45 70 rifle for long range hunting???

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ruger22

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Guys what would be the best 45 70 rifle for long range hunting???
(That is within the capabilities of this great old caliber and handloads.)

I have a guide gun with peep sights in 45 70.

I want another 45 70, scope mounted, with nice balance for field carry.
One that is not too heavy like some of the long range target guns out there.

Maybe one of the single actions?
A marlin lever gun with a longer barrel?
Any body tried reloading the new .325 GR FTX pointed hornady bullets now available?
 
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Ruger22, I know I'm only on my first coffee this morning, but you seem to be asking for a contradiction. A light handy .45/70 is not going to be suitable for long range shooting. For this type of shooting a single shot rifle like the Browning High Wall with a 30" barrel is the ticket. I don't know if you are going to find a .45/70 that is handier to carry than your Marlin that is still shootable. The Ruger #1 handles nicely, but it isn't any lighter. An H&R hinge action or a Contender carbine will kick you to death with heavy loads.
 
H & R with the long 30"(or is it 32"??) barrel. If your gonna intentionally hunt long range, might as well use a single shot, that way you'll practice till the cows come home. A lot harder to feel overconfident with a single.
 
allow me to re state my question...

I want to buy a 45 70, install a scope and use it for hunting.

I have seen some at the range. To me the weight and length of barrel suggest they are more target models.

I have a guide gun with peep sights.
Looking for a 45 70 scoped buddy for it set up for a bit longer range;)

A comparison between the browning and ruger single shot 45 70 rifles. :)
 
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This is going to get interesting so I'll get in early.

The 45/70 is a great long range catridge but it needs a rifle that can take advantage of it with the proper sites.

A light 45/70 that works at long ranges of 500 plus yards on a consistant basis might be a tough one. Most long range 45/70s have long, heavy barrels.

From the information given, a Sharps in 45/70 with a scope mounted on it would be the answer... but putting a scope on a sharps is blasphimy.
 
Really, any 45/70 that's accurate at 100 yards could be used to hunt at 4-500. But, you need a range finder or super human range estimating skills, and a ton of trigger time all with the same load to find out what it's doing out at range.
 
more info...

you need a range finder
got one

questions 1) How is the trigger on the Ruger #1?
questions 2) What makes the Browning worth the extra $?
questions 3) For hunting at reasonable distance (under 250 yards)
what is an ideal barrel length for the 45 70?
 
Bear in mind that I haven't had my coffee yet but the .45/70 is not a long-range round. Yes Ben, there have been some very long-range historical shots made with it but simple physics wiill tell you that taking long range shots with a .45/70 is a risky proposition. To put things into perspective, a .45/70 with 300 grain bullet zeroed at 200 yards will hit two feet low at 300 yards, nearly 6 feet low at 400 yards and over 12 feet low at 500 yards. I seriously doubt you will ever find an affordable/consumer rifle scope that will offer that great of range with a ballistic reticle or ballistic turrets. Guesstimating 12 feet of holdover at 500 yards would be nothing short of unethical in a hunting situation.

Ruger22, if long-range hunting to you means 300 yards then you will find a scope to sit atop your .45/70 that will do the job but if you mean 400-500 yards, then you are just peeing in the wind!
 
i shoot a Marlin 45-70 cowboy...26" barrel and confidently use it out to 200 with a 3x9x by 40 scope. i developed my own load and do not use the store bought carts. 100 yards...5 shots all touching eachother. 200 ...they spread out to about 3 inches.

i would not confidently use the 45-70 at 300 yards. even with a scope....too many variables. the heavy blunt nosed bullets are not conducive to much longer ranges. And over powered carts can destroy your gun.
 
There are so many better caliber choices for serious distance, that you don't have to settle for the 45-70 Govt. In the Sharps configuration they where smacking buffalo in different time zones - but that is all they had.
 
hakx said:
There are so many better caliber choices for serious distance, that you don't have to settle for the 45-70 Govt. In the Sharps configuration they where smacking buffalo in different time zones - but that is all they had.
Click to expand...

You always hear about the great shots that were made....not the hundreds more that missed or wounded. History has a strange way highlighting the positive and forgetting the negative! Not much romantic about an old buffalo hunter winging a couple buffalo and watching them limp off and him not following because they were too far from the train.........
 
A hunter owes it to the game he hunts to only shoot when he has a good chance of a clean kill, trajectory with a 45/70 is such that 200yds should be the max. range attempted. In a good quality, accurate BPCR, they can be good to 1000yds., but this is on targets only, with known distances and time to adjust vernier sights. The silhouette range is not the same as field conditions.
The only .45/70 I would scope is a C.Sharps or Shiloh Sharps and then with a period correct Malcolm type scope, but I don't think it would add to my shooting range under hunting conditions...IMHO
 
Suffice to say you've already got a lot of good feedback on the 45-70 and it as a 'choice' for long range shooting/hunting. There are more appropiate caliber choices for that purpose.
I have a Marlin 1895GS, 45-70 and I've mounted a Leupold 1-4 VARI -X II, using a set of Weaver pivot mounts to allow quick access to the open sights should the need arise. Even so, for the most part, it is still a short or shorter range gun. The scope helps a little target shooting or load testing and to compensate for eyesight that isn't quite as sharp as it used to be.
 
to answer your question I have owned lots of no 1's and the triggers have been good, great and not to bad. Like any factory rifle they can be improved or there are lots of aftermarket triggers available. As far as a barrel length 22 to 26 inches seems to be the most common.

Just my opinion but the Brownings are not as readily available as are the no 1's that's why they are worth the extra $300.
 
You could always go with an Encore.......my 45/70 shoots like a dream. It's light, compact, easy to mount a scope on and the quality is hard to argue with.
 
Well I will go against the grain and say go ahead and use the 45-70 for long range. It sounds cool, so why not. And I mean I'm the guy trying to figure out varmint loads for a 375, so yeah. Not like I can really comment on "better calibres" etc.

The best rifle for a long range 45-70 is something with a long barrel, so that you can get "flatter" velocities. And by flatter I mean an arc of a football, instead of the arc of a bowling ball. So a guide-gun wouldn't be your best bet for that.

Secondly, you need to practice like a bastard, and 45-70 is not cheap. Because of the football-like trajectories, you need to know your rifle REALLY freaking well, and what it shoots at the different ranges. The only way to do this is to put lead downrange, and see where it winds up.

Shoot not at just 100 yard increments, but also 20 yard increments, because yes, you will have a lot of bullet drop in 20 yards if you're shooting long range with a 45-70 load. You said you have a range finder, so that will help. I would suggest after about the 150 yard marker you start moving your target downrange in 20 yard increments, taking a LOT of notes about bullet impact, because you are going to have a lot of data by the time you reach 250ish and further.

But other than that, there isn't much to it. Just get a rifle, and start shooting. Having a buddy to help call shots really helps, especially when you are first figuring out trajectories.
 
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Haven't run the numbers but guessing by going to a longer barrel that you'd flatten that trajectory out to 11.5 feet drop at 500 yards instead of 12 feet. To answer your question of why not....... because your odds of delivering a kill shot are extremely low regardless of how much you practice. If you can't hold on hair when pulling the trigger, you shouldn't be shooting......period! Ballistic reticle and turret scopes offer this hold on hair accuracy for many calibres at long ranges but not the .45/70. Use it for what it's designed for and if you want to hunt at long ranges, get a calibre more suited to that.
 
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