Advice on 45-70

[Eldwardo]

Hi guys
I am a recent addition to the forum and was hoping for some advice from the knowledgable people on this site. I am looking at taking a trip next year either to NT or the cape for my 40th birthday and have pretty much decided that I require a 45-70 lever action to accompany me on said trip ( that's what I convinced the missus of anyway ) and I have just about decided on the Henry due to the arrising problems that have apparently come with the new marlins, so any thoughts on that would be great and I am also trying to decide on red dot vs scope to top the package off. Any suggestions would be much appreciated
Cheers ed

[AusC]

If it's going to be your "Buffalo gun" I'd probably go the red-dot.

45-70 is not a long range cartridge and you'll be reasonably up-close-and-personal for buff making a scope hard to justify.

If you had to scope it go with something like a 1-4 or 2-7... going into a 3-9 or higher is just going to be a waste.

Personally I'd take the weight saving and smaller silhouette of the red dot though in these circumstances.

[Wm.Traynor]

This site might be of interest
www.marlinowners.com/forum/henry-levers ... 0-a-2.html

Particularly post numbers 11,19 and 31

[GLS_1956]

I've not seen any problems with the Marlin rifles. My 15 year old Model 39A is not any better put together than the ones I've seen on the shelves. And my 4 year old Model 60 will out shoot any other 22 semi auto I've come across. A gun club member has the Cowboy 1895 45-70 rifle and I want one.

[<<Genesis93>>]

Do you have any other rifles? What would you do with it after the buff expedition?

I too was after a 45-70 lever marlin (for the Mrs), but a youtube with a guy and a dodgy weaver rail kind of put me off....went in to the shop to fondle one and I couldnt believe it had the same misaligned rail.... it was obviously the shop had had a few goes with trying to realign it (screw was molested)...

Thats not however enough to convince me to go Henry instead of Remlin though! I think its a matter of being picky and only taking home the right rifle, everything aligned, no random gaps, etc!

Are you convinced you 'need' a lever? a higher velocity chambering in a bolt action might be more appropriate for other species and environments....

[wrenchman]

what typ of round are you shooting at the buffalo it sounds like fun

[Herdsman]

If it's good enough for Velociraptors it must be good enough for Buff

[Eldwardo]

Hey guys
Genesis 93 yes mate I do have other guns I have a Ruger in 17 wsm , a .223 Howa , and a Remington 7600 weathermaster in .308 so I do have option for later on as well as now . I really did want a lever cause it's one thing I don't have in the safe at home !!! I have other single shot rifles and a couple of break actions as well but nothing big enough to to handle the Buff in the top end . I realise the 45-70 is not a long shhoting calibre but I probably won't stretch it more than 150m anyway and I could always load a lighter projectile than a 405gn woodleigh ( maybe a 325gn)for hunting big pigs in heavy bush later and then there is always the Scrub bull and occasional camel to boot . I have heard and read about plenty of buff being taken with .308 or smaller but I really do believe I need to have something bigger in hand to guarantee that penetration that's required to take down a good size buff in his prime !! Any other suggestions in calibre would be much appreciated . I would stick with the open sights that come standard with the rifle but my eyes these days tell me that I should be using something else though , seem to do alright with my Eotech on the .308 though so I thought I might go that way .!!!

[Supporter]

I have heard and read about plenty of buff being taken with .308 or smaller but I really do believe I need to have something bigger in hand to guarantee that penetration that's required to take down a good size buff in his prime !

It gets done with .308 but more people than that arguing it's too small for consistent humane shooting.

If you just want one for the save this is as good and excuse as any to add one though, that's my 2c

[Usurper]

I'm no Buff expert but .308 on a big bull seems dangerous to me.

That's a LOT of muscle to put down.

[bigrich]

okay guys, i got a new toy comin' (PTA's in ), bought a CVA V2 scout in 45-70. stainless/sythetic break action, scope mounts included, like new $500. thought it would be a good way to play with this caliber on the cheap. gun weighs 8 lb without a scope , 25" barrel and muzzle break, good trigger as well. any advice or opinions from 45-70 owners would be appreciated. this is basically replacing a really nice 30-30 model 94 i got rid of,bought for use as a pig/scub rifle, but my eyes need a scope, i realise a marlin lever would be a better option in some ways, but wanna try this caliber out before spending up

[juststarting]

This is Straya, we use metric system here. Not spastic system. Wtf is an lb? Us 'yuonger' whippersnappers have no idea what that is.

That aside I have a single shot, break open 45-70. They are heaps of fun. Mine has a red dot. What would you like help/advice with?

