45/70 handcannon!

[Freightman]

A friend of my sons had a table at the last gun show, where he traded for a T/C Contender (one with the PUMA on the receiver) with a 30-30 barrel used but not abused, and a 45/70 barrel 14" with a break on the end looks to be unfired. How is the recoil on the 45/70? I had a 30-30 it was good and accurate. Seem that that light if pistol is going to be pretty harsh, might be why it appears not to have been fired.
I kinda like the idea 0of a 45/70 in a short easy to handle action for hog hunting what do you think.

[Tom W.]

I myself am getting too old for that much fun.... My .454 Encore is enough..

[44man]

A friend of my sons had a table at the last gun show, where he traded for a T/C Contender (one with the PUMA on the receiver) with a 30-30 barrel used but not abused, and a 45/70 barrel 14" with a break on the end looks to be unfired. How is the recoil on the 45/70? I had a 30-30 it was good and accurate. Seem that that light if pistol is going to be pretty harsh, might be why it appears not to have been fired.
I kinda like the idea 0of a 45/70 in a short easy to handle action for hog hunting what do you think.
I don't like the TC, recoil can be very harsh because of the grip configuration. My BFR revolver is very pleasant to shoot.
But the break will help and it should shoot good.
The 45-70 is a great caliber.

[FN in MT]

I read about you guys shooting .45-70's, .475's, 500's etc.

Makes me wonder HOW I ever killed the deer, antelope and elk I have over the years with a .41 mag and a .44 mag. And both simple 6.5"Smith revo's with irons.

Then again...hogs ARE a different story.

FN in MT

[docone31]

With that rig, after you have fired a couple hundred full tilt loads, it gets downright pleasant to fire. The flinch goes away, and you just plain relax. I liked mine with 405, or 500gn loads.

[35remington]

The brake will blow your ears off when hunting. Ask me how I know. If possible, plugs AND muffs for most shooting.

The downside is that without the brake, recoil increases. You pays your money and you takes your choice.

After firing a couple hundred full tilt rounds, the pain don't go away and it doesn't get more "pleasant" to fire for me......it just reminds you that too much shooting in too short of a time causes a flinch. Brake versus no brake also influences that a lot.

Don't get too tempted to firewall the thin wall Contender receiver that you have. It's stretchy, and you should stay at 28,000 psi and under. The recoil at that level will probably dissuade you from going much higher anyway, but the brake should help quite a bit.

[jhrosier]

.. How is the recoil on the 45/70? ....

It is enough to give you religion.
After about 15 shots, you will pray that someone will come along and want to shoot the last five in the box.
The only gun that I ever fired that was worse was a S&W .357 snubby with full house 180 gr loads.

Jack

[bearcove]

Big BOOMMMM!:veryconfu

[TCLouis]

First and foremost all my Contender frames have Pacies for grips.

That said the recoil is worse with lower powered loads ( or so it seemed when I first got my barrel) until there was enough gas to make the brake do what itt was designed to do.

I shoot nothing above Trapdoor or Contender loads in any 45-70.

I use a load from Hornady manual that yields 1568 fps with Remington 300 Grain HP and it is very accurate.

[longhorn]

I bought a (lightly) used Super 16 barrel in .45-70 once. IIRC, I fired it a total of 3 times with the handgun grip on it-first time to try it, second time because I just didn't believe what happened, and the third time because the recoil had evidently damaged some synapses-I still didn't believe it. Wasn't much more pleasant with the T/C carbine stock; all this with factory 405 loads. I traded it off still lightly used. The .44 AutoMag hurt me worse, but not by much. YMMV. Oh, and I'm currently on my third .454 Casull. I found a 10 inch .30-30 much more fun.

[largecaliberman]

A friend of my sons had a table at the last gun show, where he traded for a T/C Contender (one with the PUMA on the receiver) with a 30-30 barrel used but not abused, and a 45/70 barrel 14" with a break on the end looks to be unfired. How is the recoil on the 45/70? I had a 30-30 it was good and accurate. Seem that that light if pistol is going to be pretty harsh, might be why it appears not to have been fired.
I kinda like the idea 0of a 45/70 in a short easy to handle action for hog hunting what do you think.


