450 Marlin pros / cons.

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Arctic87

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I have the opportunity to acquire a BLR .450 Marlin and I wanted to hear what are the pros and cons of this caliber.

I know its similar to the modern 45-70 and probably a little trickier to find ammo (what isnt these days) and that's about it my extent of knowledge with this caliber.

let me hear what else I need to know.
 
I had a BLR 450 mag loaded with 420 gr hard Cast at 2000 fps it will stop trains BUT it s HARD on the shoulder ! Great for Killing your Big Bison and Moose up there ! RJ

I liked my BLR more then my Mar1895G - Smoother Faster action and a MAG system too !


Barnes 350 or 450 TSX would be a GREAT choice too !
 
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If you are a reloder, it's a great cartridge, but if buying ammo go with a 45-70 instead. I've owned several rifles in both calibers. In the blr they can be loaded to basically the same power.
 
the wrench said:
we need to address the bear defense issue. Good or No good?
Click to expand...

Garbage. They bounce right off.


But seriously, your pros are its power, your cons are the cost and availability of ammo. The biggest issue I see with buying ANY rifles right now is the scarcity of components if you reload, and factory ammo if you don't. Ballistically it is very similar to the 45-70 in a Marlin etc, and it would be suitable for all game you would use one of those on.
 
If it were me, I would try to source a few boxes of ammo. If I couldn't get any ammo either locally or online, I'd pass on it. Its a cool gun for sure, but it is ballistically so close to a 45-70 that I would be just as happy with either of those, and while 450 marlin's dont pop up every day, 45-70s are plenty common enough. With the current supply chain woes we're dealing with, I would be worried about buying a gun that then sits there for months and months while I try to find ammo or components.

Unless you were offered a killer deal. I'm a sucker for a killer deal.
 
If you reload and if the gun comes with components and dies I would get it! If the seller is local and has ammo I would get it(but only if you reload so you can use at least the spent brass to reload and only have to source bullets) !
 
I ran a Steyr SBS Big Bore in 450 Marlin for a spell and only used my hardcast 405 gr loads in 'er at 1500 fps. The rifle was a fair bit softer on recoil than
my old Marlin 1895 in 45-70 with similar loads, but was a heftier unit to carry in the bush. No worries on use against big critters at closer ranges.
 
I have one in a Winchester 94 Timber Great cartridge.
Lots of power. But like others have said finding ammo is a pain. The
Only company I know of that makes ammo is hornady is their
325 gr flex tip.
 
bovine said:
I have one in a Winchester 94 Timber Great cartridge.
Lots of power. But like others have said finding ammo is a pain. The
Only company I know of that makes ammo is hornady is their
325 gr flex tip.
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I agree , factory options are limited. Although. That 325 ftx ammo sure slams hard.
Feeds nice in the lever action, doesn't want to bridge.
450M shined when rolling your own, 250tsx, 300 noslerB.T.
both work great. Flat shooting

The hornady brass is better then there other caliber. Primer pockets take a beating and keep coming back for more.
Some brass are short 2.020.. or 2.040. New brass is 2.090. Weird EH

RL7 , H 4198 , H323 work well.
 
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Arctic87 said:
I have the opportunity to acquire a BLR .450 Marlin and I wanted to hear what are the pros and cons of this caliber.

I know its similar to the modern 45-70 and probably a little trickier to find ammo (what isnt these days) and that's about it my extent of knowledge with this caliber.

let me hear what else I need to know.
Click to expand...

I'd seek out the buying of factory ammo and reloading component options first and let that answer your question.

These items might be in very short supply if existent at all and thus quite expensive if you do find them.
 
As has been said, the downside is ammo AND component availability.
There's only one commercial loading left, Hornaday ftx, and it isn't carried by many stores. The brass on that commercial ammo is shorter than the regular spec which makes reloading a bit more complicated. There hasn't been any brass available because of the pandemic but eventually it should trickle back eventually.
Otherwise same pros and cons and 45/70 plus it works well in a bolt gun.
Get the BLR if it's a good price. Much better gun form the money than a marlin IMO. The fact that the BLR and Steyr Big Bore are pros for the 450 marlin and were the deciding factor a in why I sent my 45/70 down the road.
 
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I just built one on a Ruger M77 Mark II... I had no problem sourcing brass and bullets. It is a nice cartridge for close to medium range on pretty much any game, as such, it is pretty useful. If you like the BLR, I would not hesitate on the cartridge.
 
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