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Q:
This spring and summer I am going to work with my dad. Hopefully I can get enough money to buy a new brush gun. I have been looking at the Marlin 1895 in .45-70. I am worried it may be overkill for whitetails but I've heard many people use(d) them instead of the favorite .30-30. The reason I want a .45-70 instead of a .30-30 is because hopefully in a few years I will go hunting for larger game, such as bears. So I find it rather pointless to get a gun I wouldnt feel comfortable with for dangerous game. So, should I go with the 45-70 or 30-30?
Question by wvboy1022. Uploaded on March 01, 2010
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Answers (14)
If bear are a possiblility I would go with the 45-70 even though many bears are shot with 30-30's. I know a guy that shot a large blackie with a 30-30 and it got away.
The regular 300 grain factory loads for .45-70 aren't too crazy, and don't recoil heavily either. Good deer loads. If you want more power you have the LeveRevolution stuff and for even more (this is where the bonecrushing part comes in) there's the super hot loads from Garrett and Buffalo Bore. You can handload anywhere in between. If you don't want all the power and black bears are as big as you'll go, get a .35 Remington.
I just bought a marlin 1895gs and I've had a marlin 30-30 for years. I'm very pleased with both for brush guns. Shane is right about .35 Rem. that might be your best bet if you don't want a sledge hammer 45/70 but more than a 30-30.
As far as the 45-70 goes check around your local shops for ammo, I've been having a really tough time finding 300 grain loads, mostly 405gr.
One WV boy to another, how big of a boy are you? Friend of mine, built along the lines of Hulk Hogan, has a .45-70 guide gun and with warm to hot hand loads, he does not like the recoil. I wanted one until I saw him take a pounding and decided I was not that brave. I have to echo Shane, get a .35, feed it 200 grain Corelokts, and have at it, you won't be sorry. I read somewhere that the .35 is like a .30-30 on steroids. Good hunting.
I would get the 45-70 if I really wanted to shoot bear. The 30-30 is a very fun rifle to carry and quick to shoot. It's range and power is a little more limited though. It is fine for deer but marginal for bear. I have shot several deer with a .35 Rem in a 760 pump with a fixed 2x scope. That is a great brush gun because it is light, easy to swing and it packs a punch for the first 150 yards. It is plenty for bear as well. I reload to access to bullets is not a concern but if it is a concern for you, you will find 30-30 ammo to be everywhere, 35 Rem to be common and good 45-70 to be a little hard to find. I would not choose the rifle because of ammo availability though because you can always buy a hundred rounds more than you need or reload.
Go with the 45/70. The cartridge is certainly not over kill on deer. With the proper load it will stop just about anything on the North American continent. The 300 grain loads work well for most big game including Black bear. If you hand load you can taylor you loads to the situation which is one of the things that make the old gal still shine brightly in the woods.
I've never shot one but I'd probably try to shoot one before I bought if I were you just to make sure you can handle the recoil. A gun that you can't shoot straight is useless.
If you are concerned about dangerous game, you might want to think about getting away from a lever action altogether. They are more prone to jamming than bolt action. Or if your hung up on lever actions, you could try to find one of the Browning remakes of the old Winchester Model 95 in 30-06. That one would handle deer and bears very nicely.
007, Im about 5'10, and 180 pounds. not too small. i can handle recoil
and 17...if that matters.
I bought the new 338 Federal last fall. I killed one deer with it and I'm empressed. I am loading 200 grain Hornady interlocks bullets, that is what the ideal bullet weight for the gun is, but I also have 225 Hornady interlocks to load. I have the gun in a Tikka T 3 Lite amd it is a pleasure to shoot. My 200 grain loads are traveling about 2550 FPS and have over 3000 pounds of energy. I have put my 308 and my 300 WSM away and will probably use my 338 Federal all the time. The gun is super accurate also and that helps. Federal says the gun is a 200 yard Big Bear gun and 300 yard elk gun. I believe they are right.
