Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers Marlin 1895c 45-70

Ok guys I have always been a lever slut. And have drifted back and forth in what I want for a hunting rifle. Currently I am using a 300win. But it isnt me, and I dont like the gun. I want to get back to where my heart is and that is lever's.

I like the Winchester lines better, and I dont have any desire to get a guide gun. But the marlin 1895 cowboy has gotten under my skin.

Does anybody have one of these. How accurate are they. My plan for it would be a folding buckhorn rear with a tang sight also. What are your opinions on this sight configuration? With average over the counter loads what is the recoil like? Would it be anywhere near what my Savage110 300win mag is?

Thanks in advance. Muzzleloaderman

Recoil is much less than a Savage 110 in .300 Win Mag.
It is more of a push than the slap of a 180-gr leaving the muzzle at 3000 fps.

With 300-gr handloads at 1,800 fps, the Marlin .45-70 will shoot one big ragged 5-shot hole at 100 yards, a little under 1.0 inch. Recoil is mild, and it's a great deer load to 200 yards with iron sights.

Muzzleloaderman, I've got the Guide Gun, but have shot a couple of the CB 1895's, and they CAN be awfully habit forming! Great handling rifles that just seem to make me KNOW I can swing and shoot them.

A buddy has a #1 Ruger with 22" barrel, which is shorter than the 1895CB's which is IIRC a 24". With loads from Hodgdon's manual, he was getting 2150 fps. with their maximum listed load for the 1895 of H-322 and the 300 gr. Sierra HP's. He has a 2.5-10x Simmons Aetec scope on his rifle, and uses the bottom post of the duplex for his long range aiming point, and has his zeros out to 350 yds., and will have a good 400 yd. zero by the time the '05 season rolls around, I'm sure. IIRC, his zero at 250 is at the top of the bottom post when the scope's on 10x, on at 300 on 9x, and on at 350 at 8x. He's only fired a shot or two at 400 with it so far, but it looks like he'll have to turn it down a mite below 7x to be on at that range. Time and further testing will tell, I guess.

Those 300 grainers don't have that "rainbow trajectory" that you often hear of re the .45/70. No, they won't shoot as flat as a .300 Whiffleball Mag., but they'll do the job if the shooter can shoot. The 300's do fine on our little southern whitetails, but if you go after larger stuff, you may want to go with some of the 350 JFP's, like the Hornady. They aren't all that much slower than the 300's and the trajectory shouldn't be quite a "rainbow" with them, either.

The ol' .45/70 will do a LOT of stuff that the guys with the big magnums bragg about. Don't be surprised if someone with a .300 mag. says you're just "stunting" doing what he does with his .300, though. You DO have to know the range, and know how to adjust for it, of course. Wind hasn't been nearly the problem he'd anticipated it would be, either. He held much too far into the wind in his initial testing - just couldn't believe the gun was doing what it was.

If you're wanting someone to talk you OUT of an 1895, in whatever persuasion you want to consider it, I'm definitely NOT your man! The .45/70 makes one WHALE of a huntin' rifle. Come to think of it, it'll stand with most anything on the range, too.

the shorter range of the 45-70 is fine with me considering that what I am normally using is a muzzleloader. So far I am liking what I am hearing about the gun.

Lee24 what sights were you using when you got that group?

For load workup, we used a Redfield 3-9x set on 8x.
For hunting, that comes off and he just use the iron sights or a 4x33 Leupold in Weaver rings. This is my friend's lever gun.

Another friend just got the .45/70 bug and bought a Browning 1885 Vintage Hunter. We are going to see how it likes this soft little 300-gr load, and how it prints them vs the POI of the factory 405-gr Remington loads.

I use a vintage .444 with 24-inch barrel shooting 300-gr XTP at 2,000 fps, 240-gr at 2,400 fps, or 265 Hornady at 2,300 fps. As the above post says, 300-gr moving at 2,000 fps is flatter than you think, and you can figure out two scope aiming points, or use open sights set at 100 yards and a tang aperture set at 200 or 250. Those elevation notches on your open sight are not just for decoration.

Muzzleloaderman-I have both-The .300 Win Mag and the 45-70 Guide gun.I bought the 45-70 for close in quick to the target hunting in really thick timber and brush.It works like a champ.I use the 300 grain Nosler Partition and the 300 Barnes XFN in my 45-70 and I can tell you the Barnes is a short range killer on Elk.I haven't tried the Nosler yet but the Nosler can be pushed to 2,300 fps in the short Guide Gun and right at 2,500 fps in the CB.Even loaded this hot the 45-70 doesn't kick as hard as my Ruger 300 Win Mag in felt recoil in my opinion.The 300 is a sharper kick compared to more of a push from the 45-70.

