[Riley]

Interested in a .45-70. Has anyone used both modern smokeless and cased black powder with one? Differences and impressions?

[Rio]

I’ve watched SASS shooters shooting the Marlin Guide Gun with smokeless loads. They were fine short range.
My wife has a Pedersoli reproduction Trapdoor with a VERY long barrel. After learning to use the ladder sight, we can hit targets out to 800 yards or better. The loads are home-loaded black powder with original army spec bullets (425grain?) to be SASS legal. It sure is fun to shoot that trapdoor. Since it’s black powder, recoil is more of a shove than a sudden impact.

[Joe 6-pack]

Just got done putting my Springfield through its paces over vacation...

...tons of fun :-)

Currently, there are three generally available rounds in the .45-70 class: the .45-70, the .444 Marlin and the .450 Marlin. While they have a lot of similarities and can each generally do most things the others will do, there are enough differences that, depending on your specific desires and needs one may clearly be a "best choice" of the three.

Research them, the firearms they come in, the commercial loadings available, the availability of reloading components, etc. and I think one will eventually stand out from the others.

[lacrew]

A co-worker has one.

He likes it...but rarely uses it...just occassionally fires a few rounds to remind himself that he has it.

He doesn’t hunt with it...apparently the ammunition costs too much for him to get in alot of practice with it.

[Eye of Unk]

45/70 is actually a pretty popular caliber in Alaska, makes a great brush bear gun.

[Lurker]

Why are you in the market for a rifle you know nothing about? For what purpose do you want it? When I’m in the market for a firearm I figure out what I want said firearm to do and then decide which type, caliber, etc. is most conducive to doing that job.

[TexasRepublic]

One of my favorite cartridges. If you don’t reload ammo, your options will be very limited and expensive. I even cast my own lead. It is a very versatile cartridge that can be tailored to optimize a variety of guns for different requirements. I have shot .45-70 in rolling blocks, falling blocks, trapdoors and bolt-actions. Heavy recoil can be reduced using appropriate loads. I prefer a heavy gun that can soak up the recoil and make the process enjoyable. I could shoot my trapdoor all day without a sore shoulder. First you need to define what you want to use the gun for. You won’t be walking the woods hog hunting with a single-shot 1000-yard competition gun.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

I’ve been hunting with a Marlin 1895 in .45-70 for a bit over twenty years. It’s a fine deer and hog gun. I don’t find the recoil noticeable when the shots are fired while hunting. Deinitely, it’s punishing to shoot off the bench while sighting in.

As to reloading, for a number of years, I used a Lee Loader and could make up a deer season’s worth of cartridges for virtually pennies in few minutes. You need pound of powder (4198, for example), bullets and primers. Everything else you need is in the kit. Even at today’s prices, you can reload with a Lee Loader far more cheaply than you can buy ammo in the store.

My Marlin would cut a 3-shot clover leaf, with the first three shots touching or nearly touching at 100 yards with factory open sights. It might still do it, but my eyes are not up to it, so I added a scope. Don’t know anything about the new ones now being made by Remington.

[Sylvester McMonkey McBean]

The caliber itself can deliver big energy at short range, however aside from SASS, I’m not sure what kind of competition shooting would be suited for a lever gun?

[roamer_1]

I have the shorter of the two Marlin lever guns - Best brush gun I can think of. Can be reasonably compared to a 30-30 wrt range expectations, but with a lot more weight in the air, there is really zero chance of deflection, even in heavy brush... And the stopping power is extraordinary, a quality that is worthy of great measure when one is walking in Griz country.

But it kicks like a Missouri mule. I am thinking of extending the tube in order to install mercury load balancing in the end of the tube and in the stock... A buddy of mine has done this, and his gun is a pleasure to shoot (comparatively).

[ctdonath2]

Look up “Alaskan Co-Pilot”. The one .45-70 I’d want, and want bad.

[central_va]

How is it that 45-70 is centerfire and not rimfire? Seems to me it would be dangerous to have a centerfire lever action...