The original long range rifle- the 45/70

[Antonio m]

Hard to imagine.Anyways ,I just picked up a Marlin 1895 big loop levergun and started handloading for it. I am surprised by the accuracy and the options with it these days.We are sending the 405 grain hardcasts out the muzzle at 3300 foot lbs of kinetic energy.Nothing lame about the old long range buffalo round these days.This carbine is 37"long ,has a 6 round magazine,that's around 20,000 ft lbs of potential at the ready and cycles fast and flawlessly. Easy to pack horseback and will be my companion from now on my frequent trips up the valley east of the ranch . Maybe,I will kill an Old Billy, mountain goat next fall with it ..or a bull elk.Any other large bore levergun guys out there? Share a few handloading recipes you have developed.Cheers

 

[derrickman]

I've shot the 45-70 for many years but in a Sharps 1874 using black powder & cast bullets.
It'll get the job done.

 

[RT2506]

I have also been shooting the old 45-70 for a number of years. Out of a Marlin 1895 22" barrel the old suggested Hunting load out of the Sierra 4th edition or 51.8 grs IMR 4198 with their 300 gr HP is a super deer size game load. Most of my shooting the past few years has been black powder in a 1874 Sharps with cast lead bullets. Last deer I killed with it showed just how much penetration a big slug moving moderately has. I was shooting 70 gr by weight Goex FFG in a Winchester case with a Lyman #457193 bullet that dropped from the mold 418 grs from my mix. It would do 1400 fps and was very accurate. Deer was a 100lb doe facing me at 111 yards. Rifle was sighted dead on at 100 yards so I held in the center of her chest and touched the set trigger. BOOM PLOP. When the smoke cleared deer was on the ground. When I got to it there was a pool of blood that had came out of its mouth and nose. There was no entry wound I could find in the chest but there was a thumb size exit hole just behind the left shoulder. Upon further investigation the deer had put it's head down between the time I shot and the bullet got there and the bullet stuck it in the forehead between the eyes. The hole was hard to see. The bullet went down the spine in the neck and made saw dust out of it. It then angled right went through a lung and exited behind the shoulder continued on and hit the left back leg just above the knee and shot it clean off. The bullet then hit the hard packed dirt logging road and it looked like a mole had gone down the road for about 5 yards. It then came out of the ground and hit a 6" pine tree a few feet away jerking a slab the size of my hand off the back. I lost track of it after that. I got to do some shooting at 1000 yards with Black powder and a 500 gr RCBS silhouette bullet 1100 fps. Was shooting at a 4 foot square steel plate. Once I got the vernier sight set it was no problem to put lead on steel from crossed sticks shooting prone. You could shoot then lay the rifle aside look through the spotting scope and see the bullet hit the steel plate. it was falling at a steep angle.

 

[SansSouci]

The .45/70 Gov't is an extremely powerful cartridge when chambered in a gun that can maximize its potential. It's capable of taking all big game species in the world.

Were I to hunt the world's most dangerous predators, I'd want a Marlin 1895 cambered for .45/70 Gov't and 400 grain bullets at 2000 FPS.

 

[Antonio m]

I am new to the 45/70 chambering and am doing some handloading for it .Have any of you tried the partition or a tsx on larger tougher game? Those tsx's sure penetrate muscle and bone, even the 250 grain tsx's should do the job.I measured the 250 tsx's and the 350 hardcasts and they are pretty much the same length. It's hard to stop a train...and it should be hard to stop one of these tsx's, y'know,something about momentum.Cheers

 

[bigedp51]

I had a Ruger #3 carbine in 45-70 and a buddy at work gave me three 500 grain Hornady bullets for the 458 WM. I fired one from the bench and my thumb nearly broke my nose. When I got my nose to stop bleeding by putting shredded cigarette filterers up my nose. I then tried firing the rifle standing up.

The recoil knocked the filters out of my nose and the blood began to flow again. I kept the third bullet to remind me to never fire a 500 grain bullet at 1800 fps out of a 5 1/2 pound rifle again.

 

[Antonio m]

I had a Ruger #3 carbine in 45-70 and a buddy at work gave me three 500 grain Hornady bullets for the 458 WM. I fired one from the bench and my thumb nearly broke my nose. When I got my nose to stop bleeding by putting shredded cigarette filterers up my nose. I then tried firing the rifle standing up.

The recoil knocked the filters out of my nose and the blood began to flow again. I kept the third bullet to remind me to never fire a 500 grain bullet at 1800 fps out of a 5 1/2 pound rifle again.

It did make a memory though

 

[Greyfox]

I've shot the 45-70 for many years but in a Sharps 1874 using black powder & cast bullets.
It'll get the job done.

