6.8lb 45-70

[crs]

Quick 1886 45-90 story;
I was after a bison and thought I had missed my left handed (right eye problem) shot at about 100 yards shooting left- over African loads (450 grain Kodiak at 2150 fps). The bison began to run left to right and disappeared behind trees as I levered in another round, my guide exclaimed that the fired brass went 6 feet above my head! A little adrenalin , maybe? Pissed off, I switched the rifle to right handed and tracked the bison like a passing dove, settled in on the shoulder and shot. The bison crumpled and rolled heels over head and my guide exclaimed again - something best not printed.
This is on film, but the only part worth watching is the last few seconds.
When the animal was skinned and butchered, we learned that the bullet had
shattered both shoulders and passed on through to points unknown. We also learned that my first shot was just right laterally but high - just a couple inches below the back bone.

That night, beers and steak dinner was on me.

 

[dougfinn]

My Miroku model 1886 weighs 10 pounds and I wouldn’t want it any lighter. Smooths out the recoil quite nicely.

 

[Nhoro]

Tolerance is a funny thing, and I never, ever think anything of anyone for where their level is. My two daughters are both small (5' and 5'1"). My oldest (21) has trouble with anything over a .243. My youngest (18) can shoot - reasonably accurately - my .45-70 with the Hornady 325 Lever loads.

I have not had a lot of experience with heavy recoil stuff. The biggest in my stable include that GBL, a .300 WM, and a short barreled 870 (bear protection) with Brenneke slugs. I can shoot all of them comfortably. And I shot my GBL a crap-ton this year, getting ready for Africa. Happy Sunday everybody.

My kids have shot full house 458 win mag rounds (just once because I dont want them to develop a flinch) but they beg every time we go to the range to shoot the big gun. They are 11 and 13 yrs old and about 80 lbs. I shoot my 458 Lott without too much trouble but I cant say that 5 or more shots are a pleasure. Tolerance is a good word. I tolerate the recoil, I have to work to keep the gun on target while slowly squeezing the trigger- it takes effort. I dont think anyone ever masters it- recoil management needs concentration, practise and determination.

And I have noticed, most online platforms have a bunch of guys who beat their chests and say they don't bat an eye while shooting big bores but on the range, I see a different story. Lots of guys jumping like rabbits when shooting 7 mm rem mags and up (sometimes even 308 and 30-06's).

 

[colorado]

My kids have shot full house 458 win mag rounds (just once because I dont want them to develop a flinch) but they beg every time we go to the range to shoot the big gun. They are 11 and 13 yrs old and about 80 lbs. I shoot my 458 Lott without too much trouble but I cant say that 5 or more shots are a pleasure. Tolerance is a good word. I tolerate the recoil, I have to work to keep the gun on target while slowly squeezing the trigger- it takes effort. I dont think anyone ever masters it- recoil management needs concentration, practise and determination.

And I have noticed, most online platforms have a bunch of guys who beat their chests and say they don't bat an eye while shooting big bores but on the range, I see a different story. Lots of guys jumping like rabbits when shooting 7 mm rem mags and up (sometimes even 308 and 30-06's).

Every time I take my 500 Jeffery to the range I dry fire it until my sight picture is the same before and after I pull the trigger. Then I start shooting I learned to treat my 500 with respect. Got an epic bruise the first time out before I learned better

 

[Nhoro]

Every time I take my 500 Jeffery to the range I dry fire it until my sight picture is the same before and after I pull the trigger. Then I start shooting I learned to treat my 500 with respect. Got an epic bruise the first time out before I learned better

That is a good little drill before you start. I was testing loads. Just standing and trying to stay close to the chrono. 5 th round, I forgot the safety and saw a nice flinch as I pulled the trigger. That was not fun-standing there next to the chrono and concentrating on getting a good chrono result seemed to make it all worse.

 

[Close Range]

KNIGHT KPI .50 CAL - 45/70 BLK POWDER 4473 FIREARM - Single Shot Rifles at GunBroker.com : 906296892 https://www.gunbroker.com/item/906296892

 

[Close Range]

What do ya’ll think I don’t know anything about this rifle other then knight is a respected brand also it’s a full pound heavier then the Henry single shot

 

[Don458]

i shoot a hornady 300 gr flat nose at 2000.fps out of a ruger #1 and #3 and they have killed every thing i hit. recoil is pretty snappy, but not anything i can,t handle hunting.

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Always liked the Ruger #3.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Knight had a revolutionary rifle in the MK-85 then went on to make some more interesting designs. They restructured financially at least once iirc. I'd research what ignition system is in the muzzleloader barrel. Im not partial to inserts made of plastic supporting 209 primers. Looking at the barrel it appears to be free of the forestock with a hanger system which is advantageous for consistent accuracy. The only variable left is the trigger and how good is breaks.

 

[Close Range]

Just for clarification I am not interested in the muzzleloader barrel in the least. Probably try to sell it. But it does have the full plastic jacket insert. All I want is the 45-70

 

[ChrisG]

It might have been mentioned before, but the load data you quoted is for a Ruger No.1 falling block, not a break barrel henry. If you look at the Henry's you will note that the pin that holds the action shut is only about 3/8" in diameter. On top of that, the bottom block that swivels around the pin is only TIG welded in place. You are going to beat the living heck out of that if you try to run a load like that repeatedly. It is a 55,000psi load. Most break barrels are not the strongest lockup as the locking lug is out of line with the bore and thus acts more like a cam and Henry's are no exception to that rule. Having done quite a bit of TIG welding I can tell you that the weld is likely to stretch or crack if you keep running that much pressure through it as well. I would keep a 400 grain bullet in the 1900fps range if you want the gun to last. At 1900fps, it will do anything a .45-70 was ever meant to do. my Whitworth .458 was only 7.5 lbs and I can tell you that a 500 grain bullet at 2,125 fps is something you don't want to do more that a couple times. A 400 grain from a lighter gun is going to feel similar and might well give you a recoil headache before your shoulder wears out!

I do like the henry single shots, they are one of the prettiest guns for that price point, but you definitely want it to last.

 

[freefall]

Registered guide I used to work for built a Ruger 77 in .458 that weighed 6.5 lb. He said touching it off felt like getting smacked behind the right ear with a hammer.