MM, I once had an 1895 just like the one you're talking about. I was used to 45-70 recoil, having fired the cartridge extensively in my 1886 Winchester. The 405's were fine, but when I went to one of the hopped-up Express loads in another brand...suffice to say that a trip to the Choiropracter was in order two days later.
Of course, the big, heavy '86 will solve your recoil problems without going to a smaller caliber. I currently have an 1895 Cowboy and it shoots some fairly warm '86 level loads with no recoil concerns.