[bigrich]

good on ya JS. all i know is it's one pound heavier than a marlin wood guide gun , which would make it more pleasant to shoot. was wondering how this caliber/action fares in the feild, how well it works on various game , factory/hand load info. with a single shot have you ever been lacking for a follow up ?

[bigpete]

They're that good I'm going to sell mine lol

[bigrich]

i have a 3-9x40 scope to throw at this rifle to get it shooting at minimal cost, but was thinking of a leupold1.5-5x20 vx3 down the track if it's a keeper. ammo, want to try federal 300 gr hp's or hornady 325gr lever evolutions. opinions ?

[bigrich]

They're that good I'm going to sell mine lol

why for BP ? bit big for wabbits ?

[juststarting]

tbh I hunt with a 308. I actually just bought mine because I always wanted to shoot/own 45-70 and couldn't justify something that's expensive that I won't shoot a lot. So can't help you there. I use mine for plinking with 500gr cast slug on top of trailboss.

[bigrich]

tbh I hunt with a 308. I actually just bought mine because I always wanted to shoot/own 45-70 and couldn't justify something that's expensive that I won't shoot a lot. So can't help you there. I use mine for plinking with 500gr cast slug on top of trailboss.

yeh, part of the reason i bought a 45-70 is "just because". these cva's can be really accurate i've read. got a model 70 in 6.5x55 for general hunting, but moving on my '94 30-30 i wanted to replace it with a "scrub" gun of some description for hogs. the fact i can easily scope this cva is a winner over the '94.that and the fact 45-70 has more punch at the intended range . it was a 1974 top eject, so scoping/ sighting options were limited. plinking with 500 gr slugs ? do you use 44 gallon drums instead of soft drink cans ?

[brett1868]

In my opinion the 325gr Hornady's hurt like a son of a bitch in my pistol Otherwise quite an accurate round but pricy. Get onto juststarting and see what load he's running.

[juststarting]

plinking with 500 gr slugs ? do you use 44 gallon drums instead of soft drink cans ?

How do you mean? I use max TrailBoss charge, it's alright.

[wrenchman]

as long as this post has gone on did you ever get to hunt a buff

[bigrich]

plinking with 500 gr slugs ? do you use 44 gallon drums instead of soft drink cans ?

How do you mean? I use max TrailBoss charge, it's alright.

i meant , plinking - 22lr soft drink can, 45-70 large oil drum cost of ammo is a concern, wont be doing high volume shooting. probably just go with the federal 300 or ppu 405 cause it's cheap and see how i go.either one should be enough for pigs/deer. i have a press, still doing a bit of last minute reading before doing a batch for 6.5x55

[juststarting]

Uh, well, actually, an old gas tank was used lol.

Re: ammo cost, I reload. At almost $3 for the cheapest factory cartridge, it's not the most affordable round. I just reuse the brass, after shooting couple of boxes of factory ammo. I cast my own bullets and i use trailboss that's reasonably cheap, so yeah definitely a cool cheap plinkanator1000

[bigpete]

They're that good I'm going to sell mine lol

why for BP ? bit big for wabbits ?

Performance is lacklustre on the stuff I hunt unless I use light jacketed projectiles,and it doesn't come anywhere near the stopping power as the various 458 mags but it costs very nearly as much to shoot

[bigrich]

Uh, well, actually, an old gas tank was used lol.

Re: ammo cost, I reload. At almost $3 for the cheapest factory cartridge, it's not the most affordable round. I just reuse the brass, after shooting couple of boxes of factory ammo. I cast my own bullets and i use trailboss that's reasonably cheap, so yeah definitely a cool cheap plinkanator1000

Hmmmm, cast boolits is something I never considered, especially easier in a single shot regarding OAL and crimping for lever tube mags. What do you use for lead, or do you go around car parks with a screwdriver and steal wheel weights ?

[bigrich]

They're that good I'm going to sell mine lol

why for BP ? bit big for wabbits ?

Performance is lacklustre on the stuff I hunt unless I use light jacketed projectiles,and it doesn't come anywhere near the stopping power as the various 458 mags but it costs very nearly as much to shoot

What were you hunting BP ? I’m looking at a marlin down the track as a scrub gun for pigs and deer.

[bigpete]

Goats and long tailed rabbits.
To be fair, I was mainly running a cast 405gn at under 1500fps,a combo that really isn't conducive to bang flops.

[bigpete]

I might have to keep one and try running the 405s as hot as I can and just say stuff it in regards to the leading lol

[juststarting]

Pop a gas check on the pill and lube them. You won't get leading... Or buy HRBC cast bullets, they are powder coated; or cheaper copper jacketed from thebulletfactory.com.au.

[bigpete]

A: I do lube them
B: the mold makes plain base bullets
C: I'm not buying bullets if I can cast them