what is the best 45 70 rifle?

czscotia said:
The Pedersoli Sharps looks nice. This is black powder? so load your own?
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I did 'play' around, for a brief period, with black powder in a Thompson/Center Hawken. It was fun while it lasted, but not quite my cup of tea. For the Pedersoli, it's primarily for a variety of about four cast bullets and with my light and heavier reloads with a range of powders from Unique and Trail Boss to IMR4198 and IMR 3031. Some great accuracy but I think the groups will shrink even further once I get a decent set of sights on it.
 
My bet is on the 1895 Marlin Cowboy rifle with standard rifling, not micro-groove. It will handle cast bullets well and is accurate for all regular hunting needs. Mine wears an older steel Lyman receiver sight and a Marbles fibre-optic green front sight and even my tired elderly eyes can find that front sight on that long barrelled rifle. With a bit of use, it smooths up nicely and it is much lighter and easier to carry than the 86's. If you need a scope, it's easy to do with off-the-shelf mounts and rings.
 
According to some of the cast bullet and Marlin owner's forums all that is needed in 45-70 micro-groove barrels is wheel weight or harder cast .460-.461 dia. GC bullets and accuracy is fine without leading.I guess I'll be finding out when I get my mold.A standout is RCBS 405gr in this gun.Harold
 
czscotia said:
Hey all, who makes a good 45-70 rifle with good sights. A guy had a nice looking lever action one at the range but I forget who makes it- it was Italian I think.
I tried the search but it kept telling me no, so hope its not been covered to death!
thanks
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yep, saw this brand just the other day at the gun show, was Italian, just forget the exact name, John Pernelli or something along those lines. she sure was a beauty 45-70 lever action. priced at $1500. for a new one. was temped, but I didn't sell enough guns or trinkets to make it happen. oh well, maybe next time.
 
mbogo3 said:
According to some of the cast bullet and Marlin owner's forums all that is needed in 45-70 micro-groove barrels is wheel weight or harder cast .460-.461 dia. GC bullets and accuracy is fine without leading.I guess I'll be finding out when I get my mold.A standout is RCBS 405gr in this gun.Harold
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I don't have micro-groove rifling in my 45-70 Marlin 1895GS but I do in my model 444S, 444 Marlin. Shooting relatively hard cast in both, no problems in either and the 444 does well accuracy wise with both a 250grGC SW and a 325grGC SW cast bullets.

44bullets.jpg


And these are the cast for my 45-70's, primarily in the Pedersoli but I've also used them in my 1895GS.

45-70castbullets.jpg
 
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I've seen the good and the bad of Micro-groove rifling and if i had my choice I would stay away from it unless you want to limit yourself to jacketed bullets. My Marlin 30/30 is micro-groove and i can't take it above 1500fps. with cast. The Marlins with ballard cut rifling are all very deadly, even the uneven new Remlins, if you can get them to work.
 
I've had my Marlin 444S, with micro-groove rifling, for quite a while and as I've posted in past, it's done well in the field on game, especially loaded with the Hornady 265gr FP's.

Marlin444S444.jpg


I enjoy shooting and trying different loads so just for 'something else', I thought I'd try running some cast loads through it. The following results are the first 'kick at the cat'. Hard cast and sized slightly over bore diameter, I was pleased with this first try.

444Marlin250grcast.jpg


444Marlin325grcast.jpg
 
The Pedersoli 1886/71 is the prettiest and slickest levergun in .45-70 I've ever shot.
I don't own one but shot one that a friend owns.
It was a Premium grade with a case hardened frame and absolutely gorgeous Walnut furniture.
It had a premium grade and I shot slightly over 1.5" at 100 yards groups from sand bags while my friend shot groups around the 1" mark.
I didn't buy one because a) I didn't have a spare $1700 kicking around AND b) the gun was physically too big for me.
Apparently there's a sale on them at Doc Rowlands in NB with the Premium grade going for less than $1500.
Beautiful guns but way too big for someone my size.
I stick with the 94 and 336 carbines.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
I've had my Marlin 444S, with micro-groove rifling, for quite a while and as I've posted in past, it's done well in the field on game, especially loaded with the Hornady 265gr FP's.

Marlin444S444.jpg


I enjoy shooting and trying different loads so just for 'something else', I thought I'd try running some cast loads through it. The following results are the first 'kick at the cat'. Hard cast and sized slightly over bore diameter, I was pleased with this first try.

444Marlin250grcast.jpg


444Marlin325grcast.jpg
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I can always rely on great pictures and sound advice from your posts.
The older Marlins are never a bad choice but my experience with the Ballard models up to 2007 has been favorable also.
 
I have two. A Browning 1886 and a Marlin GBL. The Marlin is actually a Remlin that is so criticized on here. I'll admit it's fit and smoothness doesn't come close to the Browning. However, it sure does shoot. Here's a couple groups with different powders and bulk Remington bullets. I like both guns.
2-1.jpg
 
whitetailwoodsarcher said:
a good used marlin guide gun! great guns!
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I've got a cheapy (don't laugh now) NEF .45-70 break open that's short light and fantastically accurate with my sweetheart load using 300 grain Hornady SP
bullets and IMR 3031 powder.
It's already taken a big Manitoulin buck and the stock has been cut down to fit me.
You don't take a saw to a Pedersoli Premium grade model 71, YOU JUST DON'T.
Besides I wouldn't own a wall to plug the saw in to if I kicked out $1500 on another gun.
 
c-fbmi said:
The new Winchester lightweights are excellent quality firearms and less money than the Italian copies. (I know they're made in Japan)
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It's not the fact that they're made in Japan that irks me it's all the "Nanny"
safety stuff that the Miroku made guns come with like tang safeties and rebounding hammers and a dozen itsy-bitsy parts in the firing pin linkages that won't stand up over the long haul and have resulted in firing pin energies so low that misfires will occur.
The Pedersoli 1886/71s have no such nonsense on or in their guns.
If I order a 92, 86, 71, 94 I want the real unadulterated thing not some "Nanny knows best", safety-bound abortion.
 
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