Undecided about a 45-70

mmcintyre1220 said:
In all honesty, this will just be a range toy as it will not offer any real performance down range. Groupings at 100 yards would be more like patterns. I'd imagine it would be fun though, tossing some good fireballs. I would consider a different brand though
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I would second the slug gun suggestion if you're craving or needing some real punch now and then. Nobody I've ever met or talked to has ever said "yeah, had a nice afternoon of shooting my 45-70 today". It's a few shots here/there so you could justify the cost of shooting 45-70 or scratch the itch shooting slugs.

While it would be a fun range toy/attention grabber....I'd take the advice given a number of times=get a longer barrel. Personally, I pay no attention to 45-70 unless the name Marlin is attached to it but I have no first-hand experience shooting anything else in that caliber.
 
I have a hard time trying to understand the appeal of a 12" 45-70. If it was an Encore and we could actually use a handgun for hunting I could probably get there. But for any practical purpose, that short a rifle isn't as effective as it should be.
 
You are leaving way too much change on the table with 12" barreled anything. What is the point? 18" .45-70 is really where life starts and it never hurts to launch them from 22" either.
 
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
 
Beeron said:
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
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Because the cult of the 45/70 is strong. :)

Common bottleneck cartridges like .308 outclasses it completely in every respect as a hunting rifle. But if your thing is traditional lever actions then I get the appeal. The single shot long range steel 45/70s look to be the most fun.
 
Beeron said:
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
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Geez you sound like the people that say why do you need an AR? Why do you need a handgun? Why do you need a .50 bmg?

Why? Because that's why.
 
Beeron said:
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
Click to expand...
Actually, the 45/70 can be very accurate depending on the rifle it is chambered in.
As far as a hunting round goes, it is cable of taking everything from deer to Buffalo, again depending on the rifle.
I don't shoot jacketed bullets in the 45/70 and I shoot BP not smokeless ( all single shot falling blocks) , never owned a repeating lever gun, but know many that do and they enjoy hunting with them
Cat
 
Beeron said:
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
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Just like to set things straight. 45:70s can be super accurate. I have many 1/2” groups shot at 100 yards with my guide guns. Throw in 50 grains of 3031 and the 405 Remington. It was repeatable in a couple of guns. Light, handy and super powerful if wanted. What’s not to like.
 
AlbertaJohn said:
Geez you sound like the people that say why do you need an AR? Why do you need a handgun? Why do you need a .50 bmg?

Why? Because that's why.
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Thanks,
I said "want", not need.
"Want" is what you are actually getting at though.
For sure no one NEEDS a 45-70 or an AR or 50BMG for that matter, short of combat.

I have numerous firearms and several of them fall in the category of impractical or at least outside the category of need.
How many could I articulate a need for?, maybe a couple or three.

So my honest question was specifically for the 45-70.

So if the answer to the question of "Why" is for you, "Because" then that's great. Enjoy.

Others have articulated that it can be accurate and that it has nostalgic appeal, also fine.

Again, just curious.
 
Beeron said:
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
Click to expand...
For me it is because it was my dad's rifle that he gave to me. He's gone now and when I go walking in the forest carrying it reminds me of when we used to go walking together. I would never buy one but I will probably never sell this one.

I realize recoil is subjective but those factory 405 grain loads kick softer than my 3006.
 
I’ve had several 45-70 lever action rifles. A Chiappa takedown, and a Winchester ‘86 saddle ring .
The Chiappa was ok, but heavy and felt awkward, and was moved along promptly , the Winchester was nice, but sold it to free up funds for a bolt action rifle.
I still have a CVA scout single shot that I really like, and had the barrel shortened to 18.5”. I found a proper picatinny rail for it. It is short and handy, and has a red dot mounted on it currently. I have a Lee classic loader I use for reloading and have played around with everything from 300- 405 gr. Projectiles.
All in all, a fairly budget friendly set up.3AE7A175-F01E-4F52-A10A-5000BB5B573A.jpeg
 
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Beeron said:
It is going to be difficult for this question to come off as genuine but I genuinely am curious;
Why, apart from nostalgia, would anyone want a 45-70 for anything?
It is a brutally inefficient cartridge is it not?
Not particularly accurate, heavy recoil, and the guns themselves tend to be heavy too, no?
I don't own one and never will but I am curious of how it holds on to a place nowadays.

