Author Topic: Best 4570 rifle? Just Curious (Read 8341 times)

Dustyvance · « **on:** March 06, 2007, 12:23:57 PM »

Just Courious which one was most popular

AZ223 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2007, 03:09:13 PM »

I just bought a NEF and it's my only 45-70, so my opinion is a bit one-sided, but I love it. Small, light, accurate, and you can load from "mild to wild". Can't get much better than that!

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2007, 03:10:35 PM »

Well I have 2 single shot 45-70's and one lever action. I like both equally as the other. My favorite is the Shiloh Sharps followed by my Marlin Lever action then my Encore. But if I could only have one, it would be my Marlin Lever action.

burntmuch · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2007, 03:51:26 PM »

I have a nef & marlin. tuff ?? The marlins got real nice wood on it but the nef is pretty cool too. Im gonna hve to shoot them in a couple days & get back with ya

Rev Buck · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2007, 05:59:02 PM »

Dusty,
That's a tough question 'cause all .45/70's are so much fun! I had to go with the Marlin lever action because the one I have is one of my favorite rifles of all time. I just really enjoy shooting it. That being said, I sure wouldn't mind having a Ruger #1 chambered for .45/70 or a Sharps replica of some kind. Great thread. Blessings, Rev

dubber123 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 07, 2007, 01:06:05 PM »

I'd have to go with a Sharps replica, They are a beautiful, simple design. I love mine, but at 11+ pounds, I'd MUCH rather carry a 1895G Marlin.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2007, 04:15:33 AM »

"Best" needs to be defined. I voted singleshot because the Ruger #1 is the best built, best handling, best looking, most accurate 45/70 I've ever owned, makes a Marlin look like a piece of crap by comparison and the handi rifle IS a piece of crap. However, the Marlin does work, is adequately accurate and a good hunting rifle. The Hadni is cheap and it also works, more or less, most of the time, but it naturally can't be lumped in with Ruger, Browning, Shilo, or any rifle costing several times as much. Don't mean to sound like a gun snob, I own an H&R Shikari in 45/70, an NEF superlight .243, 12 and 20 gauge H&Rs and have owned others in the past and they do work OK, more or less and most of the time. They're built to sell cheap so no surprise that they're cheaply built.

ihuntbucks · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2007, 04:51:15 PM »

1895 Marlin......nuff said

........Rick

StrawHat · « **Reply #8 on:** March 08, 2007, 06:06:03 PM »

As much as I like the lever guns (heck the Marlin 1895 is just a modern 1886 lightweight) I have to cast my vote for the bolt guns.

I agree, they are not common. Heck, some are antiques but they are unique.

I have had two. One Siamese Mauser and one SMLE. Both approached the power of thunder and ate anything. The only thing they couldn't handle was seating bullets out to gain more powder space. Actually the SMLE could and eventually I recut the chamber to accept the 45-90.

Wish I had them back, may have to go find new ones. Yeah, I like them that much.

But... they aren't for everyone.

oso45-70 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 08, 2007, 10:13:29 PM »

Gentlemen

Considering the cost, The handling and overall fitness of the Marlin i must vote for any of the marlins. I have had bolt actions, Ruger # one and could not get rid of it fast enough to suite me.......Joe..........

dave hall · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2007, 02:24:07 PM »

oso45-70 what didn't you like about your #1.The only thing I didn't like about mine was the weight.I have a NEF SB2 thats in a 45-90 now. It was a 45-70 it's so light I can carry all week

.I've had Guide Guns too they are sweet.Dave

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 09, 2007, 03:34:44 PM »

I sold my Ruger #1 45-70 also, I like the Marlin much better. If I want to shoot a quality single shot 45-70, I will get my Shiloh Sharps out.

Mac11700 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 10, 2007, 06:11:54 AM »

The pure fun 45-70 I would say was my stainless ported guide gun..Loud...most certainly..but it was the absolute fastest to put multiple shots on a target accurately...Accuracy wise..it is a toss up between my non-ported guide gun and my XLR..both are capable of sub-moa at 100 yards all day long with my hand loads....Appearance would go to the Winchester 1 of 100 single shot I saw last year..It was the most beautiful single shot I have ever saw chambered in 45-70...and if I could find an extra $6k laying around...it would be mine...Which one would I grab to go hunting...my XLR...it's extreamly accurate..it fits me great..the stock design is very good ergonomically to minimize the felt recoil and it functions fine...not to mention it looks very nice with it's gray laminates and stainless steel...

