Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Dangerous game handloads for Marlin .45-70?

Soooo


I think we agree...

T

How many have or will ever actually GO DGR hunting, refering to the "dark continent" type or large bear, yet the forums are full of tons of "stuff" on the subject.

Funny thing is, I've shot more deer and relieved more downed cattle with a 22LR than I have with any of the dozens of shooters I've have/had over the years. I even dusted a medium sized black bear with a 38 SP when it was tearing up my trash bin and wouldn't leave. It was young, starving, dangerous and not afraid and much better off dead than getting tangled up with some kid, dog, or other ranch animal. If I had known it was a bear I would have grabbed my 12 ga loaded with buck and slugs instead of a pea shooter.

There are ranches around the area I live that raise bison for hunting and meat, just like cattle. You can stand by the fence and have a 2000lb bull come up and eat hay or lick salt out of your hand. They just stand around grazine while someone "hunts" one already picked out by the rancher...and paid upwards of $2500 for the "priviledge"...I don't call that hunting, but it does give a good idea of what a 45 cal is capable of...at least.

I won't go into the woods during hunting season because idiots run up and down the dirt roads on ATV's and pickups and the dust is so bad you can't see anything much anyway...the pall of dust hangs over the mountains for two weeks and you can walk across the mountains from one valley to another on the tops of campers and motorhomes. Things have sure changed over the past 50 years.

The 45-70 or 450 Marlin cartridges have plenty of pizzzaz for most large game animals world wide coupled with the correct bullet, dangerous or otherwise, but it is an oxymoron to mention levergun and DGR in the same breath...I want something with A LOT MORE whackdoodle, thank you. If I happen to get in the "sh**" and that's all I had to work with, calling a time out to run home and get my REAL DGR might not work. Hahahahahah

I guess we all need our fantasies to get through the day.

I apologize for the rant, I need to lighten up. Hahahahaha

Luck

NFG, I must say it is good to know not everybody is jumping on the 45/70 bandwagon for hunting "dangerous game" these days.
I love hunting with my lever guns, however the only critter that it sees, that some classify as dangerous is hogs here in the USA. It drops them like they ran into a Mack Truck head on!

I have also seen the pictures and read stories of hunters using the 45/70 lever gun with this or that speacial bullet and poweder load. Killing Cape Buff and other dangerous African game..........anybody can get lucky but sooner or later you will end up paying the Pieper.

I myself am more in tune to thinking like Mr. Elmer Keith, bigger is always better and my .458-Lott or .475-mag don't mine proving so. The hunting of bears I have always left to my .375-Wby or .416-Remmy "all rifles" in the model 70 Wincherter bolt gun, especially if I am going to bet my life on the rifle in hand.

How about hogs. Hogs are a mean hard to put down game.

I own a Guide Gun and would personally look at hard cast (gas checked). I like Beartooth, but the 525 gr is a little too much in my opinion. I've settled on the 405 grain version and have shot them over powders like Re-7 and H322.

funny how after 140 years or so, lever guns suddenly don't work...

LOL, I've got a 115 year old '86 in 45-70 chunking 500 grs at a mere 1237 fps with holy black, I'd like to see some "wont workers" try to catch one.

here is another method of curing the wonderment. I kind of doubt I'd shoot your 525 gr. load out of this twice... 350s @ 1925 are enough.

This is completely true. I have two Marlin .45-70s and like them a lot. But when people talk about bolt action dangerous game rifles here many will insist that they must be CRF, no push feeds allowed. But no one ever mentions that when talking about lever actions.

Why?

Damn, I bet so, what's it weigh, 5.5lbs?

Some of the best loading data I've found for heavy loads in the 45-70 are in handloader # 248. Brian Pearce wrote the article and has pressure data included.
I found his velocities were a little low compared to the velocities chronographed in my rifles. However both of mine are recent manufacture 1886 with 22" (same length) barrels so I backed off 1 grain.
As to reliability of lever actions both will feed upright, sideways or upside down, fast or slow cycling. Why it would need to feed upside down I'm not too sure, but they are utterly reliable.
For soft skin dangerous game I believe with the 405 wooleigh @ 2050 would be more than sufficient.
For cape buffalo I would definitely utilize something else.
I think it's interesting the a 450/400 is considered a dangerous game cartridge, 400 grain @ 2050 (usually slightly slower over a chronograph) but a 405 @ over 2000 from a 45/70 is not for soft skinned game.
I know some will say the 400 has a better sectional density which is true but consider the 405 woodleigh has a higher sectional density than the 180 30 cal or 270 375.
The woodleigh at this speed holds together great, over 90% weight retention, does not expand quite as much as the 405 Kodiak and penetrates better. Besides that they a quite accurate.
JMHO

just shy of 6#.

to put the 1885 into context. the Marlin here is a 16" Trapper, not a GG, and the Browning has been cut to 19" from 22" IIRC.

Hell of a brace of lightweight Thundersticks there Toad, nice!

thanks, gunner. they range from ~6# to ~8# for the '86s

have an '86 made in 1891, but it's a .45-90, the crescent butt plate is kind of a pain, and the long heavy barrel is a deal breaker...

and most of 'em have shared the woods with big bears.

Sweet, that's what they're made for, my '86 45-70 is the little half round half octagon rifle with a 24" barrel and half mag, it's plenty handy for an '86.

ANY critter short of Elephant can be handily taken inside 125 yards, it shoots really well with black powder.