opinions please

[Seeker]

I'm getting ready to buy what might possibly be my last gun, revolvers excluded. Please, if you don't have experience with more than 1....don't reply. I've always wanted a 45-70 levergun. I want brand new. I hunt whitetails, black bear and shoot targets at the range. What should I get?

[Conditor22]

A marlin 45-70 stainless guide gun is at the top of my "shopping list" when the stars align, it will be my next rifle.

[sandog]

If you don't mind a heavier gun, and bigger (receiver), a Browning 1886 or new Winchester 1886, both made at the Miroku plant are excellent. Because of the weight, they are more enjoyable to shoot at the range.
If you are a bigger guy, the 8 1/2 -9 pound weight won't bother you for packing all day during a hunt.

As I got older I appreciated the lightness and compactness of the Marlin 1895. I did the bulk of my hunting in central Idaho and southwest Montana with the 22" round barrel Marlin .45/70's that were reintroduced in 1970.
As I'm a sucker for octagon barrels, slimmer wood and old style dovetail sights, I bought one of the Cowboy 1895's when they came out.
The one I have now is a CBA, which is a Cowboy with a shorter (18") octagon barrel.
It is a joy to pack all day, and the short barrel is easy to carry through the timber.
But at just over 6 pounds, it has some kick with all but lighter loads.

Even a regular Cowboy with 26 inch barrel seems light, as Marlin uses a tapered octagon barrel that gets small at the muzzle. The long version just isn't as easy to get through the woods.
By the way, Marlin has been making .45/70 levers since 1881, 5 years before Winchester came out with one.

I recently retired and moved to Arizona, and mainly just bird hunt now, so I continue to shoot my pistol caliber (.44 mag and .45 Colt Marlin 1894's.

There is the Henry, a lot of people like them, but for what they cost, I'd rather have a Marlin or Winchester/Browning.
To me the centerfire Henrys are funky looking and heavy for what they are.
The tube loading is a turn off for some, but it is easier to unload without cycling them all through the action.
I believe the Henry has a rebounding hammer, which I am not a fan of. The rebounding hammer I had in a new Winchester 1892 felt like it was rubber band powered.

The cross bolt safety that Marlin has used since 1984 is the least obtrusive of the lawyer mandated safeties.
You can take off the buttstock and turn in the set screw that rides against it to deactivate it, or do like some of the Cowboy action shooters do and find a tight fitting O-ring to put around the groove with the red paint, to keep it from coming on.
Or you can get a delete kit that replaces the cross bolt with what looks like another action screw, or replace it with a saddle ring.
I find the cross bolt comes in handy at times, and I've never had it switch on accidentally. (Although I checked it often when in Bear country !)

Don't listen to guys that tell you all new Marlins are ****. They turned out some bad ones just after the take over by Freedom Group in 2008. I'd avoid a "Remlin" made from 2008 to 2011. Starting in 2012, they were beginning to turn out decent guns. I bought one then, the CBA, and bought the .44 mag about 2 years ago.
Zero issues. You'll still hear guys telling you to avoid any but old JM Marlins, but you'll also hear more and more guys saying they have a new Remlin and it is fine.

I believe Uberti and Chiappa are making 1886's now as well, but as the cost is about the same, I'd rather have a "Japchester" than a WOPchester.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

A while back Marlin had a rebate , I bought an 1895 Marlin Cowboy. I found it well made and with casual load selection, 1.5 MOA was possible. I expect better when I start to fuss. The Marlin allows easy low scope mounting. I have 71 Winchester and Browning which are similar to the Winchester 1886. I find them heavy, and a mounting a scope is not in their design. I own an 1895 I bought in 1979/80 that has had a hard (and successful) life as an elk rifle and is still my first choice for elk. I find a scope most helpful in ALL rifle hunting, including close timber hunting. I cannot warm to the tube loading of the Henry in center-fires, though I do like the 22 and 17 Henry's I have. I am working on a Marlin 35 Rem for PA hunting, every couple years I get back to eastern PA to visit my sister and hunt there. Unless you just WANT a 45-70, the 35 Rem handles PA game, deer, black bear very well.

[Hickory]

The 45-70 is an excellent caliber, if you can find someone to make you a .465 round ball mold, you can use it on everything from squirrels to grizzly bear with proper boolits.

