Marlin 45-70 - What bullet diameter??

[WARD O]

I have long suppressed desires for a Marlin 45-70 - probably the guide gun. I now have an opportunity to trade a little bit of my labor for 500 cast 400 grain flat nose bullets. This will probably push me over the edge and I will likely have to find the rifle to shoot them in.....

My question is - what bullet diameter should I request assuming I will be shooting them in a new Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70?

Thanks for the advice
Ward

[pdawg_shooter]

.459/.460 would be a good starting point. You wont know for sure till you get your rifle and slug it.

[ebner glocken]

More than likely .460". Then again none of us have actually seen this new rifle much less have slugged it.

Ebner

[454PB]

I slugged my new Marlin GS 45/70 and got .457". I size to .459".

[rhead]

Mine does best with a .462. What does your chamber slug at? Also the bore.

[threett1]

I shoot the Lyman 457122 as dropped from the mold after pan lubing it out of my Guide Gun. Usually runs .459-.460. Does well.

[NickSS]

I have three Marlins (guide gun, standard and cowboy) and they all shoot best with bullets sized to .459". They easily keep pace with my Sharps in the same caliber printing 10 shot groups in the 1.5 to 2 inch range at 100 yards with receiver sights and original front sight. I use several bullets but the one I most use in the marlins is an RCBS 45-325-FN.

[1950Target]

I have a 1972 production with Ballard Rifling and it slugs .458 I size .459. and it shoots anything I stuff in it like it is guided by a laser.

I wish there was a pat one size fits all answer for you but there just is not.

When you get it slug the bore and start .002 over and determine by how it performs relative to how you want it to perform. There are variations in all manufacturing processes and every single barrel is going to be slightly different from the one before and after it.

Slugging is not difficult and it is part of the process. ACCURACY takes patience, and consistent handloading practices.

[jlchucker]

when I bought my Marlin, it was in 1982, and I got one that was the vintage just before the button safety came out. I was new to casting then, and bought a .458 sizer. It's all I've ever used, and the rifle groups at 100 yd from a bench into 1-1/2 inches all day, with both 405 and 300 gr cast bullets, assuming I'm using clean bifocals and wearing a ball cap to keep the glare out. That's a micro-groove rifle, by the way. I never knew there was supposed to be a problem with microgroove barrels shooting cast until I started reading stuff on these websites. As geezerhood creeps up on me, I may have to put a scope on. I wonder how that rifle will shoot then.

[ph4570]

My Marlin is partial to the RCBS .45-300-FN sized to .459. With a rear williams peep and a lyman front globe it does 1.5" groups at 100 yards. I generally shoot light loads of 16 grains Unique and large magnum pistol primers. That load chronos about 1350 fps. I have scoped it on occasion with a Leo 3-9x and with more than a couple loads (cast and jacket) it has achieved sub 1" groups of 5 holes.

The Marlin is a 1895 Cowboy with 26" octagon barrel and Ballard rifling.

[Psycho0124]

If it's your first 45-70, I'd suggest going for one of the larger Marlin variants. The extra mass of the rifle will absorb a little more recoil meaning you can shoot hotter loads for much longer, comfortably. The guide gun is so light, it's tough to enjoy even light loads in the thing for more than 50 rounds.

My 1895 CB likes .459 as well.

[ammohead]

I too have a marlin 1895 cowboy with ballard rifling. I don't think marlin made a cowboy without ballard rifling. I load a RCBS 405 gr with 34 gr of imr 3031 and it has won a couple of matches at Winnemucca. I size to .458

ammohead

[bigted]

i also just recently recieved unto myself a cowboy 45/70 and absolutly love it. havnt had time to cast for it yet so this is informative for me. im a tall man and find the length of the back wood a little short so i install a slip on pad for length and shazam..perfect.
not my first marlin...i have a guide in 444 and the recoil is hefty to say the least...with anything ive stoked in her. currently have it in the shop to have a bigger loop lever installed as the recoil digs my second knuckle almost every time the cannon barks so more news when i get her back with hopes that my poor finger will bleed no more. ive also thought about putting a pound of lead in the buttstock to tame the recoil some [ did this with a single shot 12 gauge when i was a kid and the result was super ]. anybody dont this to the marlins and if not, why???

[crazyjz]

More and more folks are taking an interest in the venerable 45-70. I too had to succumb to the big fat boolit! I decided to start with a Marlin 1895S. Made sure it had the "Ballard" rifling and then picked it up. (I am not part of the band wagon that believes that you can't shoot CB's in the Marlin micro-groove; I just choose the Ballard so it's not really an issue for me.)

