Dear fellow casters,
I‘m looking into Ruger‘s most famous single shot rifle. I hope to get some Info and experience especially on the use of cast bullets. I am not sure which one to get and can‘t try both calibers, because the no.1‘s are quite Pricey around here. I have to decide between the 45-70 or 458 win mag. What are the differences especially in the field of cast?
Pros (in my eyes) for .45-70:
- i am already casting and reloading for this caliber, so no new stuff to buy
-common and cheap components
- is known to shoot cast bullets well
-hundreds of reloading data available
Points for .458:
-can still use my moulds
-longer barrel and heavier gun to soak up recoil
-most times a little cheaper guns
-more power (we have to limit the pressure of our.45-70 reloads to 31900 psi)
I have read that many people had problems with their .458 win and using lighter bullets because of an overly large and long freebore. How is it with the no. 1?
Any advice and experience will be much appreciatet,
Timo