Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers 45/70 .... Thoughts

Hi Guys,
Ive kicked off this thread to basically get some feed back from other Big Bore Lever fans.
After years of being a bolt shooter on small game (Rabbits) I brought a Savage 99e in .308 Win to start Deer hunting with,
that was about 8 months ago.. no Deer yet but Ive got well hooked both on the Deer and lever gun .
I like the savage but it lacks personality, so with the my big 40th coming up end of the year I thought I might allow my mid-life crisis to take the form of a Marlin guide gun in 45/70 cal.
All my hunting is in tight bush / forest where most shoots take place in the 30 to 60 meter mark and the animals are Red Deer , which are a reasonble sized animal( Iam writing from New Zealand ).
What kind of recoil can I expect, is the gun over kill for my need ?.. what range will it shoot to if I do get in more open country ?...just any general thoughts on the calibre and gun would be great guys...all the best from down under.
regards Katipo

It'll be just the ticket for you. Sharps man myself, but I reload for a friend that shoots the Guide Gun. It's a shooter. He dropped an elk at 125yds, one shot kill. So many loads and bullets to choose, you can pick what best suits you and your rifle. I cast 405gr. flat points for him and push them along at 1600fps., he likes it. You came to the right place for input, these guys will fix you right up. Good luck

Don't know if you handload, or not, but the factory loads I shoot in my .45-70 GG recoil about like a 12 ga. with high brass loads. However, when you get into the +p loads, like garret, buffalo bore, core-bon, etc., the recoil goes up substantially. You will love the gun in the brush, and if you get real good with it, you can handle shots, out to about 200 yds.[don't know how many meters that is <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />].

Mad Dog

Recoil was a little stiff at first in my 1895, but once you get used to it, it's not bad. I shot 40 rounds the other day, 20 300 gr. loads and 20 405 gr. loads. The 300 gr loads clocked right at 2000fps with N120. Deviation was plus about 16 fps total (1993fps-2009fps). I was quite happy with that. I shot out to 200 yards with the 300 gr., and it required some holdover, but not too bad. I have not hunted deer with it yet, but it is alot of fun to shoot. Makes really big holes and the dirt really flies every time it goes boom. I love it.

I certainly wouldn't do anything to dissuade you from purchasing a 45/70. I own one. BUT, it sounds as though your needs would be met with a .44 mag, or, if you handload, a 45Colt levergun.

In handguns, those two calibers have taken most everything that walks or crawls, so it follows that in a levergun they'd do a little more. The levergun should give you +400fps over the published h'gun velocities.

Check out what these guys do with those calibers and you'll get some idea how these two calibers stack up to the 45/70.

http://www.cor-bon.com/
http://www.buffalobore.com/
http://www.garrettcartridges.com/

Take care, have fun, and buy one of each.

John

mid-life crisis if your going through one now
wait till you finish's reading all the post's your going to get .
The MarlinG and the Marlin GS and the Cowboy Vertion
Are all very nice rifle's in 45/70 .
As for what thay can kill and if there to much for Deer or mid size game. you have opened pandora's box Now.
As for recoil the short barreled Guild gun's of course have more compard to the Cowboy vertion ( berrel weight)
As far as Factory ammo goes and the distance your shooting
300 grain bullet's are more then enough ..
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Now onto the other unasked question................

mid-life crisis ..Have you looked at the other 45/70's made...Browning...Winchester...Have you thought about once you do buy your 45/70 .That maybe later on you might want to do a convertion to WW457 Or 50 Alaskan Or if you Buy
a Winchester or Browning Going all the way to 50-110
In it..Think your having a mid life Now just wait <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Pottsy

Thanks for taking the time to reply,yeah your right it does sound as if the 45/70 would be the ducks guts for the job, and lots of ammo options is a bonus,
egards Katipo...ps will keep you posted

Thanks for the input MD..recoil sounds fine.just sold a Browning A5 in 12g so n.p

Thanks for the reply Rick, Maddog gave me a rough recoil example so it all sounds good...

Thanks for taking the time to reply John, I hadnt really considered the calibres you put forward....the links were interesting and does bring up the point that theres several calibres that will do the business .However for some reason the 45/70 has got got my attention, weather its the history behind it or another reason Iam not sure. the sports shop I deal with has got in a guide gun for me to look at .So next week Ill go in and check it out...and no doubt fall in love. will keep you all posted...Regards Kat

Ha Ha thanks for the reply Pottsy,
I had a good laugh at your reply, I was half expecting some Big Bore fan whose taken alittle to much recoil for a .50 cal or something horrendous to reply. Mate you are a worry, do they actually make a gun big enough for you????....must be some old civil war cannons you can take the wheels off and fit a recoil pad to somewhere.
Thanks again....you made my night....good luck ...regards Katipo

I love my guide gun, its ported and carries a leupold 2-7x33. the factory recoil pad is adequate, but you can get decelerator pads put on them. This is a TRULY accurate lever action. No need to use the Garrets or Corbons unless after grizz. I have used the 300gr and 405 gr sp on deer and clean hole thru with less bloodshot than when I used a 30-06 and .308- its the velocity that causes the bloodshot, and 45-70 is sloww and big, perfect for deer under say 150yds- the recoil is like a 12ga and very manageable- <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> go for it man

katipo
look at this .It's the convertion that can be done
to a marlin lever action G rifle it called a 50 Alaskan
these are some of the stats

.50 Alaskan Printed Order Form


Item No. 15
20 Pak Heavy .50 Alaskan

15A/20 525 gr.WFNGC
1850 fps/ M.E. 3989 ft. lbs. Per Box of 20
$59.99
Order Now!
15B/20 500 gr. JFN bonded
1850 fps/ M.E. 3799 ft. lbs. Per Box of 20
$65.99
Order Now!
15C/20 450 gr.LFNGC
2100 fps/ M.E. 4406 ft. lbs. Per Box of 20
$58.99
Order Now!
15D/20 450 gr.JFN bonded 2050 fps/ M.E. 4198 ft. lbs. Per Box of 20
$63.99
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Or you can have a convertion done to your Winchester or
browning in to a 50-110 and it's even more power
Dave Clay in Taxas does the convertion to 50-110
on the Winchester's and browning's
Or you could even go farther with a 375 Hawk or a 411 hawk
on a Winchester lever...
I have shot Garrett round's and talked or should i say had a few emial's back and forth with Randy Garrett about his loaded round's
the 540 hammerhead's and the 500 Solid tungston's
are the only thing's i have shot of his
But Boy O Boy do thay work !

Pottsy

PA Bullet's since 1964

From another angle don't waste your money on a 457 conversion. You could take your Guide gun (when you get it) to a gunsmith and have him lengthen the thoat just a touch so you can use a longer that 2.55" COAL and seat out some big heavy bullets to 2.60-2.65 and that willonly cost about $70 US. there is no real perforane gain with the 457 conversion.

I have a guide gun in 45-70 and it is my favorite rifle .It is so much fun to shoot and once I get to know it a little better we'll see what kind of accuracy I get, but so far its around 1.25-1.75" at 100. I still have work to do on the loads.

The only real improvement you can get out of it is going to a

50 Alaskan in a Marlin G

There in it self is a bigger story i found one gunsmith willing

to over bore to 50 cal that wont take a year to do it



Here's his reply to my email..

Martin, cost of a rebore/rechamber is usually $265 plus return freight. At this time I don't have the 50 alaskan chambering reamer. I could still bump up the barrel if you have someone that has the reamer.

Dan

dan@cutrifle.com



If anyone once it done theres the spot



Pottsy