45/70 for Dangerous Game

[Dance]

Hi Everyone,
I was going to order a SS Encore Frame, but found out that they are backordered from the gunshop I go to. He said he has had 6 on order for 2 months.  I figured I would think about another barrel for my regular Contender.  Which brings us too....
Is the Contender in 45/70 enough gun for dangerous game?  I have read about Alaskan Brown Bear and the Big 5 from Africa being taken with a 45/70 Marlin Guide Gun and wondered what you all thought of a 45/70 Contender as a dangerous game gun.  Does it have enough power to reliably kill the big bears and the big african animals? Or would a 375 H&H or 458 win mag in an encore be so much better?  I am not sure what kinda energy each has, but figured if a guide gun can do it a contender can also.  What do you all think?

[bigbore442001]

Well. No matter what you use, bullet placement is the key. I have a copy of Clyde Ormond's work, "Bear". He has a story in it of an Alaskan resident who killed a brown bear with a 22 lr. Yes. That is it, a 22 lr. The trapper was in a boat and shot 2 times between the ribs into the heart. He rowed out to deeper water and the bear eventually dropped dead.

This is an extreme example, but it shows you that bullet placement is the key. The 45-70 Contender has been used for all kinds of game including Africa's dangerous game. I would say it would work well, provided you hit the animal in the right spot.

[crawfish]

Thre are more than a few who will tell you that using that round that way is a stunt. well as with everything, stunt with me is everyday efficant use of the equipment at hand for you. The answer is for some shooters that use would be a "walk in the park" for others it would be a recipe to turn people into grease spots in the sand. Only you can say which of those groups you fit into.

[doc-and]

Hey Dance,

Go to E. Arthur Brown Co.  and have your dealer check them they have Encores frames in stock (as of last Tuesday).  Prices are reasonable.  Also check with Ed's Contender's, he has frames time to time.  Hope this helps.

www.eabco.com/

www.edstc.com/


doc-and

[Big Tex]

Seems to me the real problem is not the caliber, though it is much lower than usually recommended. The real problem is reloading. A scoped bolt rifle cycles much faster than a single, especially under stress. I guess it would be OK if your pro hunter had a big enough double right behind you.

[jamie]

I am with CK on the encore, you can load them alot hotter than a contender.  You would need to handload for this round or you will be buying from Garret or Buffalo Bore.