45-70 Goverment recoil ????

[czvz]

I am considering getting a 45-70 Goverment  gun to serve as my "Deer Hunting retirement gun"  But Im concerned about the recoil.  I'm 47 years right now in reasonable health.  Will I be able to deal with the recoil of this bullet when I'm in my 60's?  I saw a cute little  light weight Marlin carbine in 45-70 but I am imagining the recoil would be horrendus... would a rifle version be a better choice for a Old Man in his 60's? Or is this bullet in any gun better suited for a younger man?

[nrb]

Why do you want/need the 45-70 ?  Hunting, target, plinking? My hardest recoiling rifles are lightweight 3006s. But for range use, a recoil pad and shoulder pad control the recoil well. For hunting, the recoil pad alone is enough for the 1 or 2 shots. Compare that recoil to what you get from a 12 gauge high brass or a 50cal front loader. When shooting a 12g for a sustained time (25 to 50 rounds) usually the recoil pad is enough.
For sustained range work, I generally shoot benchrest 22 rimfire or 222 or 223. If I want to shoot a lot of large caliber, I reload to MILD loads.
So get the 45-70 and work out the recoil problem. That is part of the fun.

best,     nrb

[czvz]

The reasons are nostalgia, uniqueness, my Grandfather had a 45-70 at one time so I feel I should get one.
I will mainly use it to hunt, also would be used casually for punching BIG holes in paper.

[Cheesehead]

I have a 45-70 in a full size Marlin 1895. If you reload, owning a 45-70 is a joy. I have used mine to shoot very large deer and for target competition, good times, regardless of age. The recoil is adjustable when hand loading. I have some Heavy hunting loads and very light target loadings.

Cheese

[45-70.gov]

the  older  i  get  the more  i like to  surround  myself  with  things  older  than  me

nothing  says  you can't get  a matching 30-30
or down  load  and  get  closer [when  your  old....wait for them to get closer]

[Badnews Bob]

.45-70s are great fun, most factory loads don't kick that much and by reloading you can do whatever you want. Git yourself one you'll like it.

[DC]

  Dude...60...old   I am 60 and shoot my Cowboy 45-70 with 400 gr. rounds at 1900 fps with no ill effect.  You make it sound like your body is going to fall apart on your 60th birthday. 
FYI, 60 is going to creep up on you faster than you think.  If you choose to stay reasonably fit, there is not reason you can't shoot any rifle into your 70's.  I also shoot a 375 H&H, 416 Rigby and a 458 Lott for fun.  It all a question of knowing how.

[BBF]

I just put 66 years on my odometer and have a Handi in 45-70. I do not enjoy shooting kickers anymore having had enough of them over the years.  The regular Factory ammo is mild. Handloads can go below that and a whole lot over  as well.  If you cast your own or buy them, there is a lot of low cost shooting available. Think of how many rounds you can send down range using as little as 13 gr of Trail Boss behind a 405 gr cast bullet at around 1000fps.

[Mad Dog]

Go ahead and get the .45-70.  You can load it from mild to wild.  On the lower recoiling stuff, if you can handle a 20 or 12 ga. with high brass loads, you got no issues with the .45-70.  I've killed hogs, a bear and african plains game with mine, and I have a few more things on the schedule, down the road.

Mad Dog

[robert4570]

  Dude...60...old   I am 60 and shoot my Cowboy 45-70 with 400 gr. rounds at 1900 fps with no ill effect.  You make it sound like your body is going to fall apart on your 60th birthday. 

FYI, 60 is going to creep up on you faster than you think.

Man dont say that , I'm 41 and seems like the last 20 went by too fast .
I remember 20 years ago thinkin..... man 40 is so old!!

I hope the next 20 go smooth so I can continue shootin my 1895's .

[Cottonwood]

Recoil?  What recoil ya talkin about?

