.45-70 recoil

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Garyg

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My biggest caliber is a .308. What is the recoil of a .45-70 buffalo rifle like?
From the recoil charts I have found on the internet it looks to be twice as much. I did shoot some 3 1/2" 12 guage slugs last week from a friends shotgun and that was a fair kick. Won't want to shoot those all day.
 
Depends on what load you use. Some people load them to the gills with big bullets, while others are far more moderate with bullet size and powder charge. Don't even mention black powder usage. This is generally a caliber that makes a great utility gun. 300 grainers up to 500ish. They can be quite accurate too.
 
The recoil is more of a big shovel/push than a sharp impulse.

Factory loadings are generally pretty mild but you can load them to elephant stopper levels too.

I've got a Marlin Guide Gun and a BFR revolver in 45-70 too, I like the cartridge a lot for shooting and reloading.
 
Garyg said:
My biggest caliber is a .308. What is the recoil of a .45-70 buffalo rifle like?
From the recoil charts I have found on the internet it looks to be twice as much. I did shoot some 3 1/2" 12 guage slugs last week from a friends shotgun and that was a fair kick. Won't want to shoot those all day.
Click to expand...

I was out at the ARPA public range shooting my Marlin 1895 a couple of years ago and there was a guy there with an H&R Buffalo Classic... I put two boxes of factory 405 grain HP's through mine, and he managed just a few shots through his... to a large part, depends on the rifle, (in this case, a modern firearm with a decent recoil pad vs. a straight-stocked reproduction with a steel butt plate) and whether you're shooting hot loads or not... but the 45/70, IMHO, is no more "punishing" than a .300MinMag.
 
It depends on the gun and ammo.

My C Sharps 1875 with 520 gr cast bullets using 70 gr of 2F is a shove.

My Marlin 1985 GG with Leverevolution is a baseball bat to the shoulder.

For the GG I load 405 cast bullets with a gas check. I load them to about 1400 fps. It is a little bit stronger recoil than the 308. This caliber does not need fast. It does very well at slow speeds.

Remember the bullet is twice the size of the 308 round and does its work by being big not fast.
 
I shoot a lot of black powder rifles in .45 cal. From 45-70 to .45-110. The recoil, when shooting bullets in the 500 to 550 grain range with a case full of BP is definitely greater than what you'd see in a standard weight .308. But it is far more pleasant. The reason for this is that most of the rifles you'd call "buffalo rifles" are quite heavy. Generally 12lbs and up. Most of the heavy barreled Sharps rifles are configured to come in just under max weight for BPCR silhouette competition. The recoil from a lighter rifle in .45-70 (like most newer lever guns and "hunter" style single shots) will feel much worse.

As an example, at our black powder shoots, I usually bring 70 to 80 rounds loaded with 550gr bullets. It's no problem shooting those out of a 12 lb Sharps or 1885. But, shooting 20 rounds of 405gr bullets at 1750 fps out of my Marlin Cowboy rifle will leave me with a big bruise :).

Chris.
 
A few years ago I aquired a Pedersoli sharps replica in 45-110 for a police buddy's birthday. His wife wanted to surprise him. This rifle was absolutely beautiful, with the long range tang sight and 34" octagon barrel. The weight was (I think....) about 13.6lbs and with his warm but not hot loads using a heavy near 500gr cast bullet patched, it felt like a pussycat at the standup rest at the range. Even trying other loads , it just felt sweet. I certainly wouldn't want to be totin' one around for long, but to each their own. (My police friend was 6'2" and easily 245 and fit. Easily took me down everytime I tried to catch him offguard as a joke) so he didn't mind the weight so much for his hunting. Each rifle is unique as to its ability to distribute recoil and also how the rifle fits YOUR body. Just look at the average youtube video about somebody trying a new gun for the first time. Always bad ergonomics and crappy fitting guns.
 
Getting the most out of the .45/70 is a handloading proposition, and the nice thing about handloading is you can balance the performance to your comfort level. I prefer heavy bullets to light, so I suggest you start with a 500 grainish bullet at 1200 and work up a grain at a time. Don't shoot until the gun hurts you, keep your strings short, and take your time between groups. Oh yea, remember to have fun.
 
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