44 mag or 45-70

Got 4 of the big 44calibres (44, 444, 45/70, 450 Marlin). 44 mag is my go to carry rifle for sure. The others go out too once and awhile however the 44 is always at the camp. Easy to carry, plenty of power, easy to shoot. Awesome rifle!!
 
.45-70. Deadly, flips 'em right over. :eek:

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mike t said:
Loooing for a new lever gun for deer, shots will be fairly close as I will be using this rifle while dogging and running hounds. I have used 30-30 before but am looking for a different caliber
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My 2017 hunting experience was as followed:

Took my black bear at 86 yards with my Henry 45-70 with a 350 gr hardcast @ 1581 FPS, aimed centre/centre/2" forward and the bear was recovered 30 yards away. No bullet recovery.
Took my buck at 89 yards with my Henry 44 mag Mare's Leg with a full length stock with the Remington 240 gr SP (green box). Lung shot and recovered the deer about 100 yards away. No bullet recovery.

My 44 mag is fun to shoot and easy to carry but between the two I'd go with my 45-70 for hunting within 100 yards.

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This year I'm going with my new .308 for both black bear and deer. Was considering the Henry Long Ranger but decided to get the R700 bolt action with the 16.5" barrel for my hunting applications.

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.44 all the way. Wayyyyy less recoil, substantially quieter, lighter rifle, fun to practice with due to previous reasons. Plenty of power for deer, Me and my buddies have taken 7 deer over the past few seasons, from all angles, at ranges of 12 - 60m, using Hornady leverevolution ammo and all have been complete pass thrus with big exit wounds. 2 deer ran about 30m before expiring, the other 5 were bang-flops. Currently (for doggin) I'm using a marlin 1894 with XS peeps on it. Great little rifle.
 
hoytcanon said:
Why do you need that for a hunting rifle?

That's why I said .44 for fun, .45/70 for hunting.
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It was in regards to down loading but it is handy if you want to get in a lot of practise with your rifle before hunting. If you can afford to practise regularly they it will be like an extension of your body and you will know the trajectory well.

I have nothing against 45-70 and I do in fact miss my 1886, regret selling that one, but for where I hunt the 44 mag is more than enough. It's just more enjoyable to shoot overall but with the ability to hit plenty hard under 100 yards.
 
DTM5 said:
.44 all the way. Wayyyyy less recoil, substantially quieter, lighter rifle, fun to practice with due to previous reasons. Plenty of power for deer, Me and my buddies have taken 7 deer over the past few seasons, from all angles, at ranges of 12 - 60m, using Hornady leverevolution ammo and all have been complete pass thrus with big exit wounds. 2 deer ran about 30m before expiring, the other 5 were bang-flops. Currently (for doggin) I'm using a marlin 1894 with XS peeps on it. Great little rifle.
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I have heard slot of good things about the hornady ammunition
 
The original plan was to get a 45/70 as moose may also be a possibility but when I was at Cabelas on the weekend I took a look at the new Marlin 1894 and was quite impressed with the fit and finish
 
aric84 said:
It was in regards to down loading but it is handy if you want to get in a lot of practise with your rifle before hunting. If you can afford to practise regularly they it will be like an extension of your body and you will know the trajectory well.

I have nothing against 45-70 and I do in fact miss my 1886, regret selling that one, but for where I hunt the 44 mag is more than enough. It's just more enjoyable to shoot overall but with the ability to hit plenty hard under 100 yards.
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I guess if you are recoil sensitive, then the .44 might seem more enjoyable... so is the .243 over the .30/06... that is what I started my daughters on...
 
Two great calibers , but I prefer the 45/70 for most situations . If your after deer , the factory loaded 300 gr hollow points work well and recoil is totally controllable . The 44 is a good round , but you can do a lot more with a 45/70 , even if you don't reload . Purely subjective viewpoint on my part .
 
I know two people who successfully hunted everything up here in the Yukon with .44 mag rifles, except bison or polar bear, so I know for a fact out to 100 yards it's fine, even for honest BIG, big game. Assuming you're shooting a lever action, I'd recommend it over the 45-70 for the OP's situation, as the rifles are lighter and quicker handling.

And I do really like the 45-70. I own one, and handload for mine and two other guy's. But honestly, a Marlin 1895, or a similar Henry, just isn't as handy as a M92 (or similar) in .44 mag or .45 Colt.
 
yomomma said:
Zzzzzzzziiinnnnnnng
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Is this a good time to mention that my other hunting rifle is a 375 H&H that I have no problem shooting?

Methinks someone just is not a fan of the 44 mag. It fits the bill for plenty of other in this thread. To each their own but no need to try and belittle those who disagree with you.
 
Is there really that much difference in recoil between a 44 mag in a rifle and run of the mill 405 grain 45/70 loads that some feel the need to trumpet their masculinity?
 
aric84 said:
Is this a good time to mention that my other hunting rifle is a 375 H&H that I have no problem shooting?

Methinks someone just is not a fan of the 44 mag. It fits the bill for plenty of other in this thread. To each their own but no need to try and belittle those who disagree with you.
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Yeah if you need a 30-06 to kill a deer dead there is a compensation issue going on.....and I don't mean at the muzzle. ;)
 
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