester Model 1876 ported Model 1876 rifles. features three lubrication grooves, Model 1876 and are available in rifles. the four original calibers, including Handloading the .45-60 WCF was and with the upper one being used .40-60, .45-60, .45-75 and .50-95 As of this writing, TEN-X Ammu- relatively easy, but there are a couple as a crimp groove, the two remain- WCFs. These guns are crafted of nition is the only company offering ing grooves hold enough Alox lubri- modern steels and are suitable for factory loads for the .45-60 WCF. cant to prevent barrel leading.) loads containing smokeless pow- A sampling of the smokeless loads Another cast bullet that gave good ders. It is not recommended to use was tried in the 22-inch barrel of results is Lyman mould 457122, accompanying smokeless data (with the Chaparral-Repeating Arms rifle, which is a 330-grain hollowpoint. the exception of IMR Trail Boss and which clocked 1,367 fps. This bullet is rather long for the There are no SAAMI specifica- .45-60 case, and some die sets might tions for the .45-60 WCF cartridge, not properly size the case to assure but like many black-powder car- that the base of the bullet is sealed tridges from this era, 28,000 CUP against the case wall. (Keep in mind is considered maximum. While that this case does have some slight no pressure barrel was available, it Lyman mould 457191, weighing taper and is not “straight.”) If it does is believed that no loads exceeded 292-grains, is a traditional plain not properly seal, lubrication can 21,000 CUP, which is way below base cast bullet for the .45-60 WCF. As of this writing, only TEN-X Ammunition is offering factory loads in .45-60 WCF. leak into the powder contaminating

1 LOAD DEVELOPMENT • Oct-Nov 2008 www.loaddata.com www.loaddata.com Oct-Nov 2008 • LOAD DEVELOPMENT 2 Load Development NEW DVD for it. The Lyman dies that were used experienced sized cases correctly to allow the use of this bullet. Like the former handloaders bullet, cases should be trimmed to 1.81 inches, with the crimp placed who want to in the upper lubrication groove for an overall cartridge length of 2.250 inches. get the most Most loads performed well, as they out of their were accurate and produced low ex- treme spreads, but IMR-4198 gave ammunition! especially good results with each of the bullets used. For instance 29.0 grains drove the 292-grain cast bullet 1,366 fps, gave low extreme spreads and was accurate. The same powder charge propelled the 300- grain Sierra bullet 1,276 fps while achieving similar accuracy. Another good powder was Accurate Arms 5744, with 26.0 grains shooting the With a 292-grain cast bullet driven to 330-grain Lyman hollowpoint bullet 1,366 fps, the Charter 2000 Model 1876 chambered in .45-60 WCF proved 1,284 fps, producing similar groups accurate with open sights. as the above loads. The .45-60 WCF is a practical Ammunition. In developing dozens choice for handloaders, as cases are of loads, I found it easy to develop easily created by trimming .45-70 accurate and consistent ammuni- brass, or commercial versions are tion. And it offers enough punch to readily available through TEN-X hunt any game in North America. • $19.95 + Shipping & Handling: $3.25 U.S. & Canada. $6.50 Foreign. AZ Res. add 8.35 % tax. • Checking Cases • Neck Sizing • Selecting Bushings • Headspace • Bullet Myths • Powder Selection and much, much more! Wolfe Publishing Company Order Online: www.riflemagazine.com 2625 Stearman Rd. Ste. A Prescott, AZ 86301 Toll Free: 800-899-7810 Tel: 928-445-7810 Fax: 928-778-5124 A variety of powders were used to develop .45-60 WCF handloads.

3 LOAD DEVELOPMENT • Oct-Nov 2008 www.loaddata.com www.loaddata.com Oct-Nov 2008 • LOAD DEVELOPMENT 4 Load Development NEW DVD for it. The Lyman dies that were used experienced sized cases correctly to allow the use of this bullet. Like the former handloaders bullet, cases should be trimmed to 1.81 inches, with the crimp placed who want to in the upper lubrication groove for an overall cartridge length of 2.250 inches. get the most Most loads performed well, as they out of their were accurate and produced low ex- treme spreads, but IMR-4198 gave ammunition! especially good results with each of the bullets used. For instance 29.0 grains drove the 292-grain cast bullet 1,366 fps, gave low extreme spreads and was accurate. The same powder charge propelled the 300- grain Sierra bullet 1,276 fps while achieving similar accuracy. Another good powder was Accurate Arms 5744, with 26.0 grains shooting the With a 292-grain cast bullet driven to 330-grain Lyman hollowpoint bullet 1,366 fps, the Charter 2000 Model 1876 chambered in .45-60 WCF proved 1,284 fps, producing similar groups accurate with open sights. as the above loads. The .45-60 WCF is a practical Ammunition. In developing dozens choice for handloaders, as cases are of loads, I found it easy to develop easily created by trimming .45-70 accurate and consistent ammuni- brass, or commercial versions are tion. And it offers enough punch to readily available through TEN-X hunt any game in North America. • $19.95 + Shipping & Handling: $3.25 U.S. & Canada. $6.50 Foreign. AZ Res. add 8.35 % tax. • Checking Cases • Neck Sizing • Selecting Bushings • Headspace • Bullet Myths • Powder Selection and much, much more! Wolfe Publishing Company Order Online: www.riflemagazine.com 2625 Stearman Rd. Ste. A Prescott, AZ 86301 Toll Free: 800-899-7810 Tel: 928-445-7810 Fax: 928-778-5124 A variety of powders were used to develop .45-60 WCF handloads.

3 LOAD DEVELOPMENT • Oct-Nov 2008 www.loaddata.com www.loaddata.com Oct-Nov 2008 • LOAD DEVELOPMENT 4