45-70 rifle advice

[MJR007]

Thank you Whiterabbit.

[tacklebury]

There's a nice 32" Barreled Wesson and Harrison over at GBO for a good price. The FULL price buffalo Classics go for only $405 and mine shoots 1" or less groups when I do my part at 100 yards with the provided iron sights.

This is a picture of my current .45-70 Buffalo Classic and below it is a picture of it's best group with irons.


.87" c-c group with 50 gr. Reloader7 under a 300 gr. bullet.


***edit***
I should state that there was about a 30 mph cross wind this day at my buddies range. I think that's why the group went left as far as it did, but the wobble was from a particularly heavy gust that hit just as I was pullin the trigger. lol

[dualsport]

The #3 I used to hunt with was a bear to shoot. I found a replacement recoil pad that helped a lot. IIRC it also fit a Mini 14 and a 10-22. In those days I wouldn't have a reduced load, not manly. I'm smarter now. It was a sure fire killer though. Dropped pigs in their tracks.

[Texantothecore]

Shoot, you can throw a .45-70 round and kill a pig or deer. I think of mine as artillery rather than a rifle.

'Cause it is....

[Artful]

I kept my #3's in 223 and 375 big bore but 45-70 is not in the safe

[badbob454]

i had the h&r 45/70 was great such a strong gun you can really load her hot. +p+ mine was a full length , sold it figure i can do anything with a 30-06 as i can with the 45/70 but less drop out aways , your 358 win sounds like a keeper , but, ''sigh'' , but you gotta buy sompin, to shoot them big boolits ...

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Yep, the 45/70 is not for everyone, especially if easy hits at distance is desired.

However, I knew that when I bought into hunting with with big cast bullets with my RUGER #1S and there are other rifles in the closet if long range is an issue.

But, it is really hard to beat the experience of hunting with a BIG cast bullet in a cartridge born in 1873 that still gets er done in such fine fashion.

Being the Ol'Coot that I am, I have a hard time with the folk that try to make the 45/70 into what it was never intended to be. Face it, there are just better calibers such as the 30/06 spoken of in the last post if a person isn't happy with what the 45/70 just does so very well in the conditions and ranges where it shines.

They still make 375s, 35s, 338s etc etc etc etc., so why in the world degrade the 45/70 when what is being attempted at times, is better done with a different cartridge?

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[bigted]

I am with ya Crusty...however I have done a whole bunch with the lowly ol 45-70 from mag type loads with 600+ grain elephant killers in the #1 to the latest with the .490 balls pushed thru the .460 inch lee push thru die and loaded with 8 grains of unique for a whole bunch of fun and those lil elongated pills will pile up on one another at 35 yards in at least two of my 45's. blackpowder is usefull and fun and a host of other loads ive tried and accomplished as well as fell flat on my face with.

I believe that the lowly 45-70 has been and continues to be the best round I have ever used. it covers a host of uses from elephant killer to mouse trippers. it has continually provided me with hours of thought provoking times as well as the base for uncounted amounts of experimentation...this is ongoing and with no end in sight...thankfully.

however having said this I will also say that there is no way that my 45's will ever do at long range what my 25-06 will do and the 25's will bring in the caribou and wolves from way too far away to be accounted for with any of my 45's...not that they wouldn't get there and do the job but ... at 5 or 6 hundred yards with the 25 it mostly shoots to point of aim for accurate killing shots where the 45 would or could be off as much as feet at those ranges and the proficient kill shot would be iffy at best and I will not take the chance of hitting and wounding an animal at those ranges with the ol 45...targets tho... are another matter as the paper will not have to crawl off and die an awfull death to say nothing about a wolf finding it and start eating from a still moving and howling animal and from the wrong end