[MrWolf]

My JM Marlin 45/70 was my first lever gun. Shoots great, feels great, and I will never sell it. I probably have about a dozen levers all told. See if you can try one as you won't be disappointed. I do not think the recoil is tuff with the standard 405 grain loads off the shelf - think I tried it back then with the Grizzly Ammo. Good luck

[WHITETAIL]

Go Cowboy!!!
I have one for several years and never
looked back. I have shot the Gould boolit,
the RCBS boolit and the NOE boolit.
With a little tinkering they all shot well.
My cowboy has never seen a boolit off the
shelf.

[500Linebaughbuck]

well...if you're going to big get the bighorn armory in 500L
http://www.bighornarmory.com/catalog...-linebaugh-11/

[indian joe]

Chiappa makes a purty nice copy of the Winchester1886 - their carbine version weighs in around 7.5 pound - blued steel and nice wood - and a recreation of the classic big winchester action.

[cwlongshot]

Well writen and informative!

If you don't mind a heavier gun, and bigger (receiver), a Browning 1886 or new Winchester 1886, both made at the Miroku plant are excellent. Because of the weight, they are more enjoyable to shoot at the range.
If you are a bigger guy, the 8 1/2 -9 pound weight won't bother you for packing all day during a hunt.

As I got older I appreciated the lightness and compactness of the Marlin 1895. I did the bulk of my hunting in central Idaho and southwest Montana with the 22" round barrel Marlin .45/70's that were reintroduced in 1970.
As I'm a sucker for octagon barrels, slimmer wood and old style dovetail sights, I bought one of the Cowboy 1895's when they came out.
The one I have now is a CBA, which is a Cowboy with a shorter (18") octagon barrel.
It is a joy to pack all day, and the short barrel is easy to carry through the timber.
But at just over 6 pounds, it has some kick with all but lighter loads.

Even a regular Cowboy with 26 inch barrel seems light, as Marlin uses a tapered octagon barrel that gets small at the muzzle. The long version just isn't as easy to get through the woods.
By the way, Marlin has been making .45/70 levers since 1881, 5 years before Winchester came out with one.

I recently retired and moved to Arizona, and mainly just bird hunt now, so I continue to shoot my pistol caliber (.44 mag and .45 Colt Marlin 1894's.

There is the Henry, a lot of people like them, but for what they cost, I'd rather have a Marlin or Winchester/Browning.
To me the centerfire Henrys are funky looking and heavy for what they are.
The tube loading is a turn off for some, but it is easier to unload without cycling them all through the action.
I believe the Henry has a rebounding hammer, which I am not a fan of. The rebounding hammer I had in a new Winchester 1892 felt like it was rubber band powered.

The cross bolt safety that Marlin has used since 1984 is the least obtrusive of the lawyer mandated safeties.
You can take off the buttstock and turn in the set screw that rides against it to deactivate it, or do like some of the Cowboy action shooters do and find a tight fitting O-ring to put around the groove with the red paint, to keep it from coming on.
Or you can get a delete kit that replaces the cross bolt with what looks like another action screw, or replace it with a saddle ring.
I find the cross bolt comes in handy at times, and I've never had it switch on accidentally. (Although I checked it often when in Bear country !)

Don't listen to guys that tell you all new Marlins are ****. They turned out some bad ones just after the take over by Freedom Group in 2008. I'd avoid a "Remlin" made from 2008 to 2011. Starting in 2012, they were beginning to turn out decent guns. I bought one then, the CBA, and bought the .44 mag about 2 years ago.
Zero issues. You'll still hear guys telling you to avoid any but old JM Marlins, but you'll also hear more and more guys saying they have a new Remlin and it is fine.

I believe Uberti and Chiappa are making 1886's now as well, but as the cost is about the same, I'd rather have a "Japchester" than a WOPchester.

As much as I love my Marlins. And I know that they are getting better... if I was buying brand new I would have to look hard at this model.

Henry is probably worth a look, but will not compair to the quality comeing out if Miroku.

Good luck,

CW

[Wheelgun]

Another vote for the Marlin 1895 Cowboy.

I’ve had 2 1895 Cowboys and 1 1895 Guide Gun. I very much prefer the Cowboy. I like the longer octagon barrel and the straight grip better. The weight felt about the same to me, but I’m sure the Cowboy is heavier. I don’t regret selling the Guide Gun, but very much regret selling the Cowboys.

I’m looking for another now. The above 18” Cowboy looks very nice too.