I also have shot a couple of Sharps for many years, using 526gr cast bullets with GOEX Cartridge in my 34"bbl long range rifle, and 350 gr Hornady jacketed bullets/IMR3031 with a 26" bbl short hunting rifle. Both will hold 1MOA with open sights and are a blast to shoot.

 

[Waynzee]

Hard to imagine.Anyways ,I just picked up a Marlin 1895 big loop levergun and started handloading for it. I am surprised by the accuracy and the options with it these days.We are sending the 405 grain hardcasts out the muzzle at 3300 foot lbs of kinetic energy.Nothing lame about the old long range buffalo round these days.This carbine is 37"long ,has a 6 round magazine,that's around 20,000 ft lbs of potential at the ready and cycles fast and flawlessly. Easy to pack horseback and will be my companion from now on my frequent trips up the valley east of the ranch . Maybe,I will kill an Old Billy, mountain goat next fall with it ..or a bull elk.Any other large bore levergun guys out there? Share a few handloading recipes you have developed.Cheers

The best and most accurate load I use in my Marlin 1895 45/70 Guide Gun is 50 grs. Reloader 7, W.W. Brass, CCI 200 L.R. primer and 300 gr. Sierra Bullets, this load has bullet holes touching at 100 yards. A little caution here though, be careful where you put that big bullet on deer size game unless you don't mind big holes in your game.

 

[Antonio m]

It does make a big hole,I can see using either a Barnes tsx or one of the hardcast bullets.If the bullet doesn't expand ,big deal it is a 1/2"hole anyways.It is not the shock as much as a momentum it keeps going and going just like a fmj..I am new to the 45/70 but I don't believe the Berger principle will work with this heavy.I am here to learn however-please enlighten me Longshooters!

 

[RT2506]

With cast bullets the 45-70 kills by putting a 45 cal. hole though things that are needed to live without a hole in them. Sometimes game will run off a little ways before they loose enough blood to drop. Flat nose bullets leave a better blood trail because they cut a hole in the hide that lets the blood out. Round nose bullets tend to let the hide snap back and plug the holes and limit the amount of blood that gets out. Both break bone and keep on going. If you break bone it usually shocks the animal enough that it goes down. When using cast bullets you can eat right up to the bullet hole. Sierra and Hornady 300 gr HP pushed hard REALLY EXPAND. Put them through the ribs of a deer and it pulps the vitals and blows fist size exits. The Hornady 350 RN or FP is a much tougher bullet and would be my choice for animals that tend to bite and scratch when they get PO'd. If I had to live with just one jacketed bullet either the Remington or Speer 400 gr SP would be my choice if I could ever find some . A lower powdered scope with a ballistic type retical is a good addition along with a range finder is a good idea for expected yardages over 150 yards. These are just some of the things I have learned using the 45-70.

 

[bigedp51]

It did make a memory though

What I remember the most was the top of the barrel was stamped by Ruger below.

"Made in the 200th year of American Liberty"

 

[Antonio m]

Has anyone tried the Barnes tsx 250 grain bullet.It is as long as the 350 hardcast bullet.I am asking again about this but my guess is it will open up a little with the great big hollow point and it will pass thru muscle and bone.I think I might give it a go unless I get lots of reason not to...and it shouldn't recoil heavily.I have load some 350 grain hardcasts over imr 4198 .Maybe I will run them thru the chronograph tomorrow here at home. I would like to experiment with the lighter faster bullets first..Any suggestions? Tony

 

[Antonio m]

With cast bullets the 45-70 kills by putting a 45 cal. hole though things that are needed to live without a hole in them. Sometimes game will run off a little ways before they loose enough blood to drop. Flat nose bullets leave a better blood trail because they cut a hole in the hide that lets the blood out. Round nose bullets tend to let the hide snap back and plug the holes and limit the amount of blood that gets out. Both break bone and keep on going. If you break bone it usually shocks the animal enough that it goes down. When using cast bullets you can eat right up to the bullet hole. Sierra and Hornady 300 gr HP pushed hard REALLY EXPAND. Put them through the ribs of a deer and it pulps the vitals and blows fist size exits. The Hornady 350 RN or FP is a much tougher bullet and would be my choice for animals that tend to bite and scratch when they get PO'd. If I had to live with just one jacketed bullet either the Remington or Speer 400 gr SP would be my choice if I could ever find some . A lower powdered scope with a ballistic type retical is a good addition along with a range finder is a good idea for expected yardages over 150 yards. These are just some of the things I have learned using the 45-70.

Thanks for all the info.The Hornady 350's sound effective and I will look for them.Do they hold together?