Recoil with 45/70

GameStalker30-06

GameStalker30-06

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Being a .30-06 guy since I started hunting, and not being even bothered by the calibers recoil, I have been wondering lately about the 45/70. I recently purchased a marlin 336SS in 30/30...and now, I want the 1895 GS in 45/70..Love the look of that beast!!! Having not shot a 45/70 before, how is the recoil comparable to a .30-06 weighing say just over 8 lbs shooting a 180 gr bullet??
I'm not a big guy, Weight around 180lbs and about 5'10"...If I do decide to get a guide gun, it would be used for moose.
 
I am about your size and 10 lbs heavier.

My Marlin 1895 GBL shooting the Leverevolution 325 gr rounds recoils similarly to my Mauser 8x57 (very comparable to your 30-06). Of course, you can buy or make much stouter loads for the 45/70. My understanding is that the Lever round is a mid power round.

I bought my GBL in August and carried it during moose and deer season here in Ontario. After carrying around my Norinco M1A in 308 (about 12 pounds with scope) last year, the 7 1/2 pound GBL was a dream!! I did a lot of dogging this year, so the short barrel and easy handling of the GBL (with a Burris Fastfire II red dot mounted on a Xsights rail) made moving through the bush easier.

Go for it, you won't be disappointed!
 
Depends on the load. 400 grainers anywhere from 1350fps to 1950 fps. Depemding on the rifle it can range from mild to "fascinating". Factory ammo tends to be pretty anaemic so it's likely not any worse than your '06.
 
Factory loads in my Marlin GG (not the banzai loadings from stateside) are pretty good, it's a nice shove but nothing punishing.

Replacing the stock Marlin "recoil" pad did wonders, how they get away with the stock unit is beyond me.

Heck, even firing the Remington 405 factory loading in a 10" BFR revolver is sadly anti-climatic :(
 
The factory recoil pad didn't help much, but I found that the limbsaver decreased the amount of headaches I had after firing a few stout loads.
 
Great comments...all pretty much sum up that load is the deciding factor, as with any cartridge I guess..Sharkson said he carried it during moose and deer season...My intended purpose will be indeed for moose as mentioned..Is this a OK moose round..obviously close quarter shooting will be done here..lets say 100 yards the norm...definately acceptable moose round??? I favour my '06, but wanting to try something different for next season..
 
The OP hasn't mentioned reloading, so if he is just going to use factory loads he doesn't have to worry about recoil. Like someone said, recoil of factory loads in the Marlin is about like a 30-06.
I don't know what bullet weights are available in factory loadings. All I ever seem to hear of is 350 grain, which is not my idea of a good bullet for the 45-70. Bigger is better. Even the light loadings of factory loads is still OK for moose.
 
GameStalker,

To give you some idea of the recoil you are dealing with I ran some numbers through a recoil calculator to give some standard reference:
Calibre Bullet Velocity Powder Charge Gun Weight Ft pounds recoil
30-06 180 2700 52 8 24
45-70 300 1800 54 8 24
45-70 405 1400 45 8 24
45-70 350 2000 58 8 37
45-70 400 1900 55 8 41

The first two 45-70 loads roughly duplicate factory ammo, the last two are reloaded rounds that would be possible with a Guide Gun. The load data came from Hodgdons Reloading data centre. As you can see the factory stuff is right on with you 30-06, but the reloaded stuff can get a little hot. They can be quite stout to shoot for a 6ft 3" 170 lb guy like myself, but certainly manageable.

As far as being acceptable for moose, well big bullets that fast will kill anything on this continent as far out as 100 yards easlily. If you become proficient longer shots are still workable under 200 yards.

Hope that helps.
 
325's @ 2000 in my 45-70 kick less than 165's @ 2800 in my '06.
I limbsavered them both, not that either was unbearable before. I just think if you can make them even more comfortable to shoot, why wouldn't you.

Either way its a fun round. Don't rule out the 1895 classic ( pistol grip, 22"bbl )
 
The factory pad is a hunk of s**t. I dont find the recoil to bad on mine, but when I used the factory pad it bothered my shoulder. Its a mushy pad that seems to make the recoil worse, I would rather use a metal butt plate. I switched to another pad and its fine.

Also for factory the loads very abit. I have tried Remington, Lever evolution and Federal. The levers seems to be the softest.

I like the gun and the round, its like a chunk of history.
 
I load everywhere from 145gr round ball at 800 feet/sec to 500gr at 1500 for mine and I'm sure the gun can take more than I can and still be happy. I'm not scared of recoil, but at certain point, you get to know your gun and the loads and you are comfortable hunting anything with it. I have about 40 rounds of 500gr roundnose at 1500 fps left and I would go polar bear hunting if I could or had to.

Let's put it this way, with factory ammo or better, if you can hit it with open sites, it's done.
 
Factory low velocity ammo is very mild, but a hot loaded 460 grain cast load feels at least double the recoil of a 30-06.
I'd say it feels like a 375H&H with a funky stock...If that makes sense. :)

Choice of rifle makes a big difference too.
I have a 22" barreled rifle and the same load in the original guide gun was quite a bit more enthusiastic.

FWIW I don't think the super high pressure loads add to the flexibility of the 45/70....It kind of is what it is at any velocity you can load it to. In other words a factory 405gr at 1300fps seems to kill about the same as a 400 grain Swift at 1900fps.....The swift load probably penetrates farther, but its not a night and day thing.
 
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