I have one of those in a Contender with a Burris 7X mounted shooting a 500 grain with Varget powder. The only thing using Varget powder is I would end up with some unburnt granuals. However, shooting a 340 grain bullet using H4198 would leave no unburnt grains in the barrel however would produce a heavier kick.

[94Doug]

I have never thought that the 45-70 was that bad in a contender. I recall talking to a fellow at Thompson; when asked about 405 grain loads, he said "we shoot 300 or 350 grain loads." I repeated my question, and he repeated his answer. I figured he must have known something. I have a .357 Herrett that seems to be more punishing.

Doug

[Johnch]

OK I have 3 TC Contender barrels
#1 was one of XXX , 14" unported with sights
#2 is a 16" ported with sights
#3 is 14" ported , no sights ( Thanks Bullshop)

The 45/70 is easy to shoot in the Contender or ungodly painfull
11 gr of Unique and a 350 gr cast is like shooting a mid weight 38 spec

When I got the 14" unported barrel years back
I contacted TC and ask what was safe to shoot
The Tec laughted and told me any load in the books , including Ruger #1 loads ( they now don't recomend those loads , as these can cause frame streching after a while )
But I was told I would not like the top end loads

I loaded a bunch of Trap Door loads and 5 that were top end Marlin loads
The 5 Top end Marlin loads took 3 trips to the range and several .....suckers to shoot them up

I normaly hunt deer with the 14" ported barrel with a 350 gr GC boolit , cast out of 2 parts pure and 1 part WW
At 1500 fps using Reloader 7

This load WILL penatrate the full length of a 200 lb whitetail AND almost pass broadside through the 80 lb doe standing behind the buck


John

[aaalaska]

My 45/70 contender barrel is a super 16, but only the heavy loads that TC no longer recommends , are harsh. My son shot his second moose with that one when he was 15. 300 gr light load. Don't remember the load but seems it was about 1500 fps. That was 14 years ago, and the 45/70 contender still going strong.
Alex

[NickSS]

I had a 14 inch 45-70 barrel and I did shoot it in my contender. After three shots I sold the barrel to a friend of mine who wanted it and he shot three shots and sold it too. There are some people who like heavy recoil but I am not one of them.

[Ed K]

When I got the 14" unported barrel years back
I contacted TC and ask what was safe to shoot
The Tec laughted and told me any load in the books , including Ruger #1 loads ( they now don't recomend those loads , as these can cause frame streching after a while )
But I was told I would not like the top end loads

John

Wow John - Ruger #1 loads came out of the mouth of a TC representative? I would think they could finish a frame in one shot!

[44man]

I had a 10" TC 30-30 for IHMSA long ago and I only shot it a few times, off hand with one hand. It HURT even though shooting Creedmore did not.
Then I watched the video of some big dude shooting a large bore TC and it left his hands. If it had not missed his head he would be dead.
I have shot my BFR .475 with one hand many times without pain and the larger calibers will pull the gun out of my left hand if I use both. That means only one hand is left holding the gun, yet it is not bad.
But I hate the TC, the grip angle and the way it recoils.
I just do not know why fellas want the thing in large calibers.
Whitworth and I are probably the least sensitive to recoil of anyone I know but there are limits we do not cross.
Yes, we like the big revolvers but it is not the recoil that draws us to them, it is the effectiveness on game. We still must have control or it is silly to hunt with them.
I find the BFR .475 and .500 Linebaugh's still give us total control without pain as long as the proper grips are used. Even a .475 Freedom is fine with good grips. A .44 S&W, SBH or SRH is a pop gun anymore. But the gun needs some weight. Shooting those alloy things is silly, they are back up guns meant for the bear breathing in your face, then you will not feel it.
You need to know when to quit! Nobody here would shoot a .460 Weatherby in a 4# gun. Even 12# would beat you black and blue. Some rifles will tear the heart loose in a few shots. Some will just detach your retina's.
Many think the .44 is fierce and I have seen many sold after only a few shots.
Use common sense with your loads and don't get hurt. There are a few that like to put their hand on a log, smack it with a sledge and the let the sledge bounce into their head. :holysheep
I don't know what that proves.