I didn't want another long barrel so I got the Guide Gun and un-scoped with a 100 yard limit for me,It does exactly what I wanted it to do.So much quicker to the target than my scoped guns and very lethal at the distances I wanted it for.

Good luck on your choice and I think you would fall in love with the 45-70 CB.

Jayco

I recently tested one of these as I have also been an on again, off again, Marlin Man.

I bought the test rifle.

The best load I worked up consisted of 50 grains of H4198 with the 405 grain Woodleigh Weldcore for 2050 fps from the 26 inch barrel.

It also hold 9 in the tube and 1 up the spout and with the double safety system which includes the traditional half cock plus the cross bolt hammer block, it is a very safe rifle to carry in cold country with gloves on although there is a case for the loop lever option that is becoming popular.

I took this rifle elk hunting and it was a joy to carry especially as there were bear warning signs everywhere and I had a tag in my pocket for them as well.

No..lucked out.

AussieGunWriter,



What on this planet could withstand such a load? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

BTW, I have a Guide Gun, and with 50 grains of IMR 3031 and a 400 Grain Speer bullet, at just under 1700 FPS, it will punish me! I am sure any big game animal in North America will fare worse. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />


Good huntin',

Leon

My 1895(1974) straight stock, halif mag., 22" barrel is the most accurate rifle I own( factory stuff). BAR, Remington 660s and 600 Mohawk shoot around an inch, but the 1895 always outshines them all, even with the semi-crescent butt and the Tasco scope. 1" high at 50 yds. , 1/2 " low at 100 yds, hard to beat this great gun!

Ric

Mr. Logcutter,
Not certain of your meaning (nothing new for me as a lot of thing confuse me)? Are you saying the .45-70 Barnes X bullet worked well at short range (how short?) or you belive it to be a poor performer at long range (how long?)?
Thank you for sharing your experience.

If you buy one your bolt action rifles will stay in the safe. I bought my dad a 1895C for his retirement. I have a 1895G and my dad has the 1895 and the 1895C. Accuracy out of the guns is superior to what I have encountered in Winchester or Marlin 30-30s. You will not find a better close range caliber (45-70). Close range means anything under 150 yards. I'm still amazed at the versatility of the 45-70. You can plink with it or hunt dangerous game with it. I know have four firearms chambered for the 45-70.

BigBoreFan,



So true. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Take care,

Leon

For me it started with a .45-70 Guide Gun a couple of years before retirement to go with all those bolts. Then two 94 Win in .32 Spec, a vintage SRC and a new Wrangler. And then a beautiful 336 Marlin in .35 Rem and then a like new Win .375 Big Bore, a Win 9422mag and even a .22lr Nylon Rem 76. Also 3 Sav 99s in .250, .300, and .308. It's a downward spiral. Good luck.

George

WindWalker-The 300 grain Barnes XFN is actually longer than my 405 grain Kodiaks which takes up alot of powder space which means you can't load them neerly as fast as the other 300 grain bullets..More in the line of 400 grainers for velocity.

My Guide Gun is un-scoped and limits my range to 100 yards or less.The Bull I shot with the 300 XFN was about 75 yards and it penetrated 90% of its body and exited going in slightly infront of the left rear quarter penetrated the length of the body exiting in front of the right front quarter.

My opinion only is the Barnes cannot be loaded fast enough to make it a long range bullet compared to others like the 300 Nosler and even the 350 grain North Forks and A-Frames.Max loads for the Barnes in a Guide Gun are right at 2,000 fps slightly faster than say the 400 grain A-Frame around 1930 fps out of a 450 Marlin Guide Gun.

If I was after a long range(If there is such a thing in a levergun) it would be the Nosler Partition at 2300 fps(Guide Gun)....

Take care...Jayco

Mr. logcutter,
Was very suprised the time I held a 300gr XFN next to a lead 405gr. Because of my limited skill (accuracy wise) with firearms (in the field) these days, I limit my shots to 70yds and try to get under 50 if possible. If it is a greater distance, my hunting pardner takes the shot. Works for us.
Good to hear of the excellent penetration you experienced with the XFN.
Best Wishes