H&R buffalo classic - Good buy?

[PanaDP]

i have been a little interrested in the h&r buffalo classic. the 45-70 is a round that i'm not familiar with, only a little of what iv'e read on this forum which is not much. what is the range of the 45-70 and what powder do you load it with ? anyone care to shed some light on this ?

skimmerhead

How can you be a shooter and not know about the 45-70? That's a bit tragic.

Anyway, the 45-70 was developed for the 1873 springfield trapdoor rifle. The full designation was the 45-70-405 which meant 45 caliber, 70 grains of black powder, and a 405 grain bullet. Today, the bullet weight can vary from 350gr express type loadings to 500gr long range loadings, but the powder of choice is still black. Some people load them with smokeless but they have to jump through hoops to fight the large capacity and I've never seen anybody shoot long ranges with the cartridge loaded with smokeless.

[skimmerhead]

How can you be a shooter and not know about the 45-70? That's a bit tragic.

Anyway, the 45-70 was developed for the 1873 springfield trapdoor rifle. The full designation was the 45-70-405 which meant 45 caliber, 70 grains of black powder, and a 405 grain bullet. Today, the bullet weight can vary from 350gr express type loadings to 500gr long range loadings, but the powder of choice is still black. Some people load them with smokeless but they have to jump through hoops to fight the large capacity and I've never seen anybody shoot long ranges with the cartridge loaded with smokeless.

it is easy not to know very little about things that don't interest you. the 45-70, iv'e heard about it, iv'e read a little about, but since it did not interest me i never paid much attention to it. so i'm not a shooter, just a gun lover, so now i'm not sure if i have to cancel my NRA membership? i'll have to check on that.

skimmerhead

[TCLouis]

Like 44s, everyone should be required to have at least one 45-70.

365 RD Boolit (378 in my alloy)in FRONT of 10.5 Unique fired by a WLP and it will mosey down range about 1100 fps.

Seems like a pretty pedestrian load, but I sure would prefer to be behind rather than in front of it.

[jhrosier]

skimmerhead,

Don't let it bother you. There are literally thousands of different cartridges, not counting wildcats. Nobody is born knowing everything. The fun is in new-to-you discoverys.
I owned and shot rifles in .22 JGR and .297/.230 Morris. I would be surprised if anyone here was familiar with both.

Jack

[John Boy]

Apparently I'm the dissenting vote here. I had a buffalo classic and thought it was a piece of ****

Interesting, must have been a Monday morning rifle.

My best ever 600yd group was 5 Triple Seven shots in the 7 ring ... 2.25" x 7" with 3 holes that could be covered by a silver dollar. Two club members witnessed the group

[skimmerhead]

skimmerhead,

Don't let it bother you. There are literally thousands of different cartridges, not counting wildcats. Nobody is born knowing everything. The fun is in new-to-you discoverys.
I owned and shot rifles in .22 JGR and .297/.230 Morris. I would be surprised if anyone here was familiar with both.

Jack

kinda the point i was trying to make. what is popular to some is not to another. now i'm really turned off by the h&r buffalo classic in 45-70. don't want one, ain't gonna get one! now i decided to order me a shilho sharps in 45-90 or larger, will call them tomorrow and put down a deposit and wait my turn.

skimmerhead

[PanaDP]

kinda the point i was trying to make. what is popular to some is not to another. now i'm really turned off by the h&r buffalo classic in 45-70. don't want one, ain't gonna get one! now i decided to order me a shilho sharps in 45-90 or larger, will call them tomorrow and put down a deposit and wait my turn.

skimmerhead

It's a good time. I hear their lead time is right around 12 months right now. I can highly recommend 45-2.4" or 2.6". I have a sharps in 45-2.4" and it's a really great caliber. I load paper patched bullets over 90 or 100 grains of black and it's all the gun you'd ever need, I think.

[skimmerhead]

It's a good time. I hear their lead time is right around 12 months right now. I can highly recommend 45-2.4" or 2.6". I have a sharps in 45-2.4" and it's a really great caliber. I load paper patched bullets over 90 or 100 grains of black and it's all the gun you'd ever need, I think.

don't know much about them either, i think i'll just a .22

skimmerhead

[SharpsShooter]

A proper rear sight is not difficult.




SS

[EDG]

SS
Did you do that yourself or have it done?
That looks like a good set up but for a lot of shooting I think I would modify a pallet wood butt with a recoil pad.
(How much would would a would chuck chuck? I think steel chucks are better)

[PanaDP]

A proper rear sight is not difficult.




SS

Any reason the false tang isn't extended so it connects to the wrist of the action? That would help lessen the effect of weather on the sight. Right now, I must assume you are rather at the mercy of the swelling and shrinking of the wood as far as the consistency from session to session.

[tacklebury]

Right below that false tang is a Bolt that attaches the stock to the action. It doesn't flex much. One guy on Graybeards shoots the 1000m buffalo with that set-up. I can keep a 6" group at 250 yards with the stock irons and just kentucky windage up about 2 foot. My go to powder is Reloader7 and I've shot it from 34 gr. for trap door level loads to 52 grain barn burners. My std. go to load is 46-48gr. depending on what bullet I'm loading. At 100 yards my best group was .87" c-c.

[Swampman]

I've owned 5-6 H&R .45-70s. All were very accurate.

[skimmerhead]

well i bought a .22 but for the life of me i can't figure out how to shoot that big cartridge in that little hole ????

skimmerhead

[Lonegun1894]

well i bought a .22 but for the life of me i can't figure out how to shoot that big cartridge in that little hole ????

skimmerhead

As a wise friend told me years ago: "Now what ever you do, don't try to force anything on a gun. Just go git that bigger hammer from over in the tool box."

[skimmerhead]

As a wise friend told me years ago: "Now what ever you do, don't try to force anything on a gun. Just go git that bigger hammer from over in the tool box."

now that's a good idea ! i woulda never thought of that, i have a 12# hammer in the barn, i'll try that one. thanks for the tip.

skimmerhead

[flhroy]

Here is a report on shooting the 45/70 at two miles. The target was actually hit!

http://home.earthlink.net/~sharpssht...SandyHook.html

[skimmerhead]

has anyone have any thoughts on rechambering a buffalo clasic too 45-120 ? what about pressure, can the barrel handle the pressure of the 45-120 round? possibly adding a muzzel brake, custom butt pad for recoil. any input? i know i'm nuts and don't have any good reason to want to do this other than something different.

skimmerhead

[PanaDP]

has anyone have any thoughts on rechambering a buffalo clasic too 45-120 ? what about pressure, can the barrel handle the pressure of the 45-120 round? possibly adding a muzzel brake, custom butt pad for recoil. any input? i know i'm nuts and don't have any good reason to want to do this other than something different.

skimmerhead

The action should have no problem with the pressure. Being a BP cartridge, 45-120 is still pretty low pressure compared to some of the other options for a handy rifle. I wouldn't want to feel the recoil of a 45 3-1/4" in such a light rifle, though. No matter what you do to help with recoil, it'd give Andre the giant a flinch.

[skimmerhead]

The action should have no problem with the pressure. Being a BP cartridge, 45-120 is still pretty low pressure compared to some of the other options for a handy rifle. I wouldn't want to feel the recoil of a 45 3-1/4" in such a light rifle, though. No matter what you do to help with recoil, it'd give Andre the giant a flinch.

sounds like fun to me!

skimmerhead