First, I had to put a "Sims Limbsaver" recoil pad on my rifle. After only 20 shots of fairly stout loads, I had a major shoulder pain. After the recoil pad was installed, I can shoot 50 rds w/o pain. The recoil is still stout but it does not hurt anymore--get you one of these! I found the 1895 stock just a wee bit short and now w the recoil pad it is just a wee bit long. You may want to consider having somebody with a bandsaw cut your stock down a bit after you install the pad. If you plan on using it as a hunting rifle, don't forget to consider the additional bulk of clothing that you may have on during the hunting season.

As far as which diameter bullet, that issue has been beat to death here. The question usually prompts a bunch of suggestions that you slug your rifle barrel. Go ahead and slug the barrel. Some will want you to slug the throat-do that too if you don't have anything else to do. The knowlege is gratifying but only a very few folks have the tools, energy and the need to make any changes to the rifle or the loads once they know the dimensions of the throat of their rifle. These steps really come into play for those that compete with their rifles in long range accuracy competitions.

I slugged my Marlin and it came to 458.75. I obtained several more bullets from sources, several in .459, 460 and 461. I assembled a couple of each as if I was loading them but I did not use powder or a primer. Every one of these cycled through the M1895 like a champ. I found out that this is more the norm for Marlin 1895's than any sort of finickness.

I obtained two molds, one from LBT in a 400g at a diameter of .460 and another Hoch nose pour in a 370g w a diameter of .461. Obviously there has to be a limit here but my gun likes the .461 w accuracy visibly improving over the .459 rounds and not quite so much over the .460 rds.

I also find that gas check bullets and LBT blue lube all but eliminate the need for cleaning my rifle barrel after an extended round of shooting CB's. It is really quite remarkable!

Anyhow, enjoy the trials of determining what will work best for you and your rifle! Heck, thats half the reason why we reload!

[Lead melter]

It won't shoot any of them worth a hoot! Send it to me quickly before you get totally confused.:bigsmyl2:

[tcrocker]

I shoot a 464gr handcast (NEI) it is a .460 and I have no trouble. I also used jacketed boolits and they work fine to I just started casting for this gun for the reason everone do $$ and pride in a job well done. I use a Marlin 1895GS:Fire: Once you get a 45-70 you'll be hooked, it like candy. I had one a few years back and let my brother use it that was the last time I was abel to hunt with it he had to have it every time we went hunting. So I sold it to him and bought me a CZ in 30-06 nice gun but I just couldn't stand to be without it so I went to a gun show and fount one and traded the CZ +$ not much just a little to make the guy think he did good. But I'll never sell that one!!!!!
http://http://thumb3.webshots.net/t/69/469/8/79/12/2425879120103526723OwqsBc_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2425879120103526723OwqsBc)http://http://thumb3.webshots.net/t/63/563/3/69/64/2659369640103526723PwWcfz_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2659369640103526723PwWcfz)http://http://thumb3.webshots.net/t/66/566/2/60/9/2976260090103526723jailSX_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2976260090103526723jailSX)

[jack19512]

Once you get a 45-70 you'll be hooked








That's how I feel also. My Marlin 1895 CB is one of my most favorite rifles to shoot and cast/reload for. It will never leave my home. :-D

[tcrocker]

It's just heart warming to see men coming in tough with there filling. Females just dont know how to talk to men.:drinks::mrgreen:

[WyrTwister]

when I bought my Marlin, it was in 1982, and I got one that was the vintage just before the button safety came out. I was new to casting then, and bought a .458 sizer. It's all I've ever used, and the rifle groups at 100 yd from a bench into 1-1/2 inches all day, with both 405 and 300 gr cast bullets, assuming I'm using clean bifocals and wearing a ball cap to keep the glare out. That's a micro-groove rifle, by the way. I never knew there was supposed to be a problem with microgroove barrels shooting cast until I started reading stuff on these websites. As geezerhood creeps up on me, I may have to put a scope on. I wonder how that rifle will shoot then.

I struggled for years with a 1970's MicroGrove . My Lee molds were .457" .

Finally , in the last year or so , I learned about shooting bigger bullets .

The Lee 405 grain HB mold is .459" & with the right encouragement , will go .460" or bigger . Sized to .460" , it makes a world of difference .

God bless
Wyr