Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Good Lawd! Why didn't y'all tell me how much my Marlin 45/70 kicks?

I meant a GOOD cast bullet

Some people shoot quality jacketed bullets out of the 45-70's that need speed like any jacketed bulllet to expand to an inch or more.......The 45-70 is a 300 yard machine if you shoot a higher velocity cartridge than a pistol bullet.

If recoil hurts,get something smaller.

Jayco

Compelling, never had any problem hitting [bleep] at 400 yards with a cast bullet doing 1200fps

I'm shooting 405gr cast from Oregon Trail, over 15.0gr Unique. This chrono's at 1250 fps, and Quickload predicts 25K psi.

This load is very pleasant to shoot in my Marlin 1895 GBL.

Proper sights and a knowledge of distance to target makes things that seem impossible into doable.

Well Scott, then compelling it is.... The only problem here is not everyone is super- human like you.A quick run over the ballistics shows your load dropping 173 inches or in human terms, over 14 feet at 400 yards.

Now with a modern jacketed load it is only 43 inches at 400 yards or in human terms, just over 3 feet or at 300 yards, you don't even have to aim over an elk with only 19 inches of drop.....

I always like aiming at hair instead of the moon!

Jayco

If I am looking through the sights at something that can bite back, the last thing I need to worry about is recoil, muzzle blast or a sore shoulder.

I'd say the steel crescent shaped butt-plate is the culprit.

I have shot massive amounts of 45-70, 444, 348, etc. etc. and the recoil really does not bother me that bad. I take recoil well compared to most, and I can fully understand how some may find it unpleasant. Everyone has their limits. Practicing the right way can help overcome some of these limits.

That said, I absolutely HATE the ported guns and consider myself a wimp when it comes to the noise/muzzle blast they produce. I simply don't like it, and would much rather deal with the recoil.

Given the amount of shooting I did when I was younger with either no hearing protection, or inadequate protection, and the loud industrial work environments I have been subjected to for many years, my hearing is probably not what it once was. I try now to take better care of what is left of it.........

I'm with you on the ported guns. The recoil doesn't get to me, but the noise does. A Decelerator or Kickeez pad goes a long way toward making recoil manageable. You can even put a cheek protector on the comb. I got one for my turkey gun. But the noise - I've owned (past tense) several ported rifles, including a 444P. I fired it and my 444S one time without hearing protection for comparison, with the same loads and the ported 444 stunned me. This was in my open pasture. Significantly sharper and louder. My BOSS equipped BAR got traded for a non ported BAR, for the same reason. You guys who say you can't tell a difference...well, it's probably too late for your hearing.

Get a shoulder recoil pad - think I paid $15 for mine. It makes target practice tolerable. Mine straps on like a one cup bra.

I also put a decelerator recoil pad on my GG.

I had an 1895 and a T/C Contender in 45/70 back when I was young and dumb. I still attribute some of my shoulder and hand problems to them! I loaded Hornaday 350 grain round nose soft points if I remember right. Killed one deer with the Contender. Got rid of both quite some time ago but wish I still had the rifle now that I have taken up bear hunting.

strange.I have one of those,and thought it kicked way less than a shotgun with slugs.

Try standing up and shooting it, its much less painful than from the bench.






45-70, Girth matters

My first 45-70 was a Siamese Mauser, that was impressive when shooting from the bench or prone.
The next rifle is a 1886 Winchester, this rifle goes a long way to absorbing recoil.
Should you ever want to think of your Marlin 45-70 as pleasant try shooting a Winchester 95, 405 Winchester, with a 350 grain cast bullet at max velocity. It's the only rifle I've shot that requires a leather glove on the right hand. Without the glove, my middle finger gets bashed against the lever and the darned safety gets moved to safe.

Jim

Bingo! There's your problem. Looks pretty and "classic" but even moderately stiff loads are going to hurt. If you can stand flattening out the curve and putting a Decelerator on you'll suffer less. Alternately wearing a PAST Recoil Shield may take some of the bite out of 'er.

I did the .45-70 /.338 WM comparison test a few years ago, too. I was sighting in my 1895 pistol-grip Marlin with warm-ish loads (46 gr. RL7 under 405 gr. hard cast for about 1750 fps). The fellow on the next bench had a brand-new Sako .338 which he couldn't hit squat with and asked me to take a shot. Recoil felt about the same. (Turned out his problem was his gunsmith had botched mounting the scope. When we zeroed the adjustments we found it was about 14" high and left @ 100 yds.!)

The guy I turkey hunt with some will sit down a shoot a box of 3.5" 2oz HV shells through his 835 but refuses to shoot my 1895G. I usually shoot 405 cast @ 1500fps, his reasoning is the recoil is too violent, lol.

I have a 450M and is can be bad with 400g bullets

or mild with 300g

Snake

My 1895G can be damn hateful with 350s @ 2000 or 405s @ 1900 but they don't compare to the 3.5" HV loads from my 835. I usually pack thed Hornady 350 FP + 59grs H4895 for 1922fps when hog hunting but to say it hits harder on the shoulder than the 3.5's is false.

You need those powerful loads when hunting automobile engines and large Griz type bears...<BG>

For hunting black bear and deer, The 45/70 can be quite pleasant to shoot with modest loads.

have used one for elk for years with a limbsaver pad and its like a 30-30 off the bench