I took my new 45/70 out to the range this morning, and let her loose... well after snowshoeing through three and a half feet of snow I got there...lol. I was very surprised with the low recoil. After listening to so many people about how hard they are on the shoulder, I was excepting to get rocked. I would say the 300 gr Winchester JHP were about the same as firing a 12 gauge pump or break action.

Does anyone agree? Do you think they will be a big difference when I try the Rem 405 gr? Also what about the 450 gr Bufflo Bore (for moose)?

Also I have been told by a few 45/70 guys around here that I should use at least a 350 to 405 on whitetale deer because there will be less meat damage than using the 300 gr Win., yes no????

Those fellows who complain about .45-70 recoil were wearing t-shirts in Texas while you had a parka over a down vest over a wool shirt over longjohns. :D Three and a half feet of snow! I haven't got my webs out of storage yet.

Bye
Jack

I took my new 45/70 out to the range this morning, and let her loose... well after snowshoeing through three and a half feet of snow I got there...lol. I was very surprised with the low recoil. After listening to so many people about how hard they are on the shoulder, I was excepting to get rocked. I would say the 300 gr Winchester JHP were about the same as firing a 12 gauge pump or break action.

Does anyone agree? Do you think they will be a big difference when I try the Rem 405 gr? Also what about the 450 gr Bufflo Bore (for moose)?

Also I have been told by a few 45/70 guys around here that I should use at least a 350 to 405 on whitetale deer because there will be less meat damage than using the 300 gr Win., yes no????

Those factory loads are loaded mild enough to be safe in an old trapdoor Springfield. The Buffalo Bore ammo, or handloading will start to bring out the potential of the 45/70.

yes...it is true...three and a half feet of snow. We sure have had alot of snow here in Eastern Canada this year.

To reply to your post JACK, yes I did have a nice big down filled vest with a wool shirt under it. After I fired five to six rounds I thought wow this is not to bad. So then I took off the vest and took off the wool shirt, which left a poly pro. undershirt, that is what I was wearing while I fired the last ten rounds or so. I wanted to see how bad it really was, because sometime in western Canada deer season can get warm, like around 10 to 15 above zero. As for the snowshoeing...I did find out one thing...I am not in the shape I was last years...lol


WARHAWK...
I was just told the same thing today at the gun shop. That 300gr win. is around 1850fps and the bufflo bore or handloads are around 2000 to 2100 fps...now in my head a 450gr jacketed bullet behind a nice big helping of powder will equal a nice big thump on the shoulder...lol...can wait...lol

remington winchester and the like are nothing in terms of recoil compared the buff bore and the like. i have used winchester ammo in my 1895 cowboy and it was pleasent, also have buff bore 500gr 1650 fps witch is harsh to say the least, with the butplate on my gun. if you have the guide gun recoil pad might not be so bad,if not you will get a real suprise when you start shooting full power loads with the heavy bullets.

My only experience with recoil in my 1895 45/70 thus far have been with the LeveRevolutions. Recoil was very light and I too was a bit surprised. I guess I will have to try some of those popwerful loads next.

Dan

Thanks for all the input!!!

That is what I thought...can't wait to try out the hot stuff

Those factory loads are loaded mild enough to be safe in an old trapdoor Springfield. The Buffalo Bore ammo, or handloading will start to bring out the potential of the 45/70.

Exactly! I handload all my .45-70 loads, and mild trapdoor loads aren't much different than a .44mag levergun. Start shooting full-house Marlin 1895 (book) loads and you'll be black & blue in about 40 rounds (I was), so I went out and bought a strap-on shoulder pad to wear for shooting sessions.

Even the 405 grain Remington factory loads are pretty mild in the recoil department. When you move into handloads you can get some pretty stout loads if that's what you want. I've settled on a Guide Gun load using the Hornady 350 grain RN bullet that is very accurate and quite managable in the recoil department. I believe muzzle velocity is around 1900 fps.

I also have some 500 grain cast bullet loads that are down right brutal. You can tell which teeth in your mouth have fillings when you touch these things off. They are not fun to shoot.

I'll second that about the factory loads, pretty mild.....but when I was working up loads using the 405g Remington bullet and healthy doses of IMR 3031, I ended up reaching for a piece of carpet padding to place between me and the rifle. My wife was laughing at my groans each time the rifle went off. Its not near as bad when you shoot off hand as it is off a bench.
BTW I was wearing a t shirt when testing my loads....very hot down here in the summer time!
Its a fun gun to let your inexperienced friends shoot for the first time.....they'll talk about it for a long time to come.
JR

I like 405 gr. hard cast bullets for my 45-70. They kill everything I shoot with them.

I'll ditto the cast handloads testimonials. Went to the range today to shoot some max loads out of my GG - RCBS 405gr GC (actual weight 420gr.) at 1800fps. I was shooting 3 shot groups in load development, but shot a 4th with this load thinking taht I had missed with a flinch or something because I wasn't seeing new holes. Went downrange to find 4 shots clustered in a tight, 1-hole group at 75yd. My gun seems to shoot better the harder it is pushed.

EastTNHunter, my Marlin is the same way. The more I push it the better the groups are. I am shooting max loads for the lever action data, which is actually the lower end of the Ruger #1 data. I started loading at lighter loads but worked up for accuracy and just so happened to end up at the top of the reloading chart for the Marlins.