Mac

MSP Ret · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2007, 03:24:07 PM »

H&R/NEF Handirifle or Buffalo Classic, by far the best "bang for the buck" out there, and in a 45-70 they are simply an unbeatable value....<><....

mt3030 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:32:08 PM »

Right now I have three 45-70s. A old H&R Shikari, a NEF Buff Classic that I restocked with gray laminates, and a Marlin lever. I love them all. But, for serious hunting, the Marlin is #1. I once had one of the Gibbs converted SMLEs, but let it go before I became familiar enough to give it enough credit. I won't let another one slip past me.

nomosendero · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:40:25 PM »

The main thing is to have a 45-70, they are fun!

I like the NEF a lot & have touched off several rounds with one of those & it is accurate. For looks & easy pointing I like the Ruger #1, very classy.
But for the way I use a 45-70, I prefer a repeater & to me that means a Marlin. For allmost all of my Big Game hunting, a single shot
or a bolt gun suits me fine. But when Hogs are a possibility I want to be able to put as many Hogs on the ground as possible & the
Marlin shines in that situation. Last fall, I bought an XLR, mounted a 2X7 Leu. & did a couple of things to reduce recoil, it is more accurate than a lever should be & it is my favorite.

Spanky · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:42:40 PM »

Quote

Ruger #1 is the best built, best handling, best looking, most accurate 45/70 I've ever owned, makes a Marlin look like a piece of crap by comparison and the handi rifle IS a piece of crap.

Those are some pretty harsh words for the Handi. If you wouldn't mind explaining, what makes the Handi so bad???

joshco84 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2007, 06:52:46 PM »

yeah i have two handi's, and also a sako. i dont consider the handi crappy in any way. Care to explain?? just curious not trying to stir anything up.

josh

joshco84 · « **Reply #18 on:** March 16, 2007, 06:54:28 PM »

also, i voted other, i would really like to have a 45-70 or 90 or 100 or 110 or 120 in a double rifle. Call me different but i think doubles are awesome.

josh

Swampman · « **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2007, 02:56:37 AM »

I recently sold my .45-70 Handi. I bought the 1895 Guide Gun to replace it. I just love the looks and feel of the short barreled Marlin.

Kansas Boomer · « **Reply #20 on:** March 17, 2007, 10:02:39 AM »

Have three 45-70, all on #5 Rolling Block actions. One long barrel with open sights. One medium length barrel with a scope, and one short barrel carbine, with open sights. All are a hoot to shoot. I hunt with the scope sighted RB. My eyes just don't focus on open sights anymore. My son took a real nice deer this winter with the long barrel open sights. The lower velocity 45-70 in the RBs are deadly with the Hawk bullets. Boomer

navylawdog · « **Reply #21 on:** March 17, 2007, 12:12:21 PM »

My vote goes with the marlin guide gun. However that is a nice looking gun there my fellow Kansan! I like the added difficulty of using a single shot.

Navylawdog

Crazy Horse · « **Reply #22 on:** March 19, 2007, 03:23:08 PM »

MY favorite is my Win. 1886 extra lite and then My marlin Cowboy.

jrlinz · « **Reply #23 on:** March 19, 2007, 05:39:10 PM »

My 1895 Cowboy. 9+1, and it looks and feels great. I use it for wild hogs in brush at night. Knocks the snot out of a pig.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #24 on:** March 20, 2007, 05:09:28 AM »