[2shot]

Newer Browning or Winchester 1886 (Miroku) Extra Light. Why carry extra weight when you don't have to.

2shot

[MOA]

Well where it's a bit wet I like a stainless lever. And I think if you can find a Marlin XLR in 45-70 you have half the battle done. Low mount scope IF you want it scoped, not a light rifle, but not a very heavy one either. It does come with Ballard rifling, and the stocks will grow on you over time, but then I am kinda bias.

[osteodoc08]

Do you want stainless or blued? Open sights or optics? Optics do you want traditional scope, mounting for red dot or scout style scope? Do you want a tang mounted peep sight? A receiver peep sight? What’s your longest shot at the range? On game? Do you want a tang safety, button safety or no safety? Do you prefer short or long barrels?

We can steer you to the perfect 45/70 for you with those questions for the most part.

Personally, the last 45/70 I’d give up would be my 1895 guide gun and my 1895 CBA and my Browning 1886. Oh boy, are you sure you can have just one?

[Bigslug]

Speaking strictly from the viewpoint of stark practicality, the Marlins are the easiest I've encountered for teardown and maintenance, and you've got the nice aftermarket options that allow you to ditch the idiot crossbolt safeties, plug in a one-piece firing pin, and install a beefed up ejector. They are also "modern" in that they are drilled for optics. You've got the stainless/laminate options, which are ideal for use in the GOOD hunting conditions of rain and snow.

If you want flat-out COOL, get an 1886. Teardown is a PITA, and as far as I know, they are all carbon steel and will rust on you, but it's John Browning at the height of his brain-power, and Winchester at the height of doing it RIGHT rather than CHEAP. You cannot top them for class.

The straight wrist stocks quit being fun as the intensity of the load increases, so if you plan on cranking a Marlin to near 2000 fps, I'd steer away from the Cowboy models and get one you can properly pull into the shoulder.

[Walks]

In 1987 I a Gunsmith my 1982 Marlin 1895 to cut down the 22" bbl to 18 1/2" & magna port it. Added recoil pad too.
SLAPPED Me in the Face with every shot.

I sent it back to Marlin to have the bbl replaced back to 22" bbl. They sent me a New Rifle WITH SAFETY.

I bought one of the 1895CB when they first came out, a 336CB in .38-55 too.

All my Marlins, except the pre-safety ones have had the safeties "disguised". The saddle ring "disguise" wasn't around before 1998.

Love the 1895CB & 336CB, but the .38-55 is easier on the beat up old man.

Watch out for curved buttstocks with heavy recoiling loads.

[Walks]

In 1987 I a Gunsmith my 1982 Marlin 1895 to cut down the 22" bbl to 18 1/2" & magna port it. Added recoil pad too.
SLAPPED Me in the Face with every shot.

I sent it back to Marlin to have the bbl replaced back to 22" bbl. They sent me a New Rifle WITH SAFETY.

I bought one of the 1895CB when they first came out, a 336CB in .38-55 too.

All my Marlins, except the pre-safety ones have had the safeties "disguised". The saddle ring "disguise" wasn't around before 1998.

Love the 1895CB & 336CB, but the .38-55 is easier on the beat up old man.

Watch out for curved buttstocks with heavy recoiling loads.

[jonp]

Not sure what you are asking. Caliber advice or which 45-70? If you plan on shooting heavy loads and from what you said it's intended purpose was probably not then any stock would do but if your like everyone else you just have to try something stronger. In that case I'd recommend a shotgun type stock. Marlin Cowboy or Henry.

[EDG]

The best lever gun is the 1886.
The best Marlin caliber is the .35 Rem.
I guess you could say I like .45-70s a lot since I have a lot of them. My favorites hands down are the 1885 Browning single shots. You can scope them, use a receiver sight, install a tang sight or just use the factory iron sights. Unlike the tube magazine repeaters you can use the long heavy 500 grn bullets for long range shooting.

[indian joe]

The best lever gun is the 1886.
The best Marlin caliber is the .35 Rem.
I guess you could say I like .45-70s a lot since I have a lot of them. My favorites hands down are the 1885 Browning single shots. You can scope them, use a receiver sight, install a tang sight or just use the factory iron sights. Unlike the tube magazine repeaters you can use the long heavy 500 grn bullets for long range shooting.

Have you tried single loading the long heavy boolits in that magazine gun for long range? I have had some nice results in a Uberti 1876.