Man, Im 13 and 5'11 and 195 pounds. Id be willing to say that a 300 win mag is too much for me let alone a 45-70. But a 45-70 is a great deer rifle and definately not overkill if you can handle the recoil. A 30-06 will handle bears nicely. Or even a 7mm. Good luck any way you go.
I would go with the 3o-3o it will take down plenty of whitetails and black bear also, if you can aim you can kill.
Post an Answer
If bear are a possiblility I would go with the 45-70 even though many bears are shot with 30-30's. I know a guy that shot a large blackie with a 30-30 and it got away.
The regular 300 grain factory loads for .45-70 aren't too crazy, and don't recoil heavily either. Good deer loads. If you want more power you have the LeveRevolution stuff and for even more (this is where the bonecrushing part comes in) there's the super hot loads from Garrett and Buffalo Bore. You can handload anywhere in between. If you don't want all the power and black bears are as big as you'll go, get a .35 Remington.
I just bought a marlin 1895gs and I've had a marlin 30-30 for years. I'm very pleased with both for brush guns. Shane is right about .35 Rem. that might be your best bet if you don't want a sledge hammer 45/70 but more than a 30-30.
I would get the 45-70 if I really wanted to shoot bear. The 30-30 is a very fun rifle to carry and quick to shoot. It's range and power is a little more limited though. It is fine for deer but marginal for bear. I have shot several deer with a .35 Rem in a 760 pump with a fixed 2x scope. That is a great brush gun because it is light, easy to swing and it packs a punch for the first 150 yards. It is plenty for bear as well. I reload to access to bullets is not a concern but if it is a concern for you, you will find 30-30 ammo to be everywhere, 35 Rem to be common and good 45-70 to be a little hard to find. I would not choose the rifle because of ammo availability though because you can always buy a hundred rounds more than you need or reload.
Go with the 45/70. The cartridge is certainly not over kill on deer. With the proper load it will stop just about anything on the North American continent. The 300 grain loads work well for most big game including Black bear. If you hand load you can taylor you loads to the situation which is one of the things that make the old gal still shine brightly in the woods.
As far as the 45-70 goes check around your local shops for ammo, I've been having a really tough time finding 300 grain loads, mostly 405gr.
One WV boy to another, how big of a boy are you? Friend of mine, built along the lines of Hulk Hogan, has a .45-70 guide gun and with warm to hot hand loads, he does not like the recoil. I wanted one until I saw him take a pounding and decided I was not that brave. I have to echo Shane, get a .35, feed it 200 grain Corelokts, and have at it, you won't be sorry. I read somewhere that the .35 is like a .30-30 on steroids. Good hunting.
I've never shot one but I'd probably try to shoot one before I bought if I were you just to make sure you can handle the recoil. A gun that you can't shoot straight is useless.
If you are concerned about dangerous game, you might want to think about getting away from a lever action altogether. They are more prone to jamming than bolt action. Or if your hung up on lever actions, you could try to find one of the Browning remakes of the old Winchester Model 95 in 30-06. That one would handle deer and bears very nicely.
I bought the new 338 Federal last fall. I killed one deer with it and I'm empressed. I am loading 200 grain Hornady interlocks bullets, that is what the ideal bullet weight for the gun is, but I also have 225 Hornady interlocks to load. I have the gun in a Tikka T 3 Lite amd it is a pleasure to shoot. My 200 grain loads are traveling about 2550 FPS and have over 3000 pounds of energy. I have put my 308 and my 300 WSM away and will probably use my 338 Federal all the time. The gun is super accurate also and that helps. Federal says the gun is a 200 yard Big Bear gun and 300 yard elk gun. I believe they are right.
007, Im about 5'10, and 180 pounds. not too small. i can handle recoil
and 17...if that matters.
Man, Im 13 and 5'11 and 195 pounds. Id be willing to say that a 300 win mag is too much for me let alone a 45-70. But a 45-70 is a great deer rifle and definately not overkill if you can handle the recoil. A 30-06 will handle bears nicely. Or even a 7mm. Good luck any way you go.
I would go with the 3o-3o it will take down plenty of whitetails and black bear also, if you can aim you can kill.
Post an Answer