.45-70 questions

N

Nightcrawler

New member
Okay, I want a .45-70 lever rifle, and have for quite some time. I almost bought one a month ago instead of my used Remington 7400, but the cost of ammunition kept me away. However, I"m still planning on getting one this year. Not soon, though, probably, I've still got my VEPR II .308 on order. (college is already paid for, so I've got some money to spare).

Nevertheless, I want one. Now, the dollar a round ammunition cost is something of a deterrent, so I'm going to say that this is probably not something I'll shoot too much. I can shoot slugs out of my shotgun for less than that, though a 22" smoothbore 12ga barrel isn't going to produce the accuracy that a rifled .45-70 barrel could.

Another thing that concerns me is recoil. Now, 12-ga slugs are a bit stiff for my taste, mainly because I'm not used to shooting them yet. How does .45-70 compare to 12ga 2.75" slugs in terms of recoil? (the gun in question is, most likely, a Marlin Guide Gun or 1895 full length).

I don't reload, and dont' have a place to set up the equipment. Is there any source for .45-70 ammo that costs less than a dollar a round? Thank you.
 
I have a full-sized 1895, with the ballard rifling. It doesn't feel near as bad to shoot as my 18" Mossberg 500 with slugs. OTOH, if you were to put in the massive Garrett or feisty Cor-Bon cartridges, I bet it would be a whole lot worse.

It is a whole heck of a lot more accurate than any shotgun/slug I've seen. In fact, I'm pretty amazed at how nice a group the thing turns in at 100 yds - much nicer than many of my old turnbolts.

Here's my solution to the reloading-space conundrum (since college): I have one of those Lee "nutcracker" hand presses. I think you can get set up for about $50, plus your components. It's sure a bunch cheaper than factory ammo, and the .45/70 is one easy cartridge to load. Like a bigger, fatter .38 spl!

FWIW, most factory ammo is considerably less than $1 a round. Try Cheaper than Dirt - I think they had Federal and Remington for under $14 a box last time I checked. (Good way to stock up on cases for your Lee press!)
 
I'd second the handloading thing

Especially when you get to the "odd or exotic" calibers. The box of Winchester .45-70's I have cost $26.99. I can reload them for maybe 15-20 cents per round. Breaks my heart to pop off $25 in a few minutes when I reload as good or better stuff for $3-$4. The mail order idea may be OK, but remember the shipping cost.

When you have .223, 9mm, etc. it may be hard to justify reloading. For most other calibers it's the obvious choice.
 
I've had a Marlin 1895SS for 4 years now, and it is one of my favorite rifles, superbly accurate and fast handling. If you look around, I'm sure you can find ammo for less than $1 a pop. While collecting brass for reloading, I bought Federal and Winchester Express loads (300grn JHP at 1880fps) for $15 a box of 20 at several different sporting goods stores (Galyan's, Bass Pro Shops, etc). This type of ammunition recoils about like a 20ga shotgun out of the Marlin, and is quite sufficient for deer.
As mentioned, SGN lists several places with factory ammo at far less than $20/20.
Another possibility is to check gunshows for people who custom reload ammunition, specifically for the large or exotic bores. My reloader will reload my cartridges with 300grn JHPs or any lead cast bullet up to 560grns for $8 a box (exotic jacketed bullets cost significantly more). I've gradually have him up the loadings, and now I usually shoot a 405 grn hardcast lead at around 2100fps. Garret-type power for $8 a box. Some of my cases are on there 8th loading and still in spec. It's possible to feed a .45-70 economically if you look beyond your local gunshop.
 
That's a zinger load!

Hey, Ruger #1 owners!

I just bought a used, but unfired, Ruger #1S in .45-70. I've only loaded 405gr cast bullets on top of 60 grains of FFG, with a Wonder Wad, for my 1873 Rolling Block Creedmoor restoration. They're very comfortable to shoot, and accuracy is good enough to knock over the steel buffalos between 800-1000 yards.

I noticed that the rifling in my new #1S is fairly shallow, but I also noticed the gun doesn't weigh very much, especially compared to the half-round, half-octagon 30" barrel Creedmoor.

Besides the obvious discipline of cleaning really well, what harm would shooting my blackpowder cast bullet loads cause my Ruger #1S? If I choose to shoot the same 405gr cast bullets, but go the smokeless route, would Wonder Wads be a good substitute for gas checks, and keep leading to a minimum?

I really was holding out for the stainless Ruger, but this one jumped at me from the dealer's consignment rack, and followed me home. Don't you hate it when that happens?:rolleyes:

Thanks in advance!
 
Erich, yowza is right. Lets you know that you've fired a real rifle.
That load chronos between 2088-2115fps. I'm having him work up to a 520grn LFP load at 1550fps. Chrono'd 1480fps last time, with room to climb. PMC is supposed to have a 400grn loading at 2050fps designed for Marlin 1895s and Ruger #1s, but I've yet to find a box of it anywhere.
 
HEY GUYS:GUNNUTS HERE,I have a 1895ss,Try some BUFFALO BORE AMMO.!!! wow!DAMN! thats what everybodys says that shoot it for the first time,But at $40.00 for 20 rounds,it's just for hunting and getting a laugh,It's NOT!! for ALL 45-70 rifles,only the ones marked on the box of ammo.And it groups very very well at 100 + yards.
 
I usually shoot a 405 grn hardcast lead at around 2100fps. Garret-type power for $8 a box.
Click to expand...

Your load:

405 gr @ 2,100 fps = 3966 ft/lbs

Considering Garrett's are rated at:

420 gr @ 1,850 fps = 3,192 ft/lbs
540 gr @ 1,550 fps = 2,881 ft/lbs

Yeah, I'd say you're pushing it :D

Kilgor
 
45-70 Loads

Of the several 45-70's I have oowned over the years, the most comfortable load to shoot was with the 300 grain HORNADY bullet and 20 to 23 grains of H-2400. It's cooomfortable to shoot but, hard to find in the books.
 
Could I ask what the load is???

Heck of a varmint round, even if they weigh 2,000#.

Wondering how close to max it is (through I have my suspicions).

Oh, he had asked about recoil. I put a Decelerator pad on my .45-70 before I ever shot it. With factory 300's I can shoot a hundred in a row no problem. Now, 405's @ 2,100 would be a different program. I'm thinkin' that might kill on both ends.
 
No recoil loads

I've got a new Remington made rolling block in 45-70 that I wanted to shoot a lot. I also hate, REALLY hate, recoil so the goal was to make up an accurate reload that had virtually none. This was easier than I ever expected.

I'm using a SAECO #015 300 grain bullet cast from one of their excellent 8-cavity moulds. Excellent bullet. Excellent mould. Unfortunately SAECO is eventually going to discontinue 8-cavity blocks so if you want one buy it now.

I'm using 13 grains of Unique. Works beautifully. Virtually no recoil. Good accuracy.

You can practice a lot with this combination.
 
13 grains of Unique

Yeah, that's almost a .44 Mag load! ;)

But I'm in agreement on recoil, so let me ask: do you have any reliability problems with a load this light and a powder volume that small in a case that big???
 
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