[czvz]

O.K. my esteemed friends, I'm convinced... I will get one by next November... Which one?  What type of accuracy can I expect from the 1895 Guide gun vs the 1895 rifle?  Can the Carbine shoot minute of white tail out to 200 yards?  What is the going rate on the carbine and rifle?   
Thanx CZVZ

[A.J.]

IMHO  You don't have to buy a new one. I recently bought a very nice used one made in 1979. It's the classic with the 22" barrell and straight stock. The bluing was excellent, and the wood very good, but I refinished it anyway. It's nice to own a gun with a little history. I paid $400 for it delivered. I put an over-sized lever on it, and a Magnum Kick-Eez recoil pad for shooting the bad boy loads. I mounted a Pentax Gameseeker 1.75-5x22 scope on it with multiple reticles. At 3" high at 100 yards, the second reticle is dead on out to 200 with LE ammo. BTW, the scope is mounted in Warne Quick Release rings. I'm also planning on putting better open sights on it,  a full length magazine tube, a happy trigger (?), and having the action slicked up. The point is you can do as much or as little to one of these guns as you want.

[Mad Dog]

czvz,  go to some shops, and handle both.  Decide then, if you want a straight or pistol grip.  Don't know about minute of deer, but mine has done minute of hog out to 200 yds.

Seriously on the milder loads, I see know difference between the two.  Now if you were gonna shoot T Rex loads through it, the pistol grip will help control the recoil better on the wild loads.  JMHO.

Mad Dog

[BBF]

you can always get the rifle with the pistol grip( my choice) and have the barrel cut down to 19 inch or whatever.

[myronman3]

Man dont say that , I'm 41 and seems like the last 20 went by too fast .
I remember 20 years ago thinkin..... man 40 is so old!!

that hits home a little hard. within a few years, i will be 40 , and didnt stop to think that 60 is only twenty years more  than 40...until i read that!    

[victorcharlie]

Fellows, ain't but one way out, and no one here gets out alive.

40 or sixty, the end is the same for all.

[Ranger J]

I'm in my mid 60s and my 1895 rifle is the gun that I take hunting when I want to put venison in the freezer.  At 100 yards it will out shoot my 308 or 30-06.  If you get one you will want to reload as factory rounds can get rather expensive.  As to recoil I load mine at 'trapdoor' levels and have a Shooter's Friend recoil pad on it and when shooting at the range.   I also use a shoulder pad just as I do on my other 'large' rifles (anything larger than a 223) .  I have passed the age when I had to prove to anyone including myself how much pain I can stand.   Almost anyone who has a 45/70 loves it.

RJ

[swordfish]

CZVZ, I have (2) Marlin 1895 45-70's. 1895 G and 1895 CB.
To me the recoil is more of a push than a kick. When hunting with them I never remember the "kick," I'm too focused on the shot and game once the shot is made. Thus for hunting I see no reason not to use one, unless shot is over 200 yds. 90% of my hunting shots are within 200 yds, and most of them are within 100 yds.
At the range I notice the "kick," but unless I'm shooting over 100 rounds it's nothing to worry about. If you are a slight person with less mussel or fat content in you upper body you will feel it more I'm sure.

The thing about these 45-70's, is that they are just so damn fun to shoot. Get yourself a good used one and it will never loose it's value, you'll be able to get your money right back if you don't like it and choose to sell it.
The 1895 CB has become my favorite rifle to shoot, and believe me when I say I have a large collection to choose from.
The one down fall is the price of store bought ammo.
Hope that helps.

[Cheesehead]

I shot some 405 grain factory ammo in a Ruger #3. It was my buddies gun and he traded it for a 25-06. More recoil than we anticipated.

Cheese

[45-70.gov]

where does  that   extra  5g  come  from?
why  not an even 400g?

[Cheesehead]

That is just the way Remington does it, but that is a good question.

Cheese

[Lloyd Smale]

#3s are hard kicking little buggers. I always tell people the hardest kicking rifle i ever shot was a #3 4570. It had some heavy marlin level plus loads and would put tears in your eyes. Even with factory ammo they will let you know you shot something.

