45-70??

LUCKYDOG

LUCKYDOG

Active member
I'm thinking about adding a 45-70 to the safe. I have a couple of questions.

1. Is the 18.5 barrel long enough for hunting or does it limit the gun to much? I'll use it mostly for a timber gun but would like the ability to shoot close to the max range of the caliber.

2. Is the quality of the Marlins still there or has it really gone down like I have seen in some reviews? I have a Marlin 30/30 I bought a few years back at Walmart that seems fine.

Thanks for any input.
 
Marlin's quality dropped for a few years. They seem to be a lot better now (maybe not up to the pre buy out days but decent rifles). There are still deals to be had if you dont mind a used gun and prefer a JM stamp.

18.5" is plenty if you're only use is a timber gun. There are a million and one loads for the .45-70 all the way up to a 540 grain Hammerhead from Garrett (he describes it as a 150 yard round). Recoil of the heavy loads is... interesting. Not sharp painful recoil but more like an old blackpowder gun, a big slow push. Seems like you could hold it down on the next shot but you can't, it just rolls you back a bit.
 
About 40 years ago I shot (one time!) a Ruger Number 3 carbine in .45-70 caliber. A co-worker got one on clearance. He should have let someone else buy it. A 400 grain bullet handload of around 2000 FPS with that little gun and it's hard crescent shaped buttplate caused me to scream out every cuss word ever made and then I made up some new ones. Most of them directed at Bill Ruger himself. Truly a gun that was designed by and for a masochist. If I was ever charged by a starving grizzly bear while holding that gun I would just toss it down and let him maul me to death. A far less painful way to go it would be.

The Marlin that I shot in that caliber was a sweetheart in comparison. Granted it had an excellent recoil pad and the barrel had been Mag-na-ported (everyone remember those?) and they were factory 300 grain loads Remington load too. Mild stuff but good deer medicine. That gun, if I had a reason to own one, I would buy.
 
I own a 45-70 sharps, and a browning high-wall, the loads that are very tolerable in the high wall will make your scream when shooting them in the sharps,,, it's all in the way the gun is stocked and the butt plates ,,,,, I also have a browning BLR in the 450 Marlin cheambering,,, it's a sweetheart, and in my opinion a lot better built gun than the newer Marlins, and really not that more expensive either,,,,, I have a t/c encore chambered in 460 s&w. It's a beast with its 20 inch barrel,, loud loud loud
 
I have 3 Marlins manufactured in 2014 two 45/70 and a 30/30 both of the 70's one is a SBL and the other a SS Guide Gun are just as nice as my older JM stamped Marlins, just look them over good there are still some older JM guns to be had but they are getting scarce
 
I have the Henry 45-70 and really like it nice wood great fit and finish the checkering and stock fitment on the newer Marlins just doesn't compare. The only thing I didn't really care for was the ghost ring sight but I am putting a reflex sight on now.
 
I have decided to break my 1974 Marlin out for this deer season. My handload is a 400 gr. Remington soft point at 1,861 fps from the 22" barrel. It's a bit much for deer but the chance of running into a big boar hog is always there. I really enjoy that rifle, with the ghost ring rear and gold bead front and the 22" barrel, it handles like a well fitted shotgun
 
I have the Marlin SS guide gun. It is a fine shooter and my go to hog gun for walking them up in the brush and woods. Shooting the 300gr and 325gr rounds the recoil is not bad at all. Shooting open sights on it. It is a fun rifle to shoot.
 
I have a Marlin 1895 SBL 45-70 and it is basically the stainless, synthetic guide gun with the 18 1/2 inch barrel. They make a great timber gun. I have a Leupold VX.R 2-7 with the Firedot reticle and it is sighted dead on at 100 yards and my bottom hash mark in the reticle is on at 255 yards. I use the Hornady Leverevolution 325 gr ammo in it.
Really nice timber gun, just the type environment they were made for.
 
I have a handful of .45-70's, including pretty disparate barrel lengths; 2 Marlin Guide Guns and an SBL (Guide Gun with fancy optic rail, ghost ring sight, and laminate furniture), Marlin Cowboy, Ruger No.1, H&R Buffalo Classic, Encore Pistol, used to have a BFR... Among others...

