What I already have as my favorite for the past 18 years: a Ruger #1 in .45-70, followed by another #1 Ruger in .45-70 that I had "improved" by lengthening the throat by .30". The first is now owned by my second son.
It has very nice wood, 22" tube, Nikon 2-7 X 32 shotgun scope. Weight with 5 cartridges on the stock and sling is 8.6 lbs. There are several very good loads that shoot under 1.5" and 3 or 4 premium loads that shoot MOA when I do my part.
Ballistics are anything from plinking loads, to medium cast bullet hunting loads to 450 A-Frame at 2300 fps to 500gr Hornady at 2200 fps. All loads under 65,000 psi.
Current hunting loads are mostly 350-grainers: Speer, Hornady and TSX. at 2250 fps to 2550 fps. Another load just developed is the 300 TSX at 2645 fps. It's my favorite "walk-about" rifle for anything from coyote to moose.
I really don't need anything else. When it comes down to one only, that will be it!
I had a 45-70 #1 and won the wood lottery as well with it. It wore a NECG peep and was accurate as any rifle I ever had. I ran 350 gr hard cast wide flat points out of it with heavy loads. Not sure why I sold it. One of those stupid moments I guess. I never seen a large (500 plus dressed on a DNR scale) black bear fall so fast. It was my hammer of Thor. Scratching my head again thinking about it.
