Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 460 S&W or 45/70

My buddy is going to be hunting some in southeast Ohio. He is looking at buying a rifle to hunt with there. He is from Tenn. and has a TC pro and was thinking of getting a barrel for that. Do any of you guys have any knowledge about these two calibers. How far would you be comfortable taking a deer with either of these rounds. How about accuracy.

45/70 for sure. Everything pertaining to the caliber is easier to come by and in a single shot he has lots of bullet options. I shoot cast or the 350gr Speer in my 1886 but for whitetail deer your friend would do well with the 325 FTX from Hornady. The Barnes 300gr TSX can be loaded to 2400fps if he wants a stouter bullet. The 300gr HPs from Sierra, Hornady, Speer, and remington are all good deer bullets as well.

I limit my shots to 200 yards with the 86 but that's using irons. With a scoped single shot it have no doubt that 250-300 would be doable pretty easily with some practice.

Another vote for the 45-70. If he doesn't handload, 45-70 Factory ammo will be cheaper and much easier to find at the local store. Plus there is a lot of variety available in Factory 45-70 ammo.

A 45/70 is a .458

A 460 is a .454

I he is guy who just wants to hunt, go with the 45-70. As pointed out previously, ammo is much easier to obtain and there are more choices for firearms.

On the other hand, if he is a handloading rifle loony of the first magnitude there are some pretty neat things you can do with the 460.

.452 not .454.....

He is a hand loader and a great shot. Ammo and component aside.
He is looking at accuracy and range for the deciding factory.

Having hunted in SE Ohio for years I recommend a 44 mag unless he really likes unnecessary recoil. Barring open fields, you will be hard pressed to find a place with a clear shot greater than 100 yds. After the opening volley of shots and/or the slamming of all those truck doors at o� dark thirty, there will not be a deer found in the open. Ohio deer hunting is simply not a 'long range' proposition,

The deer hunting here is getting progressively tougher in recent years (less deer and access being leased up). I am personally about to just stick with my bow. Unless people are pushing the deer, you just don�t see movement during daylight or outside of the multiflora rose tangles.

Another vote for 44 mag. In a rifle, with warm loads, it shoots plenty flat, and more is not required for deer. With the right load, you can zero at 150, and 250 yd is a good limit. Second choice would be the 460. There are many, many more good deer bullets in the 45 handgun cal than the 45 rifle cal, as most of the .458" stuff is heavy. .452" bullets can be had in lighter, and flatter shooting, weights. Brass is pricey for the 460 though. I'd not bother with a 45-70, given the above info. I do like 'em though, and big bullets at moderate speeds are fun, but not necessary for deer. If all the shots are going to be within 150 yds, it is a toss-up, except for price, then the 44 mag wins by a mile.

45-70 seems like a no-brainer to me. The 460 (45 Colt Xtra-Long) would be suitable by virtue of the fact that you do have some versatility since you can also shoot the 45 Colt (460 Short) and the 454 (460 Medium). (The last few years should be a reminder that common and versatile are factors worth considering when looking at new purchases - and I haven't seen much propellent that will make magnum revolver cartridges sing in recent months.)

He gets to hunt some bean fields and wants something that will give him the best chance at longer shots. Since they are now allowing these straight walled cartridges he is going to buy one of the 2 cartridges. He is only interested in longer range shots with accuracy. Cost of components or ammo not a concern.

I understand the desire to stretch your range, but I was trying to give some realistic expectations for Ohio gun season. There is no doubt that the 45/70 or 460 will shoot a little flatter.

He can sit on those bean fields, but the only deer he will see with a gun during daylight hours will be at full out sprint crossing from one thicket to another.

I am guessing there must be some caliber restrictions as there are a ton of better cartridges for deer than either of those, a 223 will do the same job if your hands don't shake when you see a deer.

Was recently looking at the Hornady .429 dia 265 grain tipped bullet for the .444 Marlin with thoughts of using it in a sabot for my muzzle loader. Your friend could probably get some very interesting velocity and trajectory with this combination in a long barreled single shot with not quite the recoil of the .45s

45-70 much easier to find ammo and very versatile.

How versatile do you have to be to kill a deer??

45-70 gives a slight edge also for bear encounters.

Yeah, I hear the griz have been rough on the bean fields in Ohio this year.

Why don't you tell me. I ask a couple questions about 2 different calibers straight walled cartriges. 45-70 vs 460 S&W. All pertaining to longer range accuracy on deer. If you got some info about the questions that would be great. I have heard the beans in Ohio are bitter and the bears don't like them so they stay out of the bean fields

Sorry for the humor. Was responding to the other guy not you. And the 45-70 is definitely more versatile if that's what he needs and will be better for bears if he encounters them. Just thought I'd throw in another option not considered for deer hunting at longer range where bears aren't much of a problem. Still may look up some of those bullets myself (actually.430 dia not .429). BC is about the same as the .458 325gr FTX but with 60 gr less weight and either is superior to the 300 to 400 gr flat/round nose .458 bullets if 200 yds + is what he wants. Good luck.