Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Here's a good one for the 45/70 crowd

Actually, Ray, I think I "presumed" that since Stevenson used the 45-70 and it's in a handy package for those AK'ans who must make a rifle a fifth appendage, there would be more. It's always dangerous to presume, so no, I don't know of others specifically by name.

I really think there isn't as much disagreement as some here think or it appears here. All admit the 45-70 would do the job; few would say it's ideal or the best choice including me.

Ray, you really don't need that horse tied up behind the house

Ed Stevenson and his son come immediatley to mind.Phil Shoemaker also carries an 1886 Browning carbine quite a bit-enough to wear every last bit of blue off the gun.

Ray,you say the person you saw shooting the elk with the 45/70 was shooting Nosler bullets.This means he was more than likely shooting 300 grain JHPs (I seriously doubt he was shoot 500 grain Partitions out of it),and if they were loaded hot,they were more than likely doing over 2200 FPS.That's about the last load in the world to pick for elk out of a 45/70,and I'm not suprised he had problems.That bullet is designed to expand rapidly on whitetail deer when pushed at around 1800 FPS.

This would be like me saying a 300 Weatherby is no good for elk,because I saw someone shoot one once with a 110 grain HP and it turned into a disaster.

Brian.

Howdy Ray

Phil Shoemaker wrote:



Jayco

Seems none of you African guys can agree on anything but the 45-70 is a POS.











I'll stop for now.

Jayco

BrentD,
Like so many you reach out to make a point by suggesting that I killed elk at 3000 yds. with a 25-35, a feeble attempt at humor but funny all the same and I got a good laugh out of it..but the fact is I have killed a number of elk with the 25-35 carbine, but alas they were never shot at over 100 yards and only a few past 75 yards and all were broadside. True, a 45-70 would work under the same conditions...but neither IMO are elk rifles for the once a year hunter in todays hard elk hunting conditions that will certainly get worse with the advent of the wolf infestation...

All I am saying is if you want to be successful with any degree of regularity in today elk country where you will see perhaps one or two good bulls in a season of hunting then use a caliber that will handle any conditions, thus my choice of a 300 H&H or a 338 Win. I consider the 30-06 with 200 or 220 gr. Nosler my choice of minimum today...

Ray, you are repeating yourself. Definitely not a good sign

I've always had good success in elk country with a .45 if you know how to shoot. You stick with your modern whatevers, I'll stick with my old .45s. They do just fine for me out to 300 easily.

Brent

Brent,
At my age one often repeats himself, not a good sign is right, but it is what it is!

Logcutter,
Those are gun writers, not bear guides, what do they know? they have killed more game with a typewriter than a rifle! just joking for the most part, Craig and Holt have seen the elephant..they also are pimps for ammo manufacturers.

Ray



I live in the same State as you do since birth.I live just minutes from Elk City and am aware of the Wolf and what it has done.My rifle selection has not changed at all.I used my 45-70 in thick timber in the Selway until my son showed up that wanted the Guide Gun.I then went from the new '06 to the 300 Win Mag and never felt under gunned with any of them.

The 45-70 drops 'em on the spot(300 grain Barnes XFN) as does the .300 with 200 Noslers or the 180's are close..You keep bringing up Idaho and Elk hunting..Been doing it here for over 50 years and your 45-70 experiences are far different than mine.

If I were you,I could say the worst one is the 7mm Rem Mag I saw in person take 5 shots on one Elk and 4 on another or the 30-40 Krag took 5 hits on one Bull or in the same braeth,I could say the 22-250 dropped a nice bull as did the 243.

Come on...We know different just like the 45-70..My forum is full of Elk kills from the 45-70.

www.levergunlovers.com

Jayco

Clueless being the operative word. Just for your edification, if yours is the last post on the thread and somebody answers on the empty block below, the post above appears as the recipient. I wasn't directing the post at you or anybody else for that matter. If I adress an inidvidual (as I am you presently) I either post a quote or preface my post with the individual to whom I'm addressing. There, now you're clued in...j-o-r-g-e

Number of Professional Hunters who use the 45/70 as their personal rifle or for back up: ZERO
Number of times Craig Bodddington has hunted Africa ~97
Number of times Craig Boddington has used the 45/70 in Africa for DG; ZERO
Number of times Dick Metcalf has used a 45/70 on Cape Buffalo: unknown
Number of times I've said the 45/70 will not kill a buffalo: Zero


I'll stop for now...jorge

Well jeorge,If you look back you will see there is another post after mine before yours to me.So jeorge,please understand I had know idea, nor did you it appears, the other post would be in between making me think it was directed at me..Owe well heck,who cares...

