Is a 12 in. barrel 45-70 any good

stubblejumper said:
I had a Marlin SDT with a 16-1/4" barrel, and with full power handloads, it was punishing to shoot, 9 rounds, and I had a headache. A 12" barrel would be even lighter, with more muzzle rise. But if you like noise and muzzle flash, and recoil, a 12" barrel will provide that. And the recoil might actually shake a person back to reality, if they start believing in monsters.
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Hahahaha!!!! šŸ¤£
 
well, I've owned 12, 16, 18.5 and 26 inches barrel in that caliber. The 12 inch barrel is my bear gun. The recoil is nothing, in fact its better than longer barrels, but I wouldnt use it to hunt with lungs shots. You do get wayyy more penetration with a heavy slow bullet thats why I use it for protection. You lose more or less 22 fps/inch with a 45-70 so you could do the math with this calculator...

https://shooterscalculator.com/recoil-calculator.php

Buy it and have fun
 
I bought one second hand at a steal of a deal.
It is very well built. Smooth action, crisp trigger
Iā€™ll say this; it is absolutely a blast to shoot. (Pun intended)
2ft fireballs sure grabs attention at the range.
Factory loads are quite manageable. Full power hand loads are another story.
Accuracy is decent for what it is. A close quarters bush gun. I like the skinner aperture and fiber optic sights, but Iā€™m considering a reflex red dot.
 

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Holy thread revival! I have the Chiappa 12ā€ take-down rifle the OP was thinking about. It is heavy enough that .45/70 recoil is very manageable even with heavy loads. It has a threaded barrel and I installed a muzzle break on mine, no real difference but looks cool. It is fun to shoot, easy to stash under my truckā€™s rear seat and on my motorcycle, and I wouldnā€™t hesitate to shoot at critters up to 100 meters with open sights. I think it would do quite well against mythological creatures. šŸ˜€
 
DNR said:
I saw Chiappa makes a 12" barrel takedown 45-70. Would this be useless? What would the effective range be with this barrel length this short? Any thoughts? Thanks.
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Itā€™s an excellent backpackers gun or for those who work in the bush where bears are prevalent . Yes this 12ā€ CHiappa ,especially in 45-70 is extremely useful in certain circumstances
 
Back before the handgun ban here on Mainland UK I had a Thompson Contender with a 14" tarrel topped off with a JSK muzzle brake - in .45-70 Govt.

It was a real hoot to shoot, whatever the load employed. 300gr JSP, 405 or 500gr FN lead - all were tried at one time or another at ranges out to 200m.

However, I'll always maintain the the multi-port muzzle-brake was made the wrong way round - not only did EVERBODY around me 'get some', but I invariably got my hat blown off by the often fierce muzzle-blast.
 
My truck gun when in the back country is a rem 870 with a Dlask 14" barrel. I tried 7.5" barrel but i found the balance and shootability to be awkward. 14 inch feels and shoots better for me.
 
Ballistics on a 45-70 are very comparable to that of a 12G 12" slug, a 12" barreled 45-70 will do anything a 12" barrel 12g can.
Most people buying any length 45-70s or short barrel 12 gauges are doing so for the reliability and wildlife/predator defense, and they both do an excellent job at it.

45-70 is a tad bit more expensive to shoot, and gives you rifle sights from the factory.
12g is more flexible with ammo (00,#4 or flares) but is pretty much a point shoot.

at the end of the day, barrel length only affects velocity and bullet drop, it will not affect accuracy, just need to learn your bullet drop over ranges
 
MosinMan13 said:
Oh itā€™s simple, 45-70 CQB rifle, kicking in doors with that Wild West twang, itā€™s not about the practicality, itā€™s about sending a message.
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What message does a cqb lever gun send?
For close and fast, the message i get from a lever gun is "why?" In manually operated firearms i would take pump over lever all day, any day.
 
jethunter said:
I see now. You were trying for stupid-funny and I only caught the first half of it, my bad.
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Totally, I mean discussing theoretical tactics over the internet as a whole is pretty stupid.

The practical consideration for any length of barrel as any form of rifle is entirely personally preference unless youā€™re speaking strictly in a vacuum of a specific profession.
 
MosinMan13 said:
Totally, I mean discussing theoretical tactics over the internet as a whole is pretty stupid.

The practical consideration for any length of barrel as any form of rifle is entirely personally preference unless youā€™re speaking strictly in a vacuum of a specific profession.
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Now that's funny.
 
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dan belisle said:
I had a 14 inch contender in 45-70. Recoil was substantial with 405 gr bullets. Also shot a two shot Derringer in this cartridge, many years ago. Not mine, but had to give it a whirl. Ouch. - dan
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I shot a 45/70 derringer that belonged to the late Tim Falconer , who , I believe , you knew . It was ....................... interesting . I wouldn't bother again unless absolutely necessary lol .
 
anglia2 said:
I shot a 45/70 derringer that belonged to the late Tim Falconer , who , I believe , you knew . It was ....................... interesting . I wouldn't bother again unless absolutely necessary lol .
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Same gun, from the same guy. Tim was a character all right. And yes, I feel no need for a repeat outing. Wonder where that little beast ended up though? - dan
 
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