45-70 vs 45-120 question

D

dalegribble

New member
I am hot for a Sharps, gonna buy one before the week is out. I think I have settled on the Uberti Quigley model. My question is the caliber. The same gun in 45-120 brand new is $200 less.

I have read the 45-120 is finicky and may not shoot well until you find the right load. My other question is recoil. I have shot 7 mags, 300 mags, 338 mags and while I might not like shooting a couple boxes of ammo in a single sitting they don't really bother me. I have an H&R Buffalo gun in 45-70 and I can shoot mild loads (1350 fps) all day long, it is a pleasure to shoot. What is important is accuracy and recoil. Can a 45-120 shoot as straight as a 45-70? I know I can us BP or smokless and load up or down for the 45-120. Can it shoot straight and is the recoil managable? It seems a 14# gun would have less recoil than my 9# Buffalo Rifle. Having 2 guns that shoot 45-70 would be nice, having a 45-120 might be pretty kewl. Thanks for any input.
 
I have been told (making this hearsay) that the .45-120 can be loaded to .45-70 specs without harm. You are pushing the same bullet through the same sized barrel, so there should be no problems. The caveat, of course is using a filler to get the powder compressed a bit.

Pops
 
I have my Great Grandfathers Winchester 1886 Express rifle chambered in the .50-110-300 round & it can be a bit on the tough side during a shooting session but quite manageable.

I'm with Pops in that you should be able to custom load to either 90gr. or even 70gr. FFG with some filler ofcorse & get very good results without the bite...

My Grandfather & my Dad were purists & required that the shells be loaded with 110gr. of FFG because that is what it was supposed to have in them but me on the other hand have reduced the loading down to a manageable but quite accurate 90gr. charge with that old 300gr. bullet out to 250 yards.
 
i messed with a 45 90 for a while. it won, i lost. if this gun is your only hobby > maybe. but if you have lots of things to tinker with or lots of other firearms to play with stick with the 45 70. fwiw, bobn
 
45-120 is kind of powerful...

If you go with a heavier bullet and seat it deaper with a good thick grease cookie under it with a 2F or 1F powder, it should be manageable.

I would make the grease cookies out of 1/4" warm weather lube and use tablet backing above and below the lube.

That should reduce your load down to around a 45-90 load.

my 1886 in 45-90 with a 300gr bullet and 85gr of FFg GOEX is REALLY easy to shoot and weighs about the same as your Sharps.
 
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