450 Marlin

[Jeff.L]

I have a Marlin 45-70 guide gun.. Have a friend trying to sell me a 450 Marlin.. Does the 450 Marlin have any advantages over the 45-70??[smilie=s:

[missionary5155]

Good morning
The little I have read here in Peru tells me to stay with my 45-70. Ammo is easy to find. Brass is everywhere. My modern rifles will hurt me as bad as my 155 pounds can tolerate.
Now IF I had no rifle then maybe...
I just do not need a few mor fps... and then have to re-equip to load .
Mike in Peru

[Gunlaker]

I have a Marlin 45-70 guide gun.. Have a friend trying to sell me a 450 Marlin.. Does the 450 Marlin have any advantages over the 45-70??[smilie=s:

There is a lot written on the net regarding this topic.

The way I see it, if you are a are reloader the .45-70 is superiour. Same or better ballistics (it's informative to read Horady's reloading data for the new FTX bullet. Even they load to marginally higher velocities in .45-70 :-). .45-70 brass is easier to get too. It's also 100% certain that it will still be here 20 years from now.

However, if you are not a handloader, the .450 might be a better choice.

To each their own though. I've seen heated arguments for both. As you can guess, I'm a .45-70 shooter. I like .45-70 for the nostalgia. It just wouldn't be the same shooting an 1874 Sharps in .450 :-)

Chris.

[Gunfixer]

+1 on Gunlaker
The gist of it is the 450M is what the 45-70 can be loaded to. Factory 45-70 ammo is set so as to be safe in a trapdoor. The 450M is basically a 45-70+P

[StarMetal]

If you've been following the forum there was a 45-70 Marlin blowup. In talking with some of the gunsmiths over on Accurate Reloading I come to find out, because someone mentioned how thin the barrel and receiver were in that blown up rifle, that the 450 Marlin is on the same receiver so the barrel is even thinner. I think I'd stick with the good old 45-70. You don't have to hot rod the 45-70 to get good results for any game animal in the U.S.

Joe

[Gunlaker]

If you've been following the forum there was a 45-70 Marlin blowup. In talking with some of the gunsmiths over on Accurate Reloading I come to find out, because someone mentioned how thin the barrel and receiver were in that blown up rifle, that the 450 Marlin is on the same receiver so the barrel is even thinner. I think I'd stick with the good old 45-70. You don't have to hot rod the 45-70 to get good results for any game animal in the U.S.

Joe

BTW, I just saw on Paco's site that the original poster of the pictures said there was a squib load in the barrel and a round was fired into it.

Chris.

[beagle]

I'd stay with the .45/70 although the .450 had always intrigued me.

I have a .45/70 Marlin and I also have a Springfield that I've turned into a .458 X 2 which is essentailly a .450 Marlin.

Based on shooting these two critters, case capacity for the .45/70 is greater as the magnum cases are thicker and won't hold as much powder. Now, with fast burning powder, this may not be a problem but if you're stoking a lot of 3031 behind a heavy bullet for hunting, teh .45/70 has the advantage capacity wise.

Using a 515 grain bullet, the .45/70 case holds more than does the .458 X 2 case even though I have reamed them to the base of the bullet.

Now, I know the .450 Marlin is a different case but I'll bet it has the same problem as I do with the .458 x 2./beagle

[280Ackley]

Jeff,

I have the guide gun in 45/70 and had the 450 Marlin GG. I sold the 450 last year as I could not find any advantage to it over handloads for the 45/70.

[6pt-sika]

I have both !

With my handloads they are the same !

Be it jacketed or cast bullets !

[NickSS]

The only advantage of the 450 Marlin is for non-reloaders who want a potent brush gun in a light handy rifle. It is essentially a commercial version of the 458 2 inch or a 45-70. There is nothing you can do with the 450 Marin that a hand loader can't do with a 45-70.

[Jeff.L]

Thanks for the information guys , Looks like I will stick with my 45-70
Jeff.L

[Lloyd Smale]

if i could have only one it would be the 4570 but the other day my buddy had is 450 out and it was sure a joy to load and shoot. Ammo slides into the gun so much smoother then 4570 with its big rim does. Gun was a tack driver too. If it were a month from now and a few bills were paid id be all over that 450.