180 grain .308 vs Leverevolution .45/70 in factory loadings.

What's the better general purpose hunting/bush caliber?

  • .45-70 LeveRevolution, 2050 fps/3032 ft-lbs (1729 fps/2158 ft-lbs at 100yds)

    Votes: 13 22.0%

  • .308 Winchester 180 grain 2620 fps/2743 ft-lbs (2404/2309 ft-lbs@100yds)

    Votes: 46 78.0%
  • Total voters
    59
P

philthygeezer

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Would you take

  1. a .45-70 Hornady LeveRevolution 325 grain at 2050 fps/3032 ft-lbs (1729 fps/2158 ft-lbs at 100yds)
  2. or say a Remington premium core lokt 180 grain bullet at 2620 fps/2743 ft-lbs (2404/2309 ft-lbs@100yds)? Choose whatever factory loading is heaviest to compare with the big .45.

for a general purpose hunting/bush carbine on up through elk, assuming weight and handiness of both rifles are the same, and factory loads are only considered? Would the game know any difference?

I'm assuming that the .308 will vastly outperform the trapdoor loads in any application, so I chose the hotter load for the .45-70.

Both rifles would wear a 2.5x20mm short, light scope with backup irons.
 
308???? Boring!!!!!:D

300 Savage? Now you are talking.

Guess how I voted?:)

Just bought a brand spanking new Marlin 1895 and fixed it up with an XS ghost ring and front sight. Almost forgot how much fun open sights can be!
 
Bluffton Bill said:
308???? Boring!!!!!:D

300 Savage? Now you are talking.

Guess how I voted?:)

Just bought a brand spanking new Marlin 1895 and fixed it up with an XS ghost ring and front sight. Almost forgot how much fun open sights can be!
Click to expand...

It just seems like in factory .45-70 loadings, one isn't getting much tread over a 'boring' .308 with a good bullet. Point blank to 200 yards is +-4inches with the big .45 and +2"(100 yards) with a 200 yard zero on the .308.

When you get out to 300 yards, the .308 is doing 2000 fps and 1600 ft-lbs with only a 13" drop (100y zero). The .45-70 is at 1223/1083 ft-lbs at that range, -27" with a ~150 yd zero. This is pretty much the academic part though.

So on paper at least, these loads seem like different ends to similar result.
 
45-70!
Maybe a .308 with a 165gr Partition...IMO 180's are best kept for 30-06 etc.........
You mention bush type hunting so a nice heavy .458 slug would do quite well.
The .308 would do the job too, but a BIG brass case with a BIG projectile sticking outta the end....hee hee hee...45-70 hands down.
 
Popularity is earned in the rifle world. .308 of course! We see a resurgence lately of the .45-70, but it had been a dead duck for nearly 100 years while the .30-06 and .308 became monsterous successes. The .45-70 is basically a rifle version of a slug gun with similar ballistics throwing a large chunk of lead (or copper) at slower speeds and with heavier recoil than most care for. In other words, forget any longer shots on game where the .308 and .30-06 still shine.

I'd take a .308 in BLR over any .45-70 for what you're going to be doing.
 
Well you say for "general purpose hunting/bush hunting" so to me, those are two different things. I chose .308 because it will do the "general purpose" (ie sub 300yd shots, be it from a stand or a cut line or wherever) better (again, in my opinion) than the 45/70. The .308 will also work just fine up close in the bush( where the 45/70 would shine). So if you have to have just one gun get the .308. But you should probably just buy both. More the Merrier!!!
 
I think if you are only using a 2.5x scope, you will have a hard time noticing the difference in trajectory at the things and distances you will be shooting at. How many people will try to hit a deer with a 2.5x scope at 300?

Where I hunt in BC, in the southern interior, most shots are 20-150 yards, mostly around the middle of that. With mule deer it sometimes gets longer on grassy hillsides. I bought a 1895 45/70 and a 6.5x55 to cover short and long range hunting and I got my muley at 40 yards with the 6.5 last year. He didn't know the difference.
 
Your question is self answering. A general purpose cartridge must be able to reach out to 300 yards or more, and while it is possible to do remarkable long range shooting with a .45/70, its steep trajectory makes precise range estimation far more critical. As a short range killer the .45/70 is superior to the .308, but not by so much as to be dismissive of the .308. Thus the .308 can do more things well than the .45/70 can.
 
Leverevolution is a scam. Light weight for caliber bullets are all well and good, but the real strength of the 45-70 is with 400 gr and up. You can drive a 400 grain bullet at 1900 plus FPS out of a strong action 45-70 which is plenty fast and with enough oomph to get any job done.

180 gr 308s are a fool's errand as well. Too heavy for the case. 165 is a better bullet weight for that case.
 
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