Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Lever Action 45-70

My suggestion is to avoid the uber-short and/or lightweight ones, and stick with lighter loadings until he adapts to the kick. Heavy recoil might discourage him or give him a flinch. I sold a nice No. 1 after owning it only briefly because my recoil tolerance has declined. I manage 50-75 12ga target loads once or twice a week, but that 1S was just no fun. Trapdoor-level loads will kill anything in N.A. without busting your shoulder.

Pedersoli makes som e very nice 86 clones, some with scope rails. Nice stuff, but not cheap. Not sure there are any .45/70 levers for under a grand.

I was able to grab one of the last Remlins 45-70 22"
Perfect fit/finish and very accurate.
Paid $900

... I have 2 newer Remlins that I'm very satisfied with ... a 1895GS & a 336SS ... only drawback no Marlin warranty under the Ruger regime ... unless the dealer you purchased the Remlins from provides a warranty/refund period you are out of luck

Luv my Ruger/Marlin GBS Stainless.

I have a Marlin SBL (stainless, big loop, laminated) and love it. They are pricey...but only live once. Me and my son love this beast of a rifle. It's pretty accurate off hand. I feel good knowing it will be his one day.

... Henry would have captured the lions share of the big bore levergun market had they gone with a receiver loading port right away ... the exclusive tube loading of the earlier Henry rifles turned a lot of potential buyers off ... there would be a lot more Henry 45-70s owned by Americans had Henry finally given the consumers what they were asking for sooner ... Henry lost several years during the Remlin regime where they could have captured a much bigger market share

Marlins have always been good to me and bought a Ruger/Marlin SBL last year. One of the best I have ever owned. They are pricey as are all lever guns right now. If you get him one, don't go full power loads right off the bat, the 300 gr offerings are more than enough and still generate some recoil

I have two Marlins in 45/70, one hs the longer, octagon barrel that is very accurate. standard barrel sights but I can hit well with it. the other is a standard 336 and that one is scoped. I shot cast 325gr (gas checked and hardened) and both will shoot though and through any hog I've ever shot.

I bought one of the Browning 1886 SRC models when they came out. The steel pad & shoet stock really beat me up, so i replaced the stock with a longer one & added an Old English recoil pad. I also added a peep sight. This made it into a fine rifle that was usable & didn't beat you up. It is still somewhat light, but very usable.

So, you must be a member of the Busted Knuckle Club?

I still have a bunch of Blackpowder 405's I loaded up for a Trapdoor I used to have. I think it would be manageable with those

I agree with you there. That would be cool.