Now that you have so kindly pointed out your posting habits,I should not make that mistake again,should I?

Now your clued in..J-a-y-c-o

Now that everyone's solidly entrenched in his foxhole and nobody has changed his mind, the slightly wounded appear to have only flesh wounds and will do well. I believe a truce is not only possible but imminent.

Have a good rest of the weekend, a good week, and again, a Happy New Year.

jorge

I just now realized I have been spelling your name wrong..My apologies as it was not intentional.I have been corrected here before for my spelling and thought I was getting better..Owe well..Sorry jorge..Nothing personal..

I will leave you with these 45-70 kills,though.





I'll stop now.

Jayco

Here's one taken with a bow...


And your point is? But feel free to respond to my prior posts about PH's Boddington, etc.

45/70's a lovely cartridge. In fct, Sharpsguy's helping me put an order in to Shiloh-Sharps for one here soon. Totally concur you shold stop now....jorge

jorge...It was JJ Hack that started this crap,not me or the 45-70 guys..He started 2 threads with now like 15 pages to those not signed in in hiding the 458 Win Mag thread where you fellers were not agreeing..His way of starting crap,not mine.I am only here to stick up for the 45-70 to the ones that only put it down..There is common sense then ignorance.

One shot through both shoulders and an exit from the 45-70.



You guys might recognize this guy but it was at 275 yards with a cast bullet with a muzzle velocity of 1650 fps.



2000 pounds and again,one shot through both shoulders put him down and out.



Jayco

So, just to redirect this discussion slightly, whatever happened to that gal on AR that ran the scam raffle to draw a ticket to go to Zim and hunt a buffalo with a .45-70. She ran the drawing, drew her own number and went to Zim on the raffle proceeds and then got sick and never hunted buffalo.

I believe she said she was going to go back, but did she? Whatever came of that?

I think her name as Ann something and, like Ray, she was a travel agent.

Brent

Wow.......I thought SOP was that the person running the raffle never gets to participate,for that very reason.

Even if it wasn't a scam,that looks all sorts of bad.

Brian.

Yeah, it looks bad, but may have been on the up and up given the way the winning number was drawn. However, the deal was you had to actually hunt and shoot a cape buffalo with a .45-70 (someone even gave her the bloody rifle), and she never did so far as I know. At that point, she unequivocally breached the rules of the game. It was an interesting raffle and one where I even lost my own Ben Franklin. That it appears that she never followed through is the part that really bugs me.

Brent

Working in a trauma hospital ER I saw a guy DOA from a GSW inflicted by a .22lr Beretta semi-auto with a short barrel. I also so a guy who was shot in the head with a full-sized 45APC 1911 that lived with no major damage other than to his looks (assuming chicks don't really dig scars).

That little anecdote, like the original post, says absolutely nothing about the merits of either caliber or platform. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero.

Just say'n.....

jorge:

Question: would a .458", 500gr Hornady at 2000 to 2100 fps be regarded as ample for Cape buff in your view? Or, perhaps Boddington's?

Such a load is possible from a Ruger No.1 in .45-70, without any modification, at safe pressure, if 60,000 to 63,500 psi is regarded safe in that rifle. I know, I've done it hundreds of times, and it's been tested for me at a U.S. powder facility.

Does Boddington know everything about everything, because he's been to Africa 97 times and is your friend? Has he tested a .45-70 at that level? So he's never used one in Africa... and that tells you something that the rest of us .45-70 lovers need to know? Maybe it simply tells us that he's NOT the expert on the .45-70 that you may THINK he is! Is that a possibility?

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

I've read his stuff also... sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't. He has admitted in print that he has his biases and prejudices, and they may change with time and experience. He wrote something of that nature recently in regard to a favorite Big Bore that didn't penetrate as well on ele as some smaller stuff.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca