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Author Topic: Contender 45/70 Carbine  (Read 941 times)

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Offline Alan4620

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« on: June 23, 2005, 10:16:25 AM »
Anyone out there shoot a 45/70 carbine? I am moving out West where Bears live and I figure I need a little bigger caliber than I have.

Just how hard to control is this barrel? Will I want a muzzle break of some sorts? Is recoil as hard  as I fear?

Any pet loads to share?

Thanks
Alan :D
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Offline Redhawk1

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2005, 10:52:37 AM »
One thing nice about a 45-70 is, you can load it to lower levels and not have a lot of recoil but still enough power to get the job done. Also you can load it too where it hurts on both ends.  :D  The best thing to do is find a load that works well in your gun. A muzzle break would help with the upper loads but can be used with or without it, depending on if you are recoil sensitive or just don't like the recoil.  :D
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Offline Lone Star

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2005, 11:10:03 AM »
I have a handful of .45-70s, and one of my favorites is the Contender carbine.  Outfitted with laminated stocks and the factory brake it is not bad with the 405 factory loads, but it gets your attention with hot (but Contender-safe) loads.  I hunt with 300 Hornadys at about 1700 fps and it is a handful off the bench.  For plinking I use 405 Remingtons over 17 grains of BlueDot.  Very low recoil and report, but it still gets 1050 fps, plenty to kill a deer with....
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Offline throttleman

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2005, 05:05:00 AM »
I have a G2 carbine in .45-70 through which I have only fired 300 and 405 grain factory loads.  The main response I get when firing it is a lot of muzzle jump.  The recoil is not painful, but the muzzle certainly rises.  Seems to me that the 300's at about 1880 fps cause more flip than the 405's at about 1300 fps.  It is a very neat gun/caliber to shoot, and I would recommend it.  Have fun. :grin:
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Offline Lone Star

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2005, 08:53:56 AM »
While factory 300-grain ammo is listed at 1880 fps, that is in a long rifle barrel.  Federal 300s chrono 1613 in my carbine barrel.  Shooting Times (Feb 1999) got between 1515 and 1556 fps with factory 300-grain ammo in their Super 16.

No surprise at the difference in recoil between the 300s and the 405s.  From the Shooting Times data:

Federal 300 = 1556 fsp/1613 fpe
Rem 405 gr = 1186 fps/1265 fpe.
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Offline poncaguy

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2005, 09:22:59 AM »
Would the 405's have less recoil? I have a bad right shoulder now, and my 22" Handi 45-70 is really punishing me now with the 300's.... :(
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Offline Redhawk1

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2005, 09:54:33 AM »
Quote from: poncaguy
Would the 405's have less recoil? I have a bad right shoulder now, and my 22" Handi 45-70 is really punishing me now with the 300's.... :(


The 405 would have more recoil. Even when loaded with less powder the heavier bullets kick more.  :D
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Offline poncaguy

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2005, 10:02:09 AM »
what I thot, guess I'll learn to shoot my Handi left handed for a while............
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Offline crow_feather

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2005, 07:17:06 PM »
If you are looking for bear protection in the west, I would choose the bullet with more caution than the caliber.  You need penetration and knock down power.  I would suggest the nosler bullet and shoot it as fast as you can manage with a bad shoulder if you have to shoot the 45-70.  If you are defending yourself from a bear, your shoulder is the least of your worries, and I doubt you will feel any pain at the shot.

C F
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Offline Lone Star

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Contender 45/70 Carbine
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2005, 01:27:32 AM »
Quote
Would the 405's have less recoil?
In factory loadings the 405 kicks less than the 300, at lest it does in my carbine.   The 300s are loaded to somewhat higher energy levels, so if you are using factory ammo try the 405s for less recoil.  If you handload, try 14 grains of Unique or 17 grains of BlueDot behind a 400-405; velocity is 1053 fps with the latter, and recoil is very mild with either.
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