Well Spanky9773 and joshco84, since you asked--- I think I gave the handi rifle full credit when I said "they work, more or less and most of the time". I'm surprised anyone would ask me to elaborate. Take a look at the Handi and you surely can't praise the fit and finish, they just look crude with a 60 grit finish on metal, a plastic trigger guard and any crudely shaped piece of wood for a stock. They have always had extraction problems which was finally "fixed" with a new extractor design which doesn't lift the shell far enough to grasp with gloved fingers. Some lock up too tight and some too loose and some shoot open when fired. They are prone to misfires, especially if someone has attempted to improve the generally poor trigger which depends on trigger over-travel to lift the transfer bar. My old 45/70 Shikari has a bore so crooked it requires front and rear sights widely offset in opposite directions to shoot center. My wife's new .243 Superlite has so far not produced a group under 3 MOA. I haven't yet exhausted all load options but I've tried quite a few and so far it is a 3 MOA+ gun. AND it sometimes will open when fired, not at all uncommon with Handis but darn startling when it happens. I once had a 30/30 which could not zero with the factory open sights because the front sight was too low. I had a .22 Hornet which keyholed bullets at 50 yards. I have a .44 mag barrel which is chambered with no throat, just a taper from case mouth to bore, and a very rough taper at that, with a groove diameter of .432", well over the diameter of any jacketed bullet and oversize bores are common in Handis.
Now I know someone and probable several will come back with "I've shot thousands of rounds through my Handi with never a hitch and the worst group I ever saw was 1" at 300 yards. Well, there are a lot of Handis out there and naturally some are better than others but of the 8 or 10 I've owned I wouldn't brag on any. And yes, I do know that they can be improved with a bit of work, but so can most anything. You actually CAN make a silk purse from a sow's ear if you put enough time, effort and money into it but why bother. I know the Handi has something of a cult following on this forum but when I said you can't compare a Handi to a Ruger #1 I sure never imagined anyone would take exception to that statement. How would you compare then?
The Handi is an OK truck, beater, loaner gun, built cheap to sell cheap and that is all there is to say about them.

4570FAN · « **Reply #25 on:** March 20, 2007, 03:00:18 PM »

COYOTEJOE:

I'm not going to disagree with your opinions or subject you to my own, but if you have been so unhappy with the quality/function of H&R firearms, why have you had so many?

Including the recent purchase of one for your wife?

4570FAN

coyotejoe · « **Reply #26 on:** March 21, 2007, 05:13:39 AM »

Because, like a lot of people, I'm cheap. I enjoy the experience of working with a new gun, building loads and working out the bugs, once that is done I tend to sell or trade it off and get something else to work with for a while. If I had kept the first half dozen guns I owned back in the sixties, they would have met all my needs to this day. But instead, I have bought sold and traded through hundreds of guns and have had a lot of fun while gaining a lot of experience with a lot of guns.
For the record, I am not opposed to the H&R or NEF guns, but I know what they are and what they are not. And I stand by my statement that they work, more or less and most of the time. They can be made to work better but they can not be made into a quality gun, the basis is just not there.
As to why I bought the NEF superlight for the wife-- she complained about the weight and the recoil of my M-70 featherweight 6.5x55 and the superlight in .243 is the lightest rifle in the least recoiling caliber legal for deer. In reality I know she will probably never actually shoot a deer so I had no desire to spend a thousand dollars on a custom rifle just to sit in the rack and the Handi is-- you guessed it---- cheap!
I had no intention of running down the Handi, but two people asked so I answered, now you have asked so I answered again.

S.S. · « **Reply #27 on:** March 21, 2007, 07:08:30 AM »

The handi fits the Niche it was created for very well..
I can not afford a Ruger #1 as many people can not so I have
a nice old H&R model 158 Topper, A Shikari and several scatterguns too.
They may not be the prettiest in the contest, but they have
always done what I asked of them. I can't complain a bit from the
service I have gotten from them.

superdown · « **Reply #28 on:** March 21, 2007, 08:27:31 AM »

hi guys just want to add my $.02 i have both handis and ruger #1 45-70 i like both extremley well but no one can deny the superior fit and finish of the ruger over the handi never had any misfires with either one or other malfuctions of any kind ever now that i think about it. personaly if i where to buy only one it would the the ruger#1 . because like its been said many times before lifes to short to hunt with an ugly gun. p.s. i see more handi purchases in the future

thanx,superdown

4570FAN · « **Reply #29 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:29:20 AM »

CoyoteJoe:

That was exactly the response I was hoping to hear. I agree with you 100%!

Poll

Which 45-70 chambered rifle do you prefer? Why?

Author Topic: Best 4570 rifle? Just Curious (Read 8341 times)

Swampman