Most accurate 45-70 with cast under $1000?

[EDG]

Have experience with about a dozen 45-70s including a Siamese Mauser, multiple Ruger #1s, a Ruger #3, multiple Browning standard 1885s, multiple Browning BPCRs, a Pedersoli 1874 Sharps, a H&R Buffalo Classic and a Thompson Center Encore.
Making your budget range cut off at $1000 permits a few choices.
To get the best value means insuring a rifle that is both accurate, comfortable to shoot and will not depreciate. You also will want to mount good sights and be able to use the best bullets.
Here is a radical concept. The 45-70 is at its best as a single shot round. The 45-70 in a lever gun is not a true 45-70 but is a poor compromise for hunting with lighter bullets.
So you really want a single shot for long range accuracy. And it needs to weigh more than all the light weight toys.
Of the rifles I mentioned above that eliminates all of the light rifles.
The Browning standard model can be purchased used for less than $1000 but it does not have a tang sight option and it is also a little light unless you intend to use a hunting weight rifle.
The heavier Browning 1885 is excellent and comes with very good sights. However it is about $1600 used.
That leaves a nice used Pedersoli which can be found for about $1000.
That will get you a rifle with cheap sights.

If you are happy with adding a scope or using cheap sights on a light rifle you can easily stay within your budget.
For a Real 45 -70 you need a single shot that weighs about 9lbs or more. That will run about $1000 for a good used rifle without quality sights.
You can get a light lever gun or single shot for much less but they are punishing to shoot. You will find very few light 45-70s that have been shot much due to the user hot rodding the round with resulting high recoil. They are good buys if you can resist the need for heavy recoil.
As I stated before I don't consider the lever guns as real 45-70s. They will not handle the most accurate 500 grain bullets.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Tazman,

No matter what you find in answer to your question, that would for me still be only half or less of an answer.

I say that simply for the fact that some rifles, no matter the cost would not "suit" me.

For example, in the answers to your question you have seen the Buffalo Classic as one of those favored, and while they might be very fine and no offense intended here, I wouldn't have one no matter how accurate.

Same with the Henry because of the loading tube.

Then the RUGER #3 while very strong is well know for being very unpleasant to shoot with some loads. If I found a good one, that would be rapidly followed by fitting some #1 wood to the butt!

I found my RUGER #1 in a pawn shot and at that time got what I thought to be a VERY good price and have since taken a growing pile of deer and three elk.

With the 45/70, a person needs to have a different mind set then what I'd require with a typical high velocity centerfire rifle.

I bought the 45/70 for one reason, and that was to shoot and hunt with my own cast bullets, but I did need to have a mental adjustment with expectations as per accuracy.

But then, other then for fun I'd not likely be shooting at the ranges that I'd expect killing/game taking accuracy such as I'd expect from my high velocity centerfires.

Were some of the rifles spoken of able to shoot cast bullets with much greater accuracy then my #1 RUGER, I'd still go with the #1. It is a pride of ownership situation for me, at least to some degree.

It will be interesting to see what your question tallies out to.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[8mm]

I have a number of 45-70 rifles: Ruger #1s, #3, Marlin 1895, Browning 78, Browning 1886, Shilo Sharps. Guess you could say I am a little bit partial to the 45-70. I am glad I obtained these rifles when I could afford them but no way with today's prices.

I am retired now and make pathetic attempts to live within my modest means. My most recent failure was last week when I purchased a CVA Hunter 45-70 single shot for $250 plus tax. It was too good a deal to pass up. Mounted a Vortex 1x scope on it yesterday. All together I have a new scoped 45-70 rifle for under $300. How good this rifle will prove to be is when I sight it in either today or tomorrow. I will be using Trapdoor level loads that been quite accurate in my Ruger's. I have no real interest in hunting anymore so what it amounts to is I have quite a selection of rifles suitable for punching large holes in paper. This CVA is the latest.

[tazman]

Please let me know how the accuracy test turns out.