Recoil in 45/70 in an 1895 Cowboy?

[Maplicito]

I'm just wondering if anyone out there feels they could give me an idea of the recoil level in the Marlin 1895 Cowboy in 45/70, either in the high level loads or the low level loads.  I don't have a whole lot to compare it to, the heaviest recoiling I've ever shot would probably be either an old Cooey single shot in 3 inch 12 gauge, or my Tikka T3 Light in .338 win mag.

I was thinking of more "practical" rifles for my next rifle, but I think I determined this one is plenty practical enough for me, and sounds like loads of fun to have, so I think come summer time, I've got to pick one up.  Doesn't hurt that my boss told me I can go over to his place to reload shells any time I want either 

[Old Grizz]

The recoil in a 45-70 in a CB model isn't bad. Naturally, the bigger the grains, the more the recoil. If you shoot say the LE 325 Gr. from Hornady, the recoil isn't bad. The same goes for Remington's 405 gr. shell. When you get into the Cor-Bon, Buffalo or Garrets, then you have some nasty recoil. The 405 gr. recoil is a little less than a 12ga. shotgun. I also have a CB model and an 1895G in 45-70 and enjoy shooting both of them, but my 1895G is my favorite.

Have Fun

[Maplicito]

Thanks for the response... come summer, I'm sure I'll let everyone know what I think of the CB

[Swampman]

The Remington 405 grain factory load will kill anything, and has almost no recoil.

[fourty-five-seventy]

The cowboys kick shooting factory Winchester 300gr jhp rounds is comparable to my grandpa's old 12GA bolt action Stevens shotgun shooting 3" magnums

[HEAD0001]

45-70 recoil is directly related to the load, not the rifle.  Your rifle can be anywhere from a very pleasant rifle to shoot, all the way up to an incredible shoulder buster.  I have found a very effective load is 40.0 grains of RL7 and a 405 grain cast bullet.  This load spits out at about 1600 fps.  More than enough for anything you want too shoot.  Yet completely manageable recoil.  Tom. 

[McLernon]

The 45-70 can be loaded mild to wild. I shoot 300 gr. Hornady HP's with a light load of IMR-3031. It's lke shooting a BB gun. Fun

Mc

[Mulegunner]

Remington 405's are a real pleasure to shoot!  The winchester 300's have a little more bite

[k8bor]

350 gr. hornady RN or FN over 52 grains of 4198 put you into .450 Marlin territory with a lot of recoil. I do 350 gr. ranch dog cast ww over 32 gr. of 4579 for a nice load with mine.

de K8bor

Dave

[McLernon]

My deer load is 350 gr. Hornady JFP over 50 gr. of IMR-4064. Its very accurate, relatively mild recoil and plenty for deer and black bear for that matter.


Mc

[ECV Slick]

It all depends on how many bullets that you want to shoot...  I'm a fairly average / large fellow.  I'm 6-1 and 205 lbs.  I can shoot about 40 rounds of "stout" .45-70 before I bruise-up and want to "call it a day"  As long as you're hunting - I'd think that nearly anyone 175 lbs or better would have NO problem shooting a full-house load fron a .45-70.

That all said, I like to shoot a lot and I wear a "Bob Allen" recoil pad on my shoulder to soak up the punch from the crescent steel butt-plate.

Recreational shooting isn't about "absorbing pain" or any other kind of "manly crap" - so just get a shoulder pad and be done with the "hurting".  I do and am glad that I did.

Another method is to shoot "reduced" loads.  I like 16gr of Unique over a 300gr lead slug with a Dacron filler.  It's still hits hard and is easy on my aging corpse.

[NickSS]

Like several have said above it depends upon the load.  A 300 gr bullet at 1400 fps is fun to shoot and does not abuse you too much.  A 400 gr bullet at 1500 is manageable but without a recoil pad I can only get off three to five good shots before I start to loose accuracy due to flinching.  A 400 gr bullet at 1800+ fps hurts from a bench rest but is not bad off hand.  Personally once I go above a 400 gr slug at 1400 I always use a shoulder pad to absorb recoil.  They do not work in the magazine due to length but a 535 gr bullet at 1600 fps really lets you know that something went bang as it gave me a case of whiplash the one time I tried it after only 10 rounds I had a headache and a soar neck.  I am 5' 10" and weigh 250lbs so I am not exactly small.