Is it safe to load 10 grains of Unique under a 405 grain .459 Idaho Territory bullet without Dacron Filler? My rifle is the 1985G.

That should read "1895G", not "1985G".

baldtop,

My old (#40) Lyman handbook (an excellent source for reduced/cast loads) shows 15.0grs of Unique with no mention of filler with a 405gr GC bullet at 1545 f.p.s. Also my Lyman #46 shows a 366gr bullet with 10 grs Unique and dacron filler at 939 f.p.s. So I would think that 10 grs w/o filler would be ok. Just my opinion though, please be careful with very reduced loads.

If you're looking for a REALLY light load that will clear the barrel every time for plinking. I have used (in my NEF 45/70) .452" 255gr pistol bullets ahead of 4.5gr of Unique with success. Despite being so much under sized, accuracy was good at 25 yards and recoil was nonexistant.

If you are interested in more reduced loads from my old Lyman books (there are quite a few) I can post more.

SSB

My 47th edition of Lymans' shows a starting load of 13.7 grains of Unique BUT this is for a cast 400 grain bullet.No fillers.fps rated at 1154 in a 26" test barrel.I'd think this would be pretty mild.The best way to lighten the recoil is use lighter bullets if that is what ur after.
I'd be leery of a 10 grain load not clearing the barrel,and there is a belief that light loads in big cases cause detonation and possible injury when they do.

I wouldn't use a filler.

Here's a ton of low velocity data:
http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

There is text with clear information on why the convective ignition does not need or require a filler. Good reading, and many great loads that are somewhat better than the Unique. I have good luck with 10gr. of Titegroup. Find what works for you. These are great fun.

Thanks for the advice guys. I really appreciate it. I have been shooting the .308 Winchester for a long time, and have just recently waded into .45-70 waters. I hunt in the foothills of the Rockies south and west of Longview, Alberta sometimes. It's grizzly, moose and elk country. Of the three, perhaps the cow moose with calf is the most dangerous. I know of one that put the run on a hungry grizzly. It's comforting to have an authoritative firearm along.
I want to try and cut the heads off grouse with the reduced loads, and get my sons into shooting them too.

SSB, I would be pleased to view some loads if it's not too much trouble.

Dr. A, the link is very much appreciated.

Baldtop

I would never recommend using anything but a full case or filler to fill the case. You will also find this waring in shooting books. You can get secondary ignition which is dangerous and extremely high pressure.

I've loaded a lot of 45/70 shells and always use dacron fiber as a filler. This will also help to keep your shells all shooting a uniform speed which increases accuaracy.

You can get dacron fiber from any sewing shop, Wal_mart etc. A package of it is only about $4. I tear off a small piece and stuff it in the case neck with the erasor end of a pencil. Works great.

I think I remember my uncle using oat meal as a filler for his reduced loads. Sorry but I was pretty young and don't remember if this was one of his "failed" expieraments or not.

I would never recommend using anything but a full case or filler to fill the case. You will also find this waring in shooting books. You can get secondary ignition which is dangerous and extremely high pressure.

I've loaded a lot of 45/70 shells and always use dacron fiber as a filler. This will also help to keep your shells all shooting a uniform speed which increases accuaracy.

You can get dacron fiber from any sewing shop, Wal_mart etc. A package of it is only about $4. I tear off a small piece and stuff it in the case neck with the erasor end of a pencil. Works great.

This is my approach... And I ALWAYS visually inspect the powder charge because a double won't overflow..

I use the "hi-loft" polyester quit filler (from Walmart) cut into 1 inch squares and rolled up like cigarette butts - then stuffed in over the powder using a bamboo skewer.

This gives me VERY uniform combustion. My load (in .45-70) is 16 grains of Unique under a Remington 300 grain JHP.

I hate fillers...their a pain in the butt and can sometimes make your loads worse off than without fillers...

I use 15 grains of Unique(no filler) with a 330 grain FP cast bullet in my 1895 Cowboy and its good for about 1350 FPS...plenty for semi-long range stuff, but easy enough on the shoulder to make it fun to plink with. Tilt it forward, up down, left, right...doesnt seem to make a difference when it comes to extreme spreads in regards to FPS.