Anybody here handload for the 45-70?

Used to. Haven't for years. Still have an early seventies vintage Marlin 1895.

I deer hunt with the 405gr Remington factory load but at $60 a box I'm considering reloading for it since I can buy some dies and bullets for not much more than that.

I do for just the reason you stated, I love the 45/70 but with the cost of bullets it’s prohibited to shoot just like a lot of other good old time calibers

My favorite load is a 500 grain home cast slug running around 1200fps, from a 1885, Siamese Mauser, H&R buffalo rifle or a marlin cowboy, for all it drops deer on the spot,

The 45/70 is about the easiest cartridge there is to load, IMHO

Great squirrel gun.

What powder are you using? If I decide to load for it, it will be a trapdoor level load with a 400gr bullet to keep recoil down. The Remington factory loads are very light kickers and I want to keep it that way.

getting started on 45-70 I have my dies set I need to start working up a load , just been busy

I have a bunch of 350gr Berry's flat nose that I intend to make about 1050fps that should do nicely though the can.

Just a bit much for Wabbits

50-70, no experience with its little brother. 70 grains black powder or substitute, hand cast lead bullet. Fun to shoot.

There is a website that I can't recall that publishes light loads for 45-70. I wrote down the loads and haven't been back to the website since. For practice and deer hunting, this is the load that works for me. I'm not advocating it or telling anyone else to use it, but it is a very light recoiling load that is strong enough for deer at 100 Yds. or less.
350 gr. berry's flat nose over 12 gr. of Red Dot with Winchester large rifle primer with light crimp.
You have to fill the case with fiberfill to keep the powder over the primer for more uniform ignition but recoil is about the level of light 20 ga. loads. This works very well in my SP-22 SXS and deer just fall over when hit with it.

I shoot that leverevolution stuff out of a JM stamped octagon barreled cowboy 45-70. There were bad reviews on that leverevolution ammo but I haven't had any trouble. People said they didn't get penetration I think, I forget but my experience is that deer flop over dead when you hit them with it. I had never had that happen with a 12ga slug and I've done it three or four times in a row with that stuff.

Now reloading would be interesting to have dumbed down loads. Thats the cool thing about 45-70. Someone said squirrel gun and I don't think they were kidding. There are people that probably have a 45-70 load for squirrel. The thing you take away when you read about it is that whatever load you work up is consistent in that its not a flat shooting round but consistent. Imagine herds of buffalo disappearing to 45-70 form shots like shooting high arching three point shots from a far away hill. Once you have the range the buffalo just stood there and fell over. With the 45-70 once it got there it had plenty of energy even though it was a high arching three point lob.

Anyway that marlin cowboy lever with that revolution stuff is prob the hardest kicking gun I own and I went out of the way to get the longer heavier one.