Hunting Grizzly with the 45-70

c-fbmi said:
Just being a smart a$$ there RJ........If you take away all the ancient Winchester rifles and cartridges I don't really have that many...........only about 100 rifles, shotguns and handguns...........Maybe 120.........
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From the photos I've seen, and especially including the 'ancient Winchesters', an impressive collection to say the least. Makes my total number of 42 ;) look like a mere sampling.
Oh, Potashminer, what he has not only constitutes an impressive collection, but also an impressive 'investment'.
 
keith mokry said:
sorry cc should of been a 6.5 and not 6
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That cal goes into the had category = had a T/C Contender barrel in 6.5TCU for a while sold my 17 Rem a couple years ago.

I have a 280 Rem and a 270 Wby the 6.5 cal has nothing over them same reason I skipped over the .338" have .308 & .375 cartridges that do everything I will ever need for long distance...
 
Johnn Peterson said:
From the photos I've seen, and especially including the 'ancient Winchesters', an impressive collection to say the least. Makes my total number of 42 ;) look like a mere sampling.
Oh, Potashminer, what he has not only constitutes an impressive collection, but also an impressive 'investment'.
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Yeah, I have been here more than a couple months, and I really do appreciate his postings of his "toys" and his doings. Just joshing, is all. My dad couldn't understand the "need" for any other guns beyond his 22 Cooey, his single shot 12 gauge and his sporterized P 17 30-06. Of course, we don't live in the bush in central Saskatchewan in the post war 1950's any more, so our "needs" have refined somewhat since then. And I am sure that c-fbmi would agree regarding "progressive refinement" of one's taste in guns
 
Potashminer said:
Yeah, I have been here more than a couple months, and I really do appreciate his postings of his "toys" and his doings. Just joshing, is all. My dad couldn't understand the "need" for any other guns beyond his 22 Cooey, his single shot 12 gauge and his sporterized P 17 30-06. Of course, we don't live in the bush in central Saskatchewan in the post war 1950's any more, so our "needs" have refined somewhat since then. And I am sure that c-fbmi would agree regarding "progressive refinement" of one's taste in guns
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My Dads take on the matter was much the same as your Dads. I think Dads living through the lean time in history had much to do with it. His pride and joy was a Husqvarna light weight in 30-06 that he finally acquired in later years. A Cooey senior single shot for a .22 and a 'hardware store' variety 12ga SxS made up his battery. As with your Father, my Dad was mystified by my 'need' for the selection I was gathering.
 
Wow! I've downsized the pile too much.:sok2 Only have 17 guns at present, but they are favorites that get used on a rotational basis to eat up me lead pile.
My current rifle & shotgun list:
- 22lr x 3
- 30-30
- 7.62x39
- 7.62x54
- 32-40 Win. x 2
- 357 mag
- 9.3x57
- 45 ACP
- 45 Colt
- 45-70
- 458 Win Mag
- 58 muzzle loader
- 12 ga.

My past rifle cartridges I've loaded for, hunted, competed & plinked with included: 17 Rem, 22 Hornet, 223, 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 256 Win Mag, 250 Savage, 25-06 Rem, 6.5 x55, 270 Win, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm 08 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag, 30 Carbine, 30-40 Krag, 308 Win, 30-06, 7.5x55 Swiss, 300 Win Mag, 308 Norma Mag, 303 British, 32 Win Special, 338 Win Mag, 9mm Largo, 35 Rem, 35-284, 375 Win, 375 H&H, 44-40 Win, 44 Rem Mag, 11mm Mauser, 454 Casull, 450 Marlin, 475 Linebaugh, 500 S&W.
Had a great learning experience & productive fun with 'em all.

I might have to get me another 45-70 soon to play with. Maybe a Pedersoli 1873 Trapdoor to go along with
me 86-71. They so purdy.:)
 
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unstableryan said:
Let's just say that when I saw mama and her big twin cubs walking with my buddy's 14 year old son out for youth any whitetail, I wished I had my 45/70 with 480gr flat points at 1600 instead of the ~26-2700 fps 140gr partitions in my 6.5.

The bears were cool and left us alone, but I still wished I had more rifle. A decent .375 would have made me feel even better.
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scandinavian settlers used with success 6.5x55 with RN 160 grains proved it can work very well on polar bears ...
 
c-fbmi said:
Just as an aside.............Weatherby's original name for the 340 was the 340 Polarbear..............High velocity, yes........explosive bullet performance, no thanks.......I'm a big fan of Nosler Parts, ABs and Matrix bonded in my 340.......
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still wondering what the prep should be done on a polarized 340 mark V for polar bear hunting ....
 
Congrats on your draw! I may be late to the party as you seem to have had a lot of responses and I haven't read them all, so here is my two bits... I have the same bullets (390GC) and was planning on using them for my back-up gun in the Yukon and BC.

Since you are going for Grizzly, obviously you want as much oomph as possible. If you crimp your bullets on that bullet's crimp groove, you will find the seating depth is super deep and well below max OAL (at least for a Marlin). This deep seating depth will create a lot pressure if you are loading hot, grizzly loads. The loads will be compressed. Crimping on the groove is fine for Trapdoor loads.

What I ended up doing was seating the bullet at max length for my gun and using a Lee Factory Crimp die to crimp the bullet on the shank which gave me more room for more powder (and less pressure). I'm just beginning to build loads for that bullet. I've shot a few groups so far and nothing to write home about yet...

And just an FYI... both my Marlin 45-70's hate the FTX bullets.
 
Flawless remember the Marlin action does not show pressure signs like a bolt gun does you can be way over pressure for the rifle with zero pressure signs...

NO I'm not saying you are being careless just commenting in case you did not know this because I would never load my Marlin loads the way you are saying.
 
I carry my 45-70 in blackie country. More for the fact the little Marlin is a wonderful rifle for my line of work. If I was in Grizz country I'd be more inclined to have a nice short .338WM and practice with it until I was as fast with it as I am the Marlin. This is the issue. Anything I carry has to be stowable in small planes. God forbid they take up room that could be used for revenue cargo. Pilots are far easier replaced than lost revenue.

Least favourite part of my summer work is topping up the bait barrels so fat American tourists can sit in the stand and try to arrow themselves a bear. I'm like a pizza boy showing up to a frat house party. I'm not sure they've built a rifle or bullet yet to carry that makes that a comfortable situation.
 
A good working double for this very reason has been in the back of my mind for a long while. But it's an idea that always gets cast off to the side in favour of whatever wild hair I'm on at the time. I bought my Marlin in the whirlwind of excitement that was getting my first bush flying job, well first flying job period, float work is all I've done. It's almost a tradition to carry it for me. One day when I smarten up, have to be responsible, and move to a world of instrument flying between runways and white dress shirts I'm sure it'll be a dust collector in the safe. It'll never be for sale.
 
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