Again, genuinely curious so feel free to ignore the question if you have nothing nice to say.
Click to expand...

^I think if you're asking that question, you might as well ask why anyone would want a 20ga/12ga slug gun too. There are probably more of those out there collecting dust 11.9/12 months a year than 45-70s. Anyway, I think the "want" question might be even more weird. Why does anyone want ANY particular caliber/action? I don't get the appeal of 338/50 bmg really but I've never really wondered why other guys do. Just assumed it's fun/they have their reasons. Don't need a practical application tied to it.

In terms of applications-last time I shot 45-70 I was making cinder blocks into small pcs. of concrete...time before that punching holes in pumpkins. I know a CGN member who loads it down so far he can hunt small game with it. Then there are guys who swear it's the best bear medicine if the need arises, 45-70 doesn't really concern itself with small branches/twigs...just kind of flies through them like they aren't there.
 
Beeron said:
Thanks,
I said "want", not need.
"Want" is what you are actually getting at though.
For sure no one NEEDS a 45-70 or an AR or 50BMG for that matter, short of combat.

I have numerous firearms and several of them fall in the category of impractical or at least outside the category of need.
How many could I articulate a need for?, maybe a couple or three.

So my honest question was specifically for the 45-70.

So if the answer to the question of "Why" is for you, "Because" then that's great. Enjoy.

Others have articulated that it can be accurate and that it has nostalgic appeal, also fine.

Again, just curious.
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Definitely just a case of want. Truck, camp just kicking around gun. Nostalgia too, I’ve had a few Sharps type, learned everything about the holy black. And I’ve got a couple of ‘86s because they are cool. Big cast bullets are fun.
 
Launching a 510 grain bullet 800 yards hitting a full size Buffalo target is cool to do.
I have hit a 1050 yard target only once with the 45/70. The rest splashed around it in the snow.(which I found in the spring)
I have 3 45/70 rifles. Load from powder puff to hammer of thor. Smokeless and black powder.
I have 7 different bullet molds. It is a fun caliber.
 
Beeron said:
Thanks,
I said "want", not need.
"Want" is what you are actually getting at though.
For sure no one NEEDS a 45-70 or an AR or 50BMG for that matter, short of combat.

I have numerous firearms and several of them fall in the category of impractical or at least outside the category of need.
How many could I articulate a need for?, maybe a couple or three.

So my honest question was specifically for the 45-70.

So if the answer to the question of "Why" is for you, "Because" then that's great. Enjoy.

Others have articulated that it can be accurate and that it has nostalgic appeal, also fine.

Again, just curious.
Click to expand...
Because when you hunt big critters in thick cover and you want to anchor them right now and you like eating meat and rely on it to feed your family, it's the best option out there.. thump them through the shoulder and you can still eat right up to the hole. As a side if you load cast bullets you can make fun cowboy loads for just under $0.55/ round. That makes for some cheap shooting! Easy carrying rifle for brush hunting, fast follow up shots, less deflection in tight brush than smaller faster calibers...And I can also hold on a deers vitals out to 200 yds with my peeps on the old Marlin.. what's not to love?
 
I bought about 15k rifle primers when they were about $5-7 a pack and using unique or similar, and casting bullets, I make 50 rounds for less than 15 bucks. There was buying a mold or two and the propane if I'm not using the lee 20lb pot I bought used, but I load a few hundred at a time, shoot them and load them again. 10-12 grains of unique makes cases last a long time. I basically go until the primers push in a little easier and weed out those cases, but I bought about 400 when I got the rifle and rarely lose a case. It's a super easy gun to load for. On the top end I do 480gr at 1650 and 420gr at 1850. more than enough for anything I've ever shot with them.
 
tigrr said:
Launching a 510 grain bullet 800 yards hitting a full size Buffalo target is cool to do.
I have hit a 1050 yard target only once with the 45/70. The rest splashed around it in the snow.(which I found in the spring)
I have 3 45/70 rifles. Load from powder puff to hammer of thor. Smokeless and black powder.
I have 7 different bullet molds. It is a fun caliber.
Click to expand...
At 800 yards, aim about 15 feet high? No doubt a 510 lead bullet would still work on a real bison.
 
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