Revisitting the .40-70

[rdnck]

Bob is right about the circus with rim thickness/diameter and neck thickness issues with the 40-70 being a pain in the rear and holding up wider spread acceptance of the cartridge. Add to this the fact that my 40-70 still requires trimming cases from time to time and you have a cartridge I don't shoot very much.

My 40-70 SS is a Shiloh Roughrider, and to my eyes is the prettiest rifle I own. It was also a real bitch to make shoot. When I finally tried KIK 2f powder in it, the rifle took notice and started to shoot. It does shoot very well now, but it was a rough road to get there. If someone wants to shoot a 40, my recommendation is to get a 40-65, as I have never seen a 40-65 that was a problem child, and the 40-65 is good to 1000 yards with the right load and bullet. It also is a good hunting round with a Lyman 403169 or a Lyman 410655.