It's a slow cartridge, period. Even in long or standard barrels, it displays a lot of drop at range. The biggest difference, if I'm honest, is not between an 18" Guide vs. a 32" Buffalo Classic using the same load, but rather when you consider Marlin Only or Ruger Only loads against Trapdoor/SAAMI Level loads. Sticking my trapdoor level loads in the long barrel does gain a lot of speed, but not so much I can't be happy shooting Marlin Only loads in the short barrels. Adding 14" of barrel length might boost me about 400fps, but it also boosts me 14" of barrel to drag through the woods. I can get close to as much just by bumping the powder up to the Marlin's tolerance. Sure, the long barrel would get even more still, but again - it's super long! Kinda like a 454c revolver vs. a 45colt rifle - sure, the rifle can nearly match the revolver for speed and power, but one fits on your belt, one doesn't; pretty hard to ignore that fact.

I tend to cap myself at 250-300yrds with the Guide Guns using SAAMI level loads, and only tag 50-100yrds on top of that for Marlin Only. Most often, I shoot SAAMI level loads, as 250-300yrds is plenty far. If I need farther, I shoot a bottleneck cartridge.
 
Originally Posted By: GCI have decided to break my 1974 Marlin out for this deer season. My handload is a 400 gr. Remington soft point at 1,861 fps from the 22" barrel. It's a bit much for deer but the chance of running into a big boar hog is always there.

A bit much for deer?
smile.gif
You must have some extra large hogs. I'm guessing a 300 grain at 1800 would be more than sufficient.
 
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I bought a Remlin Guide gun last year and the accuracy amazed me. I was expecting 3" groups and with a hand load ended up with a 3 shot group with all holes touching.
 
I wouldn't be afraid of the 18.5" barrel at all. I have the 1895ss with the 22" barrel and I thought I might not like it due to the "long" barrel but it doesn't feel bad at all. I cannot wait to hunt with it this year. I was totally surprised with the accuracy also. With factory iron sights, I shot a 3 shot group in one big hole at 25 yards and a 3 shot group at 50 that was under an inch. That was with 300gr Federal Power-Shoks. I was pleased to say the least. Good luck withy yours!
 
Big horn armory model 89 in 500 s&w

Buy that levergun, we need more people to get them, bring the price down, and I'd like to read more real world reviews. Plus, a factory doubletap load blasting out of the 22" version at 4400 ft/lbs or so of force is certainly neat...

Only thing that stopped me with that gun was that it wouldn't handle the length of the 700gr loads.

Other than that, I owned a marlin 45/70, the 18" will make a fine woods gun. I put skinner peep sights on mine and had achieved groups at 100yds that had three touching like the gentleman a few posts above saw.
 
Originally Posted By: Predburner.405 Winchester...They made these again a few years ago....

Not as powerful as the hot .45-70 and pretty limited bullet selection on the .405 Winchester. But dang I wish they'd have made a saddle ring version of the 1895 Winchester in .405, that'd be a [beeep] of a dark timber gun!
 
Thanks for all the input! I'm going to get one for sure and with the 18 1/2 inch barrel. I might end up with one this weekend. I'm going to the Tanner Gun Show Sunday with a couple of fine trades.
 
It's a great and versatile round. You can make what you want of it.

My version is a BFR revolver with 7.5" barrel. I have loaded everything from sweetheart 300gr target loads, to 325gr hunting loads, to 405gr break-your-wrist loads. The initial 300gr JHP hunting loads I made turned out to be too frangible on the doe I shot with them last year, so I'm stepping up to the 325gr FTX this year to address that.

If I can do all this with a 7.5" barrel, you should be able to do more with a rifle barrel.
 
Originally Posted By: LUCKYDOGThanks for all the input! I'm going to get one for sure and with the 18 1/2 inch barrel. I might end up with one this weekend. I'm going to the Tanner Gun Show Sunday with a couple of fine trades.

I bought mine at Bud's last year. Paid $565 for it. It's just the plain jane guide gun.
 
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