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

Got me.

My first thought regarding versatility between the 45-70 and 460 is that the 460 is going to be the more versatile of the two, by virtue of its higher pressure rating. I did a bit of research, and found out this makes less difference than I had first imagined. There are better bullets for deer to be had in .451/452" than in .458, but there are sufficient lighter bullets for relatively flat trajectory in the 45/70 out of a strong platform, with pressure in the mid 40's psi. Of course, 45-70 ammo will likely be cheaper to buy or make, and likely a bit more available than the 460 stuff.

One is not inherently more accurate than the other. The idea that certain rounds are inherently less accurate has been disproved. Straight-walled rounds are capable of fine accuracy. In the end though, as most things Loonie, it really comes down to what the guy WANTS, as both are capable of what he wants to do, and both require a modicum of skill to make long shots due to their rainbow trajectory beyond 200 yds.

Hard to go wrong with the 45-70. One of my favorite loads is the 325 FTX over 55g of 2015. 150yd zero puts it around 4-6" low at 200. That combo works extremely well on whitetail size game.

If he finds recoil to be harsh, he can always drop back to a 300 at around 1800fps or run the Barnes' 250.

I have no 45-70 experience. I do have a Ruger #1 in .460. Sighted it in 2" high at 100 yds with Hornady 200 grain factory. Six shot group, 2100, 2150, 2200 was 2" wide by 3 1/2" tall. Flat enough for me.
I have a friend with a TC in .460 and a Marlin in 45-70 and he likes the .460 better past 150 yards.

I really have to wonder how some folks minds work. Or should I say don't work.



Basically every bit of this is wrong. I'd rather not have to type why.

The 45-70 is the obvious choice here, unequivocally, by far, not even close.

Larger case that shoots rifle bullets. Not low BC pistol bullets. Pressure is no issue here.....

Maybe you ought to look at actual said bullets and the 'high' BC .458 that will shoot 'flat' out of a mid 40'sKpsi catridge. Yeah, physics is stupid. I don't appreciate the insults that you won't even explain. So I'll just say that I hope you are surrounded by people just like you for the holidays.

One could use the 300gr ttsx boat tail designed for the 458 Socom and rid themselves of any doubts. The 300 TSX also probably has a decent BC insofar as light for caliber big bore bullets are concerned. The 350 Speer has a pretty aerodynamic shape as well considering it is a .458 dia bullet. The gummy tip 325 from hornady is also a "high" BC offering for the 45/70 though they are fragile IME, they'd probably still be dynamite on whitetails though.

I don't know what is available for "high" BC bullets in .452 but would doubt there is a cornucopia of offerings.

My apologies for being insulting Jason. Rest assured, it was not aimed solely at you.

The OP asked a simple question, and 80% of what he got back was garbage.......

there is so much 45/70 brass and dies around , is it really worth a little more performance?

Not sure what you mean. The 45-70 would be the easy choice, based on performance alone.....

The odvious difference is the relativce case sizes. The other less odvious difference is the pressure levels that each are loaded.
That means the .45-70 has to burn more powder to get the same velocity levels as the .460 with equal weight bullets. That means it will kick harder.
Can your buddy get the ballistics he needs with the .460 loaded at much higher pressures or does he need what the .45-70 can give him ? Loaded to nearly the same pressure levels as the .460, the .45-70 gets very close to the .458 Winchester in performance. E

Oh Ok, I thought the 460 had a bit of an edge then its a no brainer for the 45/70 unless you hunt in a state that doesn't allow that length of cartridge.

...and recoil.

For heaven's sakes were talking deer here. The real advantage of the straight walled pistol cartridges now being legal is getting away from the punishing recoil of the old school 12 gauge slugs. NO legal option is going to be anywhere near what could be considered flat shooting.

Yup - what he said makes the most sense to me.

The .460 is a proprietary handgun hunting round. Designed by S&W for their large frame revolvers and I would bet has expensive components to reload. heck for that matter the 45/70 is not that cheap to reload either. Brass is darn expensive ever since the cowboy shooters started using it.

What is wrong with the .308 ?

People around here wonder why I'm grumpy all the time

OP knows what a 460 is. He also stated the guy handloads and price isn't a concern. ALSO, a 308 is not legal........

I'm QUITE certain that is why he would like to maximize performance by going with one of said cartridges, and not use the 44 mag you recommended....