[44MAG#1]

People like what they like. It makes the world go round. Just like Whitworths thing -a- ma -jig on the 50 Alaskan case chambered in the BFR.
Does he REALLY need it. Probably not but he has it. A Contender set up right in a 45/70 is okay.
If one is not into those type guns so be it. It still furthers the shooting sports and that is what matters even if one shoots ground squirrels with.
Am I wrong thinking this way? Let me know.

[44man]

People like what they like. It makes the world go round. Just like Whitworths thing -a- ma -jig on the 50 Alaskan case chambered in the BFR.
Does he REALLY need it. Probably not but he has it. A Contender set up right in a 45/70 is okay.
If one is not into those type guns so be it. It still furthers the shooting sports and that is what matters even if one shoots ground squirrels with.
Am I wrong thinking this way? Let me know.
No, you are not wrong as long as sensible loads are used. Even the .50 Alaskan can be tamed. Load for the style gun you have and how much recoil you can take. Just don't hurt yourself to show off.
I know my limits and even though they might be more then what another can take, I will not force what I shoot on anyone. I will never hand my guns to anyone that I think can't handle them. Scary since even some tough friends have been hurt, it is a hard call. Some that can handle the recoil will flinch like mad after one shot so that is not good either. I don't take pleasure in making a man flinch.
It is a special breed that can handle certain guns, not everyone can do it. Some think a .45 ACP kicks too much even though it is just the slide coming back.
Be careful and don't get hurt.

[44MAG#1]

No, you are not wrong as long as sensible loads are used. Sensible for one may not be sensible for another. Just like some can handle alot more recoil than another. Even the .50 Alaskan can be tamed. Yes, any cartridge can be down loaded or up loaded withing sensible limits.Load for the style gun you have and how much recoil you can take Good advice . But, trying to work ones self into being able to handle more recoil will only work if one experiences it. Just go at it gradually.. Just don't hurt yourself to show off. I would feel safe to say that only someone with a large ego would do that. But when one owns calibers that is big enough to kill cape buffalo elephant etc. when one knows they will never have the opportunity to hunt game like that becomes an ego thing at times in my opinion.
I know my limits and even though they might be more then what another can take, I will not force what I shoot on anyone. It is difficult to force anyone to do anything unless that person deep down wants to participate. I will never hand my guns to anyone that I think can't handle them. A smart man would do the same as I don't like to see a gun dropped much less see blood on itScary since even some tough friends have been hurt, it is a hard call. I generally don't offer unless I am terribly sure about the person. Some that can handle the recoil will flinch like mad after one shot so that is not good either. Some will flinch with a 357 so what does one do?I don't take pleasure in making a man flinch. I don't either
It is a special breed that can handle certain guns, not everyone can do it. I think that is a given.Some think a .45 ACP kicks too much even though it is just the slide coming back. See with them it is a lost cause most times.
Be careful and don't get hurt.I agree since the gun haters like to have ammunition to use against gun owners.
Good read 44 MAN
My replies are in BOLD

[Johnch]

Wow John - Ruger #1 loads came out of the mouth of a TC representative? I would think they could finish a frame in one shot!

I have to add
That was in the Mid 80's


I never loaded any #1 loads or shot any ( one of my smarter moves )
But I know a guy that did

He shot only 3 of them

Off hand , with a 2 hand grip
The gun would be riped out of the off hand and end up pointing back over his shoulder :holysheep
If someone would have been standing there
He could have hurt them badly



Moderate loads will kill anything I need to kill and still be 1/2 way pleasent to shoot

John

[dale2242]

I shot a friends 14" Contender barrel on my frame with Pachmayer Grips. The load was 30gr. 4198 with 457124. This is the same load I shoot in my 1884 Trapdoor. Recoil was stiff but not bad. BTW, I can handle heavy recoil fairly well, so it was not a big issue. I will buy a 45-70 barrel for my Contender, when one shows up for a decent price....dale

[Dframe]

I've fired a 45/70 Phelps revolver which was quite gentle. On the other hand I fired a contender with an 8 inch barrel that I thought was going to break bones in my hand. Depends on a lot of factors including barrel length, weight, shape and material of the stocks, and load.