45-70 Recoil question

A

Abby

New member
I've seen lots of y'all talking about this rifle, so I thought I'd ask...

How's the recoil? Not for me - but for my husband. I have a trusty Marlin 336 30/30 and my husband covets it. He doesn't have a brush gun, and needs one. I figured if he liked the feel of my 30/30, he'd love a little bigger version (sometimes Santa brings firearms in our house).

The husband is not a wimp (big burly Marine, actually), but I don't really want to buy him something so vicious he never shoots it. What would you guys compare it to?
 
The first deer gun I used for years was a Marlin 45-70 guide gun. Great gun and I really miss it! (It was my dad's and he sold it).I was 14 years old when I started shooting it and I never had a problem with it. I'm a decent sized guy (I'm 6ft 205 lbs) but If your hubby is used to shooting guns he dig it. I find the 45-70 does not have a hard sharp kick like a .270 or an 06 but more of a shotgun like kick that is a hard push. Not bad at all.
 
My 45-70 is a Ruger #1 and I load it up pretty stiff. I'm 5'8" and 165 lbs.
It's not much fun off the bench for me but lots of fun otherwise. Not a vicious round at all.
Abby, you are a Great Santa!
 
I agree: the .45-70 Marlin 1895 (that I never should have traded away :( ) gave a firm push - about like a 12-ga with field loads (not slugs or high-brass shot). It was pretty pleasant to shoot off the bench with factory loads.

It was also the most accurate lever I've ever shot.

Why, oh why, did I trade that rifle away?! :(
 
Shouldn't be too hard on an old leatherneck.

Last Saturday, several TFLers went to the range. I had my Marlin 1895GS and some rather stout - - Not Red hot, but a 400 JSP at ~1650 - - handloads. Two of the shooters had never fired one previously. Both were impressed with the apparent power, but also with how gentle a jolt came with it. I agree with the observation above - - It's more a heavy shove than a sharp kick.

With Black Hills Cowboy Loads - - A 405 lead bullet at about 1300, it is a puppy dog - - A big, boisterous, puppy.

This particular load gives sub-two inch groups at 100 yards when shot with a 'scope. The rifle now wears an AO Ghost Ring sight set, and I'd feel confident using it on deer at up to 150.

Best,
Johnny
 
I agree...... my pals and I all had the oppurtunity to shoot a marlin 45-70 recently (the barrel had been ported) but it was suprisingly milder than we expected

almost exactly like a 12 gauge firing a 3" round
12 gauge firing a slug kicked ALOT harder than the 45-70
 
I'm 145lbs soakin' wet......
and I shoot some pretty hot loads in a very light custom breakdown Marlin....Buffalo Bore 430's moving out at 1900FPS+.

Sighting from a bench is doable, but not plinking (I generally sight it from a sit, as I don't get to bench in the hunting field). Shooting in the field? I appear to have more "shoulder" than money, as I'd be willing to keep shooting long after my ammo budget conscience kicks in. As Johnny said, it's a pusher....not sharp recoil. Could (and have) shot more than 40 rounds in a session from field positions.

Caveat Emptor: This was not always the case. Until the stock was properly fit and a good Decelerator mounted, the piece was less than pleasant. AFAIC, proper fit has more to do with variances in reported "recoil" than shooter size ever could.
Rich
 
Keep in mind: A rifle that is brutal off the bench can be quite pleasant to shoot offhand or from field positions. For this reason, I (a kind of huge [6'5", 275] Texan who likes big guns) advocate the use of a recoil pad (like the excellent one put out by Past) or a sissy bag when sighting a rifle in or developing loads on the bench rest.

Seriously-- you never notice the recoil in the field.
 
just shot a buddies recently

and was pleasantly surprised. I seperated my shoulder a couple years ago, and am somewhat recoil sensative. Even shooting off the bench, it was alot nicer than my milsurps, for example. And as mentioned, its more of a push than a sharp punch. We were shooting "medium" level handloads, and I probably coulda shot all day, did shoot about 25 rounds, without so much as a twinge.
 
Oh, and also--

Regular (non +P) factory .45-70 ammo is tame. If you just buy some Remington or Winchester standard pressure stuff, it doesn't kick much at all compared to the hot loads that you can hotrod through a modern rifle.
 
Years ago i loaded up some 500gr loads for my Ruger #3 carbine, sore shoulder time! The marlin was nice and i took a 250lb boar with it ,sold all of them wish i didnt! The 45/70 is a great cartridge and alot of fun! If you are into reloading you can hand taylor the loads to some lead with hardley any recoil, but beware its addictive!! ;)
 
Dear Abby,

(I've always wanted to do that!)
I think that my Marlin in 45-70 is easy to tolerate. Shooting factory loads its like a muzzle loader shooting 80-100 grains of Pyrodex. If you worry about recoil, get a PAST recoil pad as a stocking stuffer. It will be a lot cheaper than a rifle. ;)

Meek
 
If you are into reloading you can hand taylor the loads to some lead with hardley any recoil, but beware its addictive!!
Click to expand...
No kidding! I have the urge to do something I read somewhere on the net about 5 years ago (maybe here?), in which some guys were loading up some .45-70 loads with a 255g bullet over about 9 grains of Unique, for a nice easy 50 yard deer buster. They were getting about 900fps out of it, which was like a hot .45 Colt load, but more accurate out a rifle, with very little blast, very little recoil, and a pleasantly quiet report. ["bang."]

One of these days when I find myself hunting in a short-range area, I'm going to try that!
 
Winchester 1886

I agree with the 12 gauge comparison. I'm shooting a 405gr Lead bullet at 1600fps using Accurate 5744. The recoil is more push than snap. My Winchester has a steel butt plate, so benching can get a little abusive. From offhand, your body roll removes most of the recoil. I did find the factory 300gr rounds to be a bit more snappy than my handloads. In the thick underbrush where I hunt, the 45-70 is a great answer!
 
Nope - Santa brought him one of those new GI .45s by Springfield instead (no Kimber fan rants, please - Santa brings the best Santa can afford). :)

Upon further questioning on the subject, I discovered that although he kept folding MY 30-30, he was feeling averse to lever guns! :rolleyes: It's another phase, I guess.

Santa brought me an 870 express magnum youth gun in 20 gauge (with a slug barrel - oh, my man knows me). So it's a happy and more armed household. :D
 
Abby, Springfield is a good pistol. I bought one Kimber in my lifetime and will never buy another. Mrs. Santa knows a good buy when she sees one. :D
 
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