I shot some 405 grain factory ammo in a Ruger #3. It was my buddies gun and he traded it for a 25-06. More recoil than we anticipated.

Cheese

[Cheesehead]

We took that #3 to a gun shop for trading in. The gun shop owner looked at us and grinned and said, "does it kick to hard for ya".

Cheese

[OSOK]

I have shot a 22" Handi, and own a 32" Buffalo Clasic. With factory ammo I would compare them to a 20 ga. Handi. Recoil from a .45-70 is like recoil from a .45 acp...a push and roll instead of the sharp crack and slap with other rounds. Handle both and get the one that feels right...you'll love the .45-70!

[AtlLaw]

Will I be able to deal with the recoil of this bullet when I'm in my 60's?

Hummmmm, I'm 63, just shot deer #2 this year with a stiff 45/70 load out a my Handi and it ain't even got no sissy pad on it.  What recoil?    

Or is this bullet in any gun better suited for a younger man?

You beginnin to get on my nerves boy...       A little push on the shoulder scare you there young 'un?   

a Old Man in his 60's?

   Now you done gone and done it!     I'll show your butt some "old man!"  Hold me back boys or I'll hunt him down like a dog!! 

 

[Blackhawker]

where does  that   extra  5g  come  from?
why  not an even 400g?

I may be way off on this but I think the original military use of the 45-70 is where the 405 came from.  I think maybe they measured the weight of the bullet in ounces or grams or something and the number of ounces (24 or 25..whatever) ended up translating to 405 grains.  Either that or the casting dies they used ended up with the given volume of lead weighing in at 405 grains.  Again, I may be way off on this.  I do know that they originally called the 45-70 a 45-70-405 and the 500 grain rounds were 45-70-500. 

There is a bit of history of the cartridge given on Wikipedia (if you believe everything written there)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45-70_Government

[burntpowder]

I'm 63 and have two 45-70's, a Marlin 1895 I bought new in the mid 70's and a Ruger #1 ss I picked up about age 60. Nailed an elk with the Marlin using a 300gr soft point loaded to about 2,000fps. The guy who processed the animal asked what I did to it, it had a broken nose and dislocated lower jaw. (did I mention it was exiting Lincoln County at a dead run when I shot it) He landed on his nose and slid to a stop behind me. As the others have mentioned, reloading is the way to manage recoil, but I don't find it to be too bad. I sold my 700BDL 7mm Rem Mag a few months ago because it started to cause my eyes to water when I put several rounds through it at the range, but the 45-70's are fun to shoot!! Have fun with yours!!

[deernhog]

To the best of my knowledge the original .45-70 was a 500 grn bullet shooting around 1000 fps with the full length rifle, when loaded in the carbine the recoil was brutal so they loaded a 405 grn round for it. It shot around the 1100 -1200 fps and was less recoil. I shoot my 1895 Marlin Cowboy with the 405 grn LRN bullets at around 1475 fps. It doesn't kick any harder than a 30-06 too me. Now those 300 grn dudes will tear up some deer flesh but they don't punish you in my rifle. I have loaded Speer bullets and they are 400 grn jacketed

[nebrguy]

The original 1873 bullet weight was 405 grs. It was loaded with 70 grs. of black, and later, 55 grs. for carbine armed cavalry. In 1879, the army began testing the 500 gr. bullet load and it was adopted for use in August, 1882.
  CZVZ, I'm 51 and have been shooting  the beloved & grand 'ol 45-70 for years. As others have suggested, keep loads light and you will enjoy it more afield. I load mine these days with a 405 gr. bullet at original  rifle velocity levels ( which was 1330 fps ) .  They are reasonably mild from an 8 lb. rifle, very accurate, and make quick whitetail stoppers.  I have  harvested 7 deer with a 45-70, the last being  a buck last month.   One does not need  the punishing, thermo-nuclear loads you read & hear about being loaded for 45-70 to be effective in the deer hunting arena .  If interested, email me for load recipes. Best of luck.