45-70: 5 Reasons You Need One And 3 Reasons You Don't 

In 2005 our father sold his Vietnam era Colt AR and bought a "Quigley" Sharps in 45-70. We thought he was making a mistake but he taught himself to smelt and cast bullets and load and shoot black powder cartridges and became very proficient at 500 yards. (This isn't much to most people but due to nerve damage he had bad tremors so for a shaking person he did quite well. Some of his shooting is on my meager channel). Always humble, he would always attribute his hits to "I got lucky". 🙂 Dad had more fun with that Sharps than with any gun he ever owned. I loved watching him shoot and then we would drive out in the field and look at the hit-marks on the disc blade, and look for and pick up mushroomed slugs for re-smelting. By 2018 Dad declined to the point he couldn't shoot anymore and transitioned to watching shooting channels on RU-vid, particularly Hickok 45 (his favorite) and sharing them with me. My hope was that he would shoot his 45-70 again someday, and until then I oiled up all of his dies and reloading equipment for storage until then. But it wasn't meant to be. He left us in April of 2021. I now have his Sharps and everything needed to cast bullets and load for it. He must have planned on shooting for a long time, because his stockpile included a brick of primers, hundreds of new and used shell casings, half of a 5 gallon pail of cast bullets, about 150 loaded rounds, nine pounds of black powder, and what I estimate to be around 400 pounds of lead, including 60 feet of two inch diameter lead water pipe. (Being a plumber must have been a PITA back then!). I have never fired his 45-70 since he died and have done nothing with the reloading equipment. It's been so long since I watched him cast and load that I am clueless now. But it's just as well. That was his thing, and it would almost feel like sacrilege to shoot that Sharps in his stead. But Watching this video reminded me of how much fun it is to shoot the 45-70 and how much fun Dad had, and I watching him. Thanks for posting this video and bringing back good memories.

I want a Guide Gun. No real reason; I just want one.

I've been shooting a Marlin 1895 with the original scope, 4X Redfield Tracker, that I had mounted roughly 40yrs ago and I never once had the zero changed and the accuracy is always spot on. I'll never give this gun up.

You are so correct. Most of us don't need a 45-70. But we do need a lever action in our collection. And that's exactly why I purchased my Henry 45-70.

The .22 short is the oldest metallic cartridge in the USA, having been developed by S&W back in 1856/7.

Best reason was during my gun exams, the instructor said "the 45-70 is for when there's a burglar hiding behind the fridge. In your neighbors house".

I always have a few 45-70 rifles in my collection. I have shot 10s of thousands of rounds out of them. I’ve owned trapdoors, ruger number ones and three’s, marlins, Winchesters, H&R handi rifles, rolling blocks, high wall, contender rifle and hand guns. I’ve shot grizzly bear, Yukon Alaska moose, black bear and even a coyote with them. All worked perfectly. I’ve punched a lot of paper and shot a lot of silhouettes. I’ve shot more 45-70 rounds than any other centre fire so far in my life. This has been my favourite round for many years.

Great choice for those who reload. The rimmed straight-wall design makes reloads a snap. The variety of bullet weights, primers and powders that work with the big 45 are cool too. Everything from .44 Mag ballistics to elephant-gun ballistics.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, brush guns are an important tool, especially in the Cascades or Coast Range. There is very little that can compete with the .45-70 in the brush. As to recoil, I find the .45-70 to be more tolerable than the .30-06. Yes, it has twice the measurable recoil, but it's a slower push than any shouldered cartridge. Someone explained to me that the sharper the shoulder angle, the gentler the perceived recoil will be. The examples he gave were the .375 H&H compared to the .375 Weatherby. They measure nearly identical, but the Weatherby will leave you feeling bruised after fewer rounds. And yes, the .45-70 is my favorite hunting round. It doesn't deflect in the brush and you're not likely to have to track a wounded animal after you hit it.

For one of the oldest metallic cartridges still in production, the .45-70 is just awesome. Biggest drawback is the cost of the ammo so reloading is a must, but you can load them in so many setups so you can make about any load you want. A hand die loading kit is out there, and it's like the flintstones loading cases with a hammer but it's easy and works. Shooting it is interesting, to me it was like a 12ga magnum shotgun push with the sharpness of a .30-06. Pushing around 400 grains lead, it's a beast and damn is it fun. If your shoulder has been broken or damaged at sometime in your life, shooting this will hurt. Just one of those rifles you need to shoot sometime in your life just to feel that power.

My best reason for the 45-70 is I hate extracting dead deer from wild rose underbrush which dominates my property. A deer that moves 5 feet from where it is shot is the exception with the 45-70. Mine is a Siamese 98 Mauser with a 24 inch Shaw barrel, which can take any reasonable load and weighs enough that my shoulder doesn't mind. As for cost of reloading, I use about 20 cartridges a year, so cost really isn't an issue. I've got lots of little pip squeak guns for range plinking and save the 45-70 for collecting freezer meat.

Reason number 1 for a 45-70 is it is a great car stopper.

My dad had a top shelf Marlin lever action in 444 Marlin and i hand loaded all the rounds. It definitely was no slouch when it came to down range devastation 😅!

I bought 2 boxes of 300 gr JHP for $108. I was so surprised to see it on a shelf I didn’t care about the price till later.

big fan of the 5 reasons to get it and the 3 not to, dont see many review style videos in this format and i really enjoyed it. most reviews always say you gotta have it or its garbage I really like seeing someone weigh out pros and cons that are user specific.

Here is why I don't need a 45-70, because I have a Henry Big Boy in 45 colt. It's cheaper to fire. I can shoot cowboy loads all day with almost no recoil. I can shoot standard loads for more power such as hog or deer with light recoil. I can shoot Buffalo Bore, Underwood 45 colt +P for some kick in your pants power with manageable recoil to deliver over 2000 ft/lbs of energy, more than enough juice to kill anything in North America, oh yeah it holds 10+1. So no, I don't need a 45-70, but I got one anyways.

I love the "oh yeah" every single time you cycle the action on the lever gun lol.

.444 Marlin would be my go to for a large caliber lever. With that said I'll stick to my .35 rem and .300 savage

if you get a 45-70 learn to reload and its very easy.

I have a Remlin 1895 in 45-70. I must have been lucky when I bought it. Aside from the checkