Can a good Marlin 1895 CB .45-70 be accurate to 800 yards?

I know, this topic will open up a biiig can of worms, but assuming a good fit of wood to metal (probably via Accraglass), a good trigger, something like an MVA rear sight that is workable with the long bolt throw, and finally, a BP load and boolit tailored to the rifle, could a Marlin 1895 CB .45-70 be accurate enough to hit the 800 yard target at the Quigley Shoot? A related question is whether the barrel will handle 8 shots in a row without wandering all over the place. I've got a year to put this rascal together, and I'm just wondering if such a rig could be assembled. Assuming it's possible I just might give it a try. Thanks in advance for all the input. GF

Groo here
The original trapdoor rifle [30 in] with 500 gr BP loads could hit about 5ft by 5ft target at 1000yds and a small car at 2000yds [old NRA test].
The 45-70 will, the lever gun should, the question is you...

To shoot accurately at those ranges, you will need long high BC bullets of over 500 grains, such as the Postell design, which won't feed in the levergun, the rifling twist may not be right as well.

Yes, if you can

Yes it can..

pm sent

Try 1500 Yards!

Second Battle of Adobe Walls
Main article: Second Battle of Adobe Walls

Dixon led the founders of Adobe Walls to the Texas Plains, where he knew buffalo were in abundance. The group of 28 men and one woman occupied the outpost of five buildings 15 miles northeast of Stinnett.

The outpost was attacked on June 27, 1874 by a band of 700 to 1200 Indians, and that is when Dixon went into the history books for firing "The Shot of the Century which effectively ended the siege. Although, Billy Dixon states in his biography that it was a "scratch shot", he is still honored to this day with competitions in England and the US which attempt to match his skill.

The stand-off continued into a third day, when a group of Indians were noticed about a mile east of Adobe Walls. It is said that Dixon took aim with a quickly borrowed .50-90 Sharps (as, according to his biography, he only had a .45-90 Sharps and felt it could not reach) buffalo rifle and fired, knocking an Indian near Chief Quanah Parker off his horse almost a mile away on his third shot. The Indians then left the settlement alone. Commemorative "Billy Dixon" model reproduction Sharps rifles that supposedly recreate the specifications of Dixon's famous gun are still available today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest...d_sniper_kills

This is not the same gun but it IS the same technology.

When I was a teenager over 50 years ago we had a field about 850 yards north of our farms building with a slight uphill grade. In the spring when the field was freshly planted I would shoot at varmints standing or scratching seed out. Bullet impact made a cloud of dust very easy to see. My first taste of long range shooting and rainbow trajectory, sure had a lot of fun but I never connected with a live target.

sights and steady trigger control. the twist is rite and the shells will have to be loaded into the chamber 1 at a time [as has already been mentioned] ... but... if the barrel remains cool and cleaned between shots ... sight picture and trigger squeeze and FOLLOW THRU will get er done.

ive shot 22 LR at unbelievable distances with an old sears n sowbuck single shot when I had eyes for it. the thing is ... is to be able to dope the wind and the rest is as they say...in tha bag.

why not try it and report back with YOUR results.

question I have is what has been asked already...are you able to shoot and hit your intended target at 800 yards? ... with another rifle? ... shooting black powder? ... open or scoped sights? ... just sayin that if the answer to this is NO ... then id venture a guess that the answer to your question...at least where you are concerned ... is NO! don't mean any dis-respect sayin that...its just that I don't think I could any more so im sayin that as concerns ME ...NO WAY!!! maybe with my bean field rifle in 308 with the 26x and parallax adjusted...maybe I still could........... open sighted lever ...... NO WAY... :-(...:holysheep...[smilie=f:

With known ranges targets can be hit a longggggggggggggg ways away! But if you don't know the precise range, a mistake of fifty yards would mean a miss by a good margin

All the silhouette shoots that I know of require that lever guns be shot single loaded anyway. If any of you have one of the Marlin cowboy .45-70s do you think that the chamber throat will accommodate one of the 530 grain Postell boolit designs? GF

I know the round is capable, suspect the rifle is capable but can assure you I'm not up to it. Sounds like fun, all you can do is give it a try. Sounds like a fun project.

think id try a paperpatched in a wrapped diameter of slightly less...[.001] ... then the bore diameter with a hollow base and again...swab/clean between shots.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gray Fox

All the silhouette shoots that I know of require that lever guns be shot single loaded anyway. If any of you have one of the Marlin cowboy .45-70s do you think that the chamber throat will accommodate one of the 530 grain Postell boolit designs? GF

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I have shot the Lyman 45132 single loaded in my Marlin 1895CB over 70 grain FFg. It did OK but I did not put it on paper for a definitive statement of accuracy. As the twist in the Marlin is only 1:20 I would not expect good results at long range. If I wanted to shoot it at the Quigley or similar match, I would go with a bullet in the 405 to 450 grain range. Also, note that the recoil is substantial when you shoot 40 or so rounds for sighters/practice and then 30 to 40 rounds for the match, all within 6 hours or so.

My two cents is go do it, go have fun, go get some experience shootin distances, and post some pictures !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gray Fox

All the silhouette shoots that I know of require that lever guns be shot single loaded anyway. If any of you have one of the Marlin cowboy .45-70s do you think that the chamber throat will accommodate one of the 530 grain Postell boolit designs? GF

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I shot some Lyman Postells from my 1895 CB, but only at 50 yds. They were actually the most accurate load I have fired from it, but at the OAL they were loaded at, they had to be single loaded, but more importantly could not be ejected live, they had to be fired, which wouldn't fly in a match.

The web site doesn't specify model or cartridge, but there were 13 shooters with leveractions this year. Top LA shooter scored 37 hits out of 48 shots. Top shooter overall had a 43.

http://www.quigleymatch.com/match-results.html
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Well, folks, unless I win a small lottery or sell off a couple rifles this summer I'm going to have to pass on this levergun project for a while. You see, tomorrow a different .45-70 is going to follow me home. It looks to be a prewar nicely rebarelled and restocked .45-70 on a Siamese Mauser action. It already carries a Williams receiver aperture sight, and I hope it is made of steel rather than aluminum, if they were ever made that way. I've seen several photos and I'm driving down state to pick it up from a sheriff's deputy who has it. Believe it or not, this is the first Mauser action rifle I've ever owned, so I guess I needed one. I'll start a new thread and try to post some decent photos of it once I get it in hand. Thanks for all the input on this thread. GF

Sounds good. Williams sights are made from pretty stout alloy. The claim that they are stronger than the steel competition and that may be the case as Lyman don't seem to say anything like that or challenge it. I personally prefer the look of the Lyman sights (I have an old Redfield as well, it is beautiful), but Williams sights have served me well over the years, you won't have a problem with them.

I have a Williams sight as well. Haven't used it hard for a truck gun or in matches but it's met my needs, appears I need a couple more.