45/70

[1:66 twiste@d]

Looking at taking a long one of my 45/70 to SA. 300 grain Barnes ttsx. I am going for plains game in the Limpopo. Bushveld country. The owner says ave 80 to 125 yards, and occasionally 175 yards. Any thoughts?

 

[CD24]

People love the 45/70 and I just don't get it. Seems like every time we don't recover a wounded animal it was shot with a 45/70. Anyone else have that experience?

 

[Albert GRANT]

People love the 45/70 and I just don't get it. Seems like every time we don't recover a wounded animal it was shot with a 45/70. Anyone else have that experience?

If you aren't recovering animals shot with a 45-70 it's either bullet failure (likely light, thin jacketed bullets) or piss poor shooting

 

[1:66 twiste@d]

If you aren't recovering animals shot with a 45-70 it's either bullet failure (likely light, thin jacketed bullets) or piss poor shooting

I shot a deer with a 45/70 once and told my self never again. Total destruction of the front shoulders. I kinda figured that I will be hunting Zebra, Gemsbok and Blue Wildebeest the combination of bullet type , weight and velocity it should do fine as long as I do my part.

 

[Albert GRANT]

I shot a deer with a 45/70 once and told my self never again. Total destruction of the front shoulders. I kinda figured that I will be hunting Zebra, Gemsbok and Blue Wildebeest the combination of bullet type , weight and velocity it should do fine as long as I do my part.

Definitely a lot for a deer to take, and if you are using lead core bullets, that's typical. Try changing to solid copper- namely maker 300gr or peregrine 310gr bushmaster. You will be far happier with the results on most everything. Moose, bison, eland- may want to go with cast, but I myself will stick the peregrine for everything. Never cared much about 45-70 until I got a Ruger made Marlin 1895 SBL and fell in love with it. I'll take it out over the 7RM unless I'm expecting long shots. Wasn't happy with initial results with Hornady and speer factory ammo, moved to the solid copper and never looked back.

 

[CD24]

Definitely a lot for a deer to take, and if you are using lead core bullets, that's typical. Try changing to solid copper- namely maker 300gr or peregrine 310gr bushmaster. You will be far happier with the results on most everything. Moose, bison, eland- may want to go with cast, but I myself will stick the peregrine for everything. Never cared much about 45-70 until I got a Ruger made Marlin 1895 SBL and fell in love with it. I'll take it out over the 7RM unless I'm expecting lot shots. Wasn't happy with initial results with Hornady and speer factory ammo, moved to the solid copper and never looked back.

Thats interesting. I think most of the lost animals were shot with hornady and barnes 300gr. Very likely could have been bullet failure. I know a lot of guys have good luck with hot reloads but I can't speak to it.

 

[1:66 twiste@d]

Definitely a lot for a deer to take, and if you are using lead core bullets, that's typical. Try changing to solid copper- namely maker 300gr or peregrine 310gr bushmaster. You will be far happier with the results on most everything. Moose, bison, eland- may want to go with cast, but I myself will stick the peregrine for everything. Never cared much about 45-70 until I got a Ruger made Marlin 1895 SBL and fell in love with it. I'll take it out over the 7RM unless I'm expecting lot shots. Wasn't happy with initial results with Hornady and speer factory ammo, moved to the solid copper and never looked back.

I have two 45/70, a single shot 25 inch barrel and a mauser bolt with a 20 inch barrel. I am using a pure copper 300 grain barnes ttsx bullet and pushing it at 2500 fps.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

I have killed a lot of game with the 45-70, but not in Africa. With the right bullet through the shoulders, it hits hard and anchors game where it was standing. I have used numerous jacketed, cast and paper patched bullets using smokeless and black powder. Never recovered a bullet or had to track an animal hit with a 45-70.

Safe hunting

 

[Albert GRANT]

Ah, yeah that's probably going to mince any deer under 100yds, lol. You will be fine with that for anything under Buffalo in Africa. For buffalo- probably would work but definitely not the best. There is likely to be a huge debate over it on here.....

 

[1:66 twiste@d]

I am hoping to have a 404 Jeffery for my Cape Buffalo hunt. Thats in a couple years.

 

[CD24]

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Boers, Big Bullets and Buffalo

Big-bore lever-action rifles have the ammo capacity, dependability and speed to be considered ideal African dangerous-game rifles, as long as you do your part.

www.americanhunter.org

I read this a while back. They seemed to do just fine.

 

[Albert GRANT]

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Boers, Big Bullets and Buffalo

Big-bore lever-action rifles have the ammo capacity, dependability and speed to be considered ideal African dangerous-game rifles, as long as you do your part.

www.americanhunter.org

I read this a while back. They seemed to do just fine.

Would make sense, I mean we are talking about a round that was largely responsible for nearly wiping out the American Bison which is around 2000-2400lb while the Cape buffalo is around 1900-2100lbs. The main arguement, without a doubt, will be that people feel the Cape Buffalo is harder to put down than a Bison and more likely to give something back. Having no experience with either, I have no input.

 

[1:66 twiste@d]

I think the Cape Buffalo has a lot more will to survive than our bison. And more tonnage. And just plain bad attitude!

 

[Ravensview]

I have only used a 45/70 on whitetail deer and black bear, 405 grain lead hard cast it has worked admirably on both those species, I am usually a 100 yds and under hunter, I am very nostalgic though, my rifle is a 45/70 in a Shiloh sharps.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

2 trips to Africa with a .45-70... 2 buffalo, a black wildebeest, a zebra, and a wart hog. Zero complaints. I had not previously answered because I did not use the bullet you asked about. Based on what I have read about the Barnes bullet? I would have no concerns at the ranges you mentioned, assuming it shoots well in your rifle.

 

[Paul Raley]

I have only shot one animal with my 45-70 and that was a mature Impala ram at about 70 m . I used a 250gr "flat nosed" monolithic which punched a hole through both shoulders , the buck ran about 5 m and fell over dead , almost no meat damage .

 

[Sturgeondrjb]

I used Barnes factory loaded 300 gr TSX in my Marlin.
Shot Eland,Zebra,Blue Wildebeest,Nyala, Bushbuck,Impala and Warthog. All one shot kills.
Only recovered bullets from the Eland and Zebra. Both weighed over 298. All were one shot kills,with no issues.
Would not hesitate to use it again. I did pass on a Gemsbok at 225 yds, having never shot past 150 with it.

 

[DPHunter4570]

I'll be taking my Marlin 1895 with me to SA in May. Plains game trip, planning to use it on a few animals as its one of my favorite rifles I own. So far, its accounted for 4 black bears with Hornady and Federal ammo, and with Illinois now allowing straight wall for deer, a whitetail this year. Small sample size that others will scoff at I'm sure. But I have no qualms about taking it with me.

 

[sgt_zim]

I shoot 425 gr and 525 WFNGC lead alloy out of mine, at around 1625 fps. I've never recovered a bullet. I will never go back to lightweight (300/325/350 gr) jacketed bullets.

 

[Trogon]

My heaviest whitetail yet after field dresiing, using my Marlin 1895 with Winchester 300 grain HP, short range, high shoulder shot, Bullet fragments ended up a few places, the base traveled up the spinal column several in the neck. Evaluating future choices for bullets. I realize the short range was stressful on the bullet.