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Information on 45-70 lever guns

Posted on 01/13/2013 5:54:45 AM PST by TexasM1A

Morning folks, I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with .45-70 chambered rifles. I am in the market for one but I truly know next to nothing about them. Most of the people I would normally go to for information regarding a firearm are in a the same boat as me, they have no knowledge of these firearms.

I have been searching the internet but have found few places/people that break down the pros and cons of the various models/manufacturers. I would like some thing that is competition legal, but competitive shooting is not the reason why I am going to purchase it.

Thanks much.


TOPICS: Hobbies; Miscellaneous; Outdoors; Sports
KEYWORDS: banglist; guncontrol; secondamendment
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To: joe fonebone

History is written by the winners. If I goad you into a fight and you throw the first punch, who is the agressor? Lincoln’s decision to reinforce Fort Sumter was the agression. Tat fleet was a day away and if allowed to sail into Charleston Harbor, the Confederates would have been exposed to fire from the front and the rear.

So, the term Northern agression is correct.

“The attempt to represent us as the aggressors, is as unfounded as the complaint made by the wolf against the lamb in the familiar fable. He who makes the assault is not necessarily he that strikes the first blow or fires the first gun.” Jefferson Davis


41 posted on 01/13/2013 8:51:43 AM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners)
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To: joe fonebone
If my history is correct, the confederacy fired the first shots....

Uninvited guests ;-)

42 posted on 01/13/2013 9:05:44 AM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: TexasM1A

A co-worker has one.

He likes it...but rarely uses it...just occassionally fires a few rounds to remind himself that he has it.

He doesn’t hunt with it...apparently the ammunition costs too much for him to get in alot of practice with it.


43 posted on 01/13/2013 9:11:28 AM PST by lacrew (Mr. Soetoro, we regret to inform you that your race card is over the credit limit.)
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To: Elderberry

I saw one on the wall of a gun shop in Tulsa, OK forty three years ago.

It was a Winchester 1894. Now, Winchester never made a 45-70 for the 1894 so I asked about it.

It was handmade by a professional gunsmith to see how it would do in that caliber. The owner refused to fire it as it was still a very light rifle.


44 posted on 01/13/2013 9:12:35 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Click my name! See new paintings!)
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To: Farmer Dean

***I shot a Remington rolling block and Siamese Mauser in .45-70.***

I remember when gun magazines were advertizing those! Wish I could have gotten one.

I did end up with a 1897 7MM Rem Rolling Block which I had converted to a .444 Marlin as it was the only conversion kit (Numrich Arms) I could find at that time. Not real accurate as the twist is not tight enough.

I also remember when the magazines had Martini Henry rifles for sale.


45 posted on 01/13/2013 9:18:21 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Click my name! See new paintings!)
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To: TexasM1A

45/70 is actually a pretty popular caliber in Alaska, makes a great brush bear gun.


46 posted on 01/13/2013 9:19:01 AM PST by Eye of Unk (AR2 2013 is the American Revolution part 2 of 2013)
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To: TexasM1A

Why are you in the market for a rifle you know nothing about? For what purpose do you want it? When I’m in the market for a firearm I figure out what I want said firearm to do and then decide which type, caliber, etc. is most conducive to doing that job.


47 posted on 01/13/2013 9:23:11 AM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: umgud

“So what is your reason for wanting it?”

Everyone knows you need something like that as a hedge against alien (from outer space) invasion. An AR-15 might be ok against little green men, but when confronted by a giant BEM (Bug Eyed Monster) you want a sure one shot stop.


48 posted on 01/13/2013 9:27:33 AM PST by KrisKrinkle (Blessed be those who know the depth and breadth of their ignorance. Cursed be those who don't.)
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To: KrisKrinkle

Go for the .458 SOCOM variant of the AR-15 instead. Same bullet, more energy, lighter platform and easier to customize as far as optics, etc.


49 posted on 01/13/2013 9:39:46 AM PST by CarmichaelPatriot
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To: CarmichaelPatriot

Sarah Palin was given one that had a brushbuster caliber, I think it was the .450.

I would love to have the recoil absorbing abilities of an AR with the close range literal knock down kinetic energy of a big caliber.


50 posted on 01/13/2013 9:46:15 AM PST by Eye of Unk (AR2 2013 is the American Revolution part 2 of 2013)
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To: Patriot365
"Made in America.

http://www.henryrepeating.com/rifle-45-70.cfm"

Thanks for that link, I wasn't aware Henry was making one now. Henry has good timing, as the reputation of the Marlins has really suffered since Remington became the owner and shut down the original factory. I may have to pick one up one of these days...

The ghost ring sight on the Henry looks nice, though with my aging eyes I'd definitely mount a low-power scope. Minox has a nice 1.5-8x that seems like a sweet spot to me.

The 45-70 is a nice and very versatile round, as well as having an interesting history. You can shoot it very cheaply if you handload and cast your own lead bullets. You can load those down a bit to approximate muzzleloader velocities (1300-1600 FPS) for deer hunting as long as ranges are typically short. You can also practice a lot with cheap ammo.

Search on MidwayUSA.com to get an idea of the range of bullet molds available. There are plenty of .458 jacketed bullets to try as well. This one is what I intend to try once I get around to it...

For factory ammo, the LeverRevolution ammo mentioned above isn't really all that expensive, it's about $32 a box and generally very accurate.

51 posted on 01/13/2013 10:00:43 AM PST by PreciousLiberty
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To: TexasM1A

One of my favorite cartridges. If you don’t reload ammo, your options will be very limited and expensive. I even cast my own lead. It is a very versatile cartridge that can be tailored to optimize a variety of guns for different requirements. I have shot .45-70 in rolling blocks, falling blocks, trapdoors and bolt-actions. Heavy recoil can be reduced using appropriate loads. I prefer a heavy gun that can soak up the recoil and make the process enjoyable. I could shoot my trapdoor all day without a sore shoulder. First you need to define what you want to use the gun for. You won’t be walking the woods hog hunting with a single-shot 1000-yard competition gun.


52 posted on 01/13/2013 10:04:43 AM PST by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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To: NTHockey

Fort sumpter was an island... owned,operated and garrisoned by the United States of America...

would the garrison there have fired the first shots? we will never know..

because that garrison came under cannon and mortar fire.. by the confederate states..

what jefferson davis said does not matter one bit... it is what he did..

and he opened fire on the north, not the other way around..


53 posted on 01/13/2013 10:14:46 AM PST by joe fonebone (The clueless... they walk among us, and they vote...)
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To: TexasM1A

Don’t know much about hunting in Texas, zero in fact.

But a consideration would be to determine the ranges at which you will be shooting.

The .45-70 has a trajectory like a rainbow, but that is not a criticism.

I have the Cowboy Marlin. Heavy octagon barrel, smoothest trigger you can imagine (also a light trigger).

It does kick, but if you learn to hold it tight against your shoulder and are careful that your non-trigger fingers are all tightly holding the stock well clear of the trigger guard, it is no more than shooting a .12 Ga. long barrel close choke magnum goose gun.

It is hard on arthritic fingers that are too close to the trigger guard!!!!

It does make noise!

Mine is fitted with a 1.5-5 power wide field Leupold which works great in the brush set on 2 power.

Ignore the snide remarks about buying a gun without knowing what you want it for. Some guns are just fun to own and mine is not only that, it is a beautiful gun with a real walnut stock.

If I were hog or bear hunting, that is what I would take.

For ground hogs or coyote, a .243 would be more suitable.


54 posted on 01/13/2013 11:06:13 AM PST by old curmudgeon
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To: TexasM1A

I forgot to mention that there is a Marlin message board, I no longer have the link, and on that board is a 45-70 group where you can learn all about the many different versions of the gun.

It is a very interesting group.

I hung out on it for several months before I bought mine and because I did, I got a classic model.


55 posted on 01/13/2013 11:10:50 AM PST by old curmudgeon
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To: joe fonebone

Thank you for setting the record straight. Remember those words when the regime enters your property and starts shooting at you.


56 posted on 01/13/2013 11:47:25 AM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners)
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To: IMR 4350

Good shooting...

Did ya skin ‘em and take them down to the local china food restaurant?

Jest kiddin’!


57 posted on 01/13/2013 12:23:11 PM PST by montomike (Politics should be about service and not a lucrative, money-making opportunity!)
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To: TexasM1A

I’ve been hunting with a Marlin 1895 in .45-70 for a bit over twenty years. It’s a fine deer and hog gun. I don’t find the recoil noticeable when the shots are fired while hunting. Deinitely, it’s punishing to shoot off the bench while sighting in.

As to reloading, for a number of years, I used a Lee Loader and could make up a deer season’s worth of cartridges for virtually pennies in few minutes. You need pound of powder (4198, for example), bullets and primers. Everything else you need is in the kit. Even at today’s prices, you can reload with a Lee Loader far more cheaply than you can buy ammo in the store.

My Marlin would cut a 3-shot clover leaf, with the first three shots touching or nearly touching at 100 yards with factory open sights. It might still do it, but my eyes are not up to it, so I added a scope. Don’t know anything about the new ones now being made by Remington.


58 posted on 01/13/2013 1:08:55 PM PST by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: joe fonebone
Fort sumpter was an island... owned,operated and garrisoned by the United States of America...

So territory within the confines of a sovereign state are not part of that sovereign state? The federal guests were asked to leave, they failed to comply.

59 posted on 01/13/2013 1:56:18 PM PST by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: TexasM1A

The caliber itself can deliver big energy at short range, however aside from SASS, I’m not sure what kind of competition shooting would be suited for a lever gun?


60 posted on 01/13/2013 3:34:40 PM PST by Sylvester McMonkey McBean
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