Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers Anyone take deer with the .45-70?

I have seen larger game taken, but not deer sized. Anyone have pics, or performance info on the .45-70?

Thinking of getting a second guide gun. Do I lose much power from these short barrels?

Thank you all, very much

FMP

I've taken several deer with the 45-70

Marlin 1895 Cowboy, 35 yds, Lyman 457193 bullet. 6 x 5, 235 lbs, unofficial score 148 4/8. That's me on the right . . . I'm 6'-2".


Recovered bullet from deer above beside as cast bullet. Bullet as cast is 415 gr, recovered bullet weighed 413 gr.


Finished rack from above deer.


Took this 2 yr old bison bull with 45-70 Shiloh Sharps Hartford. Lyman 457125 bullet over BP.


I have also taken 3 or 4 more deer with this cartridge. I don't have any doubt about what the 45-70 can and will do. Questions???
Fire away . . .

I don't have any thoughts about the "short barrels", my Cowboy is 26" and my Sharps is 30", so can't be of much personal experience help.

Otter, thanks for your post. What can you tell me about the cowboy model? I have always loved that gun. How does it shoot?

FMP

I've had my 1895 CB since 2004(?) and have been well pleased with it. 3 of the 7 deer (I sat down and actually counted ) I've taken with a 45-70 have been with this rifle, including last year - 2 each with my Sharps and my Rolling Block. It is heavy when you load one in the chamber and 9 in the tube. The bare rifle is 9.75 lbs (IIRC) and fully loaded is in the 11 pound range, still lighter than my Sharps (13#) and my RB (14#). It shoots well, I didn't have to experiment a lot with loads to find out what shot well. I have only shot it out to 150 or so yards and it was "minute of deer". I can shoot approx 4" groups (5 - shots) at 100 yards from a steady rest. Did I mention it is pretty heavy? But even so, it is not all that cumbersome in the field. Actually, it handles pretty well. If you can find one at your favorite gun store, give it a handle and see what you think. I like mine, and even at my size, it can be fairly punishing if loaded too heavy. The recovered bullet from that 6 x 5 (picture above) went through the right front shoulder, through a rib on each side and through the off shoulder before lodging under the skin. Can't ask for a lot more. Oh, I just use the barrel sights, no peep or scope, but I like open sights.

FMP,

I used a 45-70 w/ 525gn piledrivers on a couple of deer. Both shots were purposely taken ham to shoulder/ shoulder to ham in that order.
Both deer dropped like a bag of hammers, and no bullets could be recovered. Ranges were 20 and 60 yds thru a lyman peep. I tend to work up one load for anything a caliber may be suited for. That particular combo IMHO is suitable for any game in N. America.
Gunner

Hornady 325 gr LeverEvolution

I shot one deer with a H&R buffalo hunter 32 in barrel with peep sights both ends 105 yards 300 gr bullet deer never moved

I've killed quite a few whitetail with a Marlin M1895 22" barrel and an aperture sight. I've used 300 gr. Winchester factory load hollowpoints, 350 gr. Hornady flat points in handloads, 400 gr. Speer handloads, and 405 gr. Remington handloaded. It's a hammer for sure and impresses game nicely.

I have a Marlin Guide gun w/ported barrel. I picked it up in a pawn shop for $300 and had a gunsmith slim up the forearm so it would feel lika a m94. I haven't chronographed any loads so I don't know what the velocity difference is with the shorter barrel. The ports are great, recoil is insignifficant. I have taken a handful of whitetails with the Double Tap 300gr hp. My rifle shoots very accurately with this load and a williams peep. All shots were between 90 and 120yds. None of the deer went more than 20yds. I recovered one slug from a Texas heart shot (DRT) it expanded great and penetrated well.

I shot my biggest whitetail so far with a ported Marlin GG using a 300gr Sierra and a dose of reloader 7. It went 4 feet and dropped like a rock! 10 points and 242 lbs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtxM2muohk

400+ Trophy Bull Elk, #6 World Record taken with a 45-70 Model 1885 open sights at 200 yards.

I've taken several deer with the .45-70. Mine is a Guide gun that I've equipped with Brockman's Rifles laminate stocks, and a Williams FP sight.

Loads I've used have been with a 420 (actual weight is 430) grain LBT-style hardcast (two brands), Hornady 300 grain, and Speer 300 grain UniCor. Two Hardcast loads, one running 1650 fps, and the other going mid 1800s. Both of the 300 grain loads run 2200ish, with the Speer being the better of the two bullets, and the one I am currently using.

The Hardcast loads didn't seem to down them quite as quick and there is less trauma around the wound, but this bullet would probably penetrate several deer, and is really better at breaking down bigger game.

The Hornady bullet tends to expand quicker than the Speer, and wastes a little more meat, and I am probably pushing it about as fast as one would like to push this bullet. The Speer is a tough bullet, can be driven harder than the Hornady, and is also suitable for larger game, though for biting, stomping stuff, I would go with the Hardcast.

It's more than needed for deer, but I still use and enjoy it.

I believe the difference in performance between a Guide Gun and a full length barreled rifle wouldn't be noticeable in the field. A 405 grain bullet going 1300 or so fps killed a lot of game before smokeless came along.

1895 sbl .45-70 for 775..take it or leave it.

I have shot a number of deer and a few elk with the 45-70 and 45-90 in a Win. 86 with a 26 inch barrel and I have seen a number of elk killed with the Ruger No.1 and hot handloads..

It killed deer well, but I was never impressed with the way it kills elk in that they normally make too many tracks.

The best bullet I ever used was the 350 gr. Hornady, the rest were too soft IMO...A good cast lead bullet will penetrate well and will kill elk, but again they just make too many tracks before they go down..I have some of these kills on film.

Where are the pics guys? I would enjoy viewing them..

I have used one of my 45/70 rifles every year for 30 years.I love them

Elkhunter,
I don't have any stills of 45-70 or 45-90 kills as I used them early on and never took a camera with me hunting until I got into the hunting business..However, I do have a number of elk kills on tape with a movie camera with the .45-70..I sometimes show them at SCI. Sorry.

I used 300 grain Hornandy HP's, on 2 doe's. I think they were a little to close to the muzzle.......

Killed an antelope with mine day before yesterday. No camera with me this time....

Antelope count? :)https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4485110/Antelope_done_right#Post4485110

Very nice Ranch13!

Thanky kindly sir. Twas alot of fun. Sad part I missed a really nice muley buck a couple days later. That ol sharps just ain't the best rifle fer jump shootin deer at dusk in the canyons. lol

I haven't hunted mule deer in many years. Too dang crowded around here in the general season since they began publishing map atlases. I wait until November and chase whitey anymore. Need more limited quota areas and less general tags.

That's why I like to wait and hunt the last of the season, most of the rappies have gone home, the speedo's on the 4 wheelers have busted the budget on gasoline and left, and if a persons careful you can find deer in unexpected areas, with nobody else around....

I've shot quite a few critters with my .45-70. Bear, hogs, and african plains game. My problem is I can't hunt deer, here in Indiana, with my .45-70 rifle....


maddog

Yep I agree. Had a couple of friends from the Campfire out on the opener. Too dang warm then for me to shoot anything but we got them filled. I was going to head out this weekend to fill a doe goat tag and look for whitetail and elk, but the rain started. I am not going to tear up my friends' roads. To many other azzhats will though. I will wait for a while.




That is just plain wrong. My condolences!

Zip code change seems in order there, maddog.

Aw c'mon guys. Show the real rifles you used. The TV shows and magazines will tell you those bullets are so slow that smaller game like deer can dodge them before they get there. Just like 30-30's will bounce off deer.

Don't you guys pay attention to the "experts"?

Yep, and I'm also guilty of using a .308 alot, which is barely adequate for coyotes....

I am thinking about a .300 Ultramag AI, though. I just have to justify stretching my shots to 60 yards..

Shot a doe antelope yesterday with the Marlin XLR 45/70. The Hornady LeverEvolution almost took her head off. It was only about a 75 yd shot and I wanted as much meat as I could get off her shoulders for making some jerky.

Now my oldest son wants a 1895 XLR just like it....

Yes, I have shot everything with a 45-70 from chucks to buffalo...

That last pic is classic. The .45-70 doing what it does best.

I have taken a few deer with my early 1895 Marlin and a Ruger #1. I have only used 300 gr bullets of one variety or another. Early on they were 300 gr. Sierra flat points without the hollow point. Broadside, they put deer down pretty quickly and worked fine. Bullet performance can vary dramatically. One deer was shot at the top of the neck offhand at about 60 yards. The bullet hit the spine and was found under the hide flattened like a coat button. Penetration was -- well, how thich is a buck's neck --7 or 8 inches maybe? A harder bullet would have punched through but not those early Sierras. Another deer was taken at 150 yards on a steep downhill shot resting the rifle over a friends knee. That Sierra bullet entered high on the rear leg and penetrated diagonally into the far shoulded, breaking it and lodging again under the skin. The bullet had part of the nose smeared off and looked pretty much like a cylinder. So, one bulet penetrated 8 inches and the other went the whole distance through a deer. The difference was of course due to the impact velocity. My standard handload of 48 grains of IMR 4198 gets about 1900 fps out of a 22 inch barrel.