45-70 contender?

[monge]

Thinking of buying a contender in 45-70 ,was wondering how the recoil is and what barrel length to buy cast for my marlins and love this cal . Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks JOE

[gsdelong]

Recoil is what you make it and I have 10" 14" and 16 1/8". The beauty of the 45/70 is that you can load a huge range of boolit weights and shoot them from mild to wild. You will want to buy a pachmeyer grip ASAP. I have one load that my notebook mentions my toes hurting:). The 16 has a muzzle break that makes it very controllable this can be used on a carbine also. Oh if you are like me and want to experiment planning on buying a lot of molds. Ranch dog alone made three, I think I have 6 lee's and close to a dozen Lyman's along with 4 or 5 custom. I am seeking help [smilie=l: I am sure somebody will weigh in with the specifics of what you want to accomplish, I just wanted to point out how much variety is available.

[monge]

Thanks gsdelong do you know if the early frame (non g2)will handle the 45-70 ok I have read there some over pressure issues?

[fryboy]

it can handle the factory load offerings well enough, i wouldnt try the ruger levels of loading in it

[Alan in GA]

although the G2 is a stronger frame [and some disagree with that], NO Contender can handle 'top loads' in 45/70. The large case head diameter will offer way too much force to be safe with any of the higher pressure loads possible in 45/70. However the same can be said for any cartridge in any gun. Stay with recommended loads for THE GUN it is used in.
I had a 12.5" barrel on my G2 frame for a short while...FUN combination. However I loaded up some 300 grain bullet loads in mild loads and they were very accurate and believe it or not, recoiled LESS than most of the 44 Rem Mag loads I've shot in Contenders and revolvers. I had a super 14 in .35 Rem and although I was told ahead of time that the recoil would leave my right shoulder a bloody stub after it ripped my arm off,...actual shooting showed that the 35 Rem was very mild and much LESS a kick that the 44 Rem Mag [full factory loads] in the same gun!
Don't always go by what you hear when it comes to accuracy or 'recoil'. For some reason the truth is easily blurred when those topics come up!
I'm guessing that some of the warmer top loads in a Contender 45/70 will be too Uncomfortable to shoot before you get to excessive pressures for the Contender.

[brtelec]

I have had a 45/70 Contender for many years. It is a really fun pistol to play with. You can load it as light or heavy as you wish. I load a 300 gr bullet with a black powder charge for my wife to shoot and it is a pussycat. I shoot a 400 gr. bullet on top of 50gr. of N133 and it will get your attention. What it really comes down to is how recoil sensitive you are. I think my 30-06 Encore shooting a 168 gr. bullet feels heavier in recoil than my 45/70. The 45/70 is more of a heavy shove than a sharp recoil. With all the different loads you can utilize, I would not hesitate to buy one.

[monge]

What do you think is a good price for a used contender in 45-70?

[John Allen]

I have two of these barrels. If you load them to normal levels with 300 to 400 grain bullets they are not bad at all. I have loaded a 550 grain bullet with super stout load in a 16 inch barrel with a carbine stock and literately had water fall out of my eyes. I was not crying I swear I think the water was so shocked by the recoil of pushing on the skinny carbine stock that it wanted to get away from the pain!!!!!

[Fluxed]

I had one on the original frame, a 14 inch barrel from J. D. Jones. It kicked like unmitigated hell. If you can stand to shoot it enough to hurt it with full power loads, you are quite the man. I found the 375 JDJ a much better choice, shooting mostly the Speer 235 grain bullet. There's a fine line between plenty and too much.

[357maximum]

I am just starting my contender 45/70 journey. Mine is a custom built 17 inch light barrelled carbine with no break wearing red/black ambidextrous laminated thumbhole stockset I made myself with some help in the inletting on a friends mill. The remington 300 grain factory loads are "lively" but not intolerable. A 350 grain cast over 10 grains of unique are quite pleasant and will kill anything around here that I wish to put into the freezer. 45/70 contender....mild to wild....your choice, but I am enjoying mine, and will enjoy it a bit more as I gain some supplies for it. ....go for it.

[monge]

cant wait the search is on!

[John Allen]

joe, are you looking for a barrel or a complete contender?

[357maximum]

Personally I would steer clear of anything with a muzzle break on it, but I am not a N.E.D (noise enhancing device) fan and if you load it moderately a N.E.D is not needed.

[alrighty]

I have had a 14" hunter in the past and I always shot trapdoor equivalent loads.The accuracy was very good but at that time I only shot jacketed.The recoil has a small shove but the muzzle doesn't have much flip at all.I just did not care for the long barrel or the brake.
I picked up a 23" 45-70 from a member here a while back.With a Fajen laminate stock with no pad the recoil to me compares to a .30-06.I am shooting the Lyman Gould h.p. around 1450 , my usual deer loads.

[TCLouis]

Little experience in mine with REAL BOOLITS, but with 300 grain Rem. HPs 1565 is real controllable in the pistol mode.

Folks I have offered to let shoot it are "concerned about recoil when they see that 45-70 case, but pleasantly surprised when they actually shoot it.

Have no intention of ever firing it in the carbine mode.

[monge]

John Allen I be interested in one or the other I dont own a contender as of yet.