Chiappa 44rem mag or 45-70

DGY

DGY

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If a guy would buy a chiappa with 12” bbl for a camp gun(think bear protection) would he be better with a 1886 in 45-70 or an 1892 in 44mag? Would the 45-70 out of a 12” bbl be silly, with crazy muzzle blast and kicking like a mule? The 92 is lighter, the 44mag out of a 12” bbl is probably better, and a lot cheaper to shoot to?!?!?
What do you all think?
 
The 44 mag is a powerful handgun round. The 45-70 has similar velocities with a lot more weight. I would go 45-70 and load 400-500 grain cast bullets. Not hard to buy, and heavy and slow is good close. Load lighter for fun. I have a 12” lever in 45LC, but would rather a 45-70.
 
If you don't mind tube loading, there's a nice 41 Magnum Henry at Prophet River. Very capable cartridge. But like the others, I think 45-70 is the better choice.
 
Ok thanks guys, 45-70 it will be if I can find one.... I really like the takedown feature and also the short length! But the price is quite high so not sure it will happen!
 
If 44 mag 12 to 16” brl and if 4570 16” or longer. Takedowns are nice but remember when u need it, is it gonna be together. Another option is a Rossi black one with 16” in 44mag. And I do have the takedowns that u are talking about and I got a Rossi for this reason
 
I would think, usefulness would depend more on the area of the country in which you plan to use it. No grizzly or polar bear? Maybe a 44 would make more sense then.
 
45/70 if you’re using it for serious bear defence. And practice as well , 45-70 can have a loopy trajectory depending what ammo you use. Get your holds figured out for 10 , 20, 30 , 40 , 50 yards and further. Realistically if you shoot a bear beyond about 30 yards away you’re gonna have a hard time justifying it to a wildlife officer as self defence. But be prepared and practice for all distances you will shoot at. I personally set 30 yards as my maximum distance , a bear comes inside that distance with a bad attitude he gets a bullet.
 
If you can’t afford the 45/70 right away and require a defensive firearm now , a 12 gauge shotgun is a very good substitute. Can get a mossberg or Remington for under $500 , a couple boxes of slugs and you’re good to go.
 
92 in 44 Mag with 300 gr Full power Handloads ! jmo RJ

I have KILLED Bears with both the 44 Mag ( 300 gr jacketed and 310 Hard Cast ) and the 45-70 with 420-540 Hard cast and no Doubt the 45-70 has the most penetration BUT the 44 Mag doe's a Good job too at shorter ranges . jmo

the 45-70 was a Marlin 1895G 18.5 " & the 44 was a Marlin 1894 20 "
 
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Just a few thoughts. I have a Chiappa 1886 Ridge Runner 12" 45-70. The 12" barrel is really nice, points quickly, nice to carry. Because the 45-70 is an inherantly low pressure cartridge, it loses less velocity in a short barrel than higher pressure cartridges. The Chiappa is a fairly heavy gun, so recoil is not terrible. Blast isn't bad, again because it's a fairly low pressure round.

An 1892 in 44mag, will be lighter, and because the cartridge is much shorter, you are less likely to short stroke the action. As well, you get a higher cartridge capacity. Both are excellent options though. And the 12" tube in either is much more capable than some would give it credit.
 
Thanks guys! We do have grizzly up here and lots of them! I do have an old Mossberg with a shorter barrel...
the 45-70 would be more versatile to in case a moose walk into camp and the other rifle is at bay...
 
Well the Grizzly thing sucks. i was going to ask how far you camp was, how you were getting there and how much load you were already carrying.

I had a Browning 1886 carbine and found it a bear to drag around. As an African guide once wrote, the best gun is the one you can keep on you (SMLE in his case).
I would go for a shotgun, which I can also shoot much faster.
 
DGY said:
If a guy would buy a chiappa with 12” bbl for a camp gun(think bear protection) would he be better with a 1886 in 45-70 or an 1892 in 44mag? Would the 45-70 out of a 12” bbl be silly, with crazy muzzle blast and kicking like a mule? The 92 is lighter, the 44mag out of a 12” bbl is probably better, and a lot cheaper to shoot to?!?!?
What do you all think?
Click to expand...

Keep in mind this is me from my arm chair (no bear defense experience) but rather than a slow moving large bullet, at close range I'd much rather have something like a 30-06 carbine ala remington 760/7600. On the topic of choices mentioned I'd prefer a rossi lever gun like the mares leg in 44 mag with a full stock over any chiappa no matter how pretty. I don't trust that company any more.
 
Just went through the same dilemma and ended up with the 12" 45-70. I only want it for bears when backpacking etc so it is probably better suited. If it was going to be more of a range gun, I might have gone with the 44. The 1886 is a really well built and handy package.
 
A 405gr flat nose jacketed 458 bullet at 1600fps from a 4570 puts an immediate hurt on a black bear at 12' with the hide removed one could look thru the twoony sized hole thru the neck and out the far shoulder
I used the left barrel of my double rifle not a lever gun but i trust in the 4570
 
45-70 12" owner. bears and moose 45-70. if you reload really the 45-70. So versatile!! trail boss powder is you friend. 15gr is 1000fps with a 350gr in this gun. no mz blast low sound. small to large game round. For reference a 325 ftx moving at 1850 fps sighted to hit .5" high at 100y leads to 350g @ 1550fps 7" high and a 350 gr @ 1000fps hit 14" high at 100y. That's my finding. So i can work out holds for different loads and take anything from small game to big bears. just dont mix up ammo for your ears sake. :) happy hunting!!!
Mine is super quality. action is amazing and takedown seems super tight tolerance. recoil is low as it feels the same if not heavier than my marlin gg.
Short stroking and weight is a concern over the 44 i would guess. But nothing else.
 
kg said:
Well the Grizzly thing sucks. i was going to ask how far you camp was, how you were getting there and how much load you were already carrying.

I had a Browning 1886 carbine and found it a bear to drag around. As an African guide once wrote, the best gun is the one you can keep on you (SMLE in his case).
I would go for a shotgun, which I can also shoot much faster.
Click to expand...

I'm inherently a bit lazy, so have to admit I'd be tempted by the 1892 44mag over the 1886. But I suspect about the time I actually need the gun I'd wish I would have lost a pound of body fat and carried the extra pound of gun, lol.
 
LarryG said:
Keep in mind this is me from my arm chair (no bear defense experience) but rather than a slow moving large bullet, at close range I'd much rather have something like a 30-06 carbine ala remington 760/7600. On the topic of choices mentioned I'd prefer a rossi lever gun like the mares leg in 44 mag with a full stock over any chiappa no matter how pretty. I don't trust that company any more.
Click to expand...

Having shot a fair amount of game with various 30's as well as 45's, I would always take a warm loaded 45-70 over any of the 30's if something was trying to bite or stomp me. Once the need for long range shooting is negated, the big bores really shine.

I can understand someone having a burn on for Chiappa if all they have ever had is a product from their cheep stuff. But their lever actions are a completely different matter. I think it is generally accepted that Chiappa levers are very good, and for me a higher quality gun than the Rossi. But you definately pay for that quality.
 
.44 magnum as grizz defence?no thanks,I've shot bucks that took a 35 yard well placed shot and kept on trucking for 100 yards,that's with htx ammo.

45/70 all day long with big HSM rounds or rem 405 grain/ Buffalo bore ,something along that line up.44 magnum is a powerful hANDGUn round,I wouldn't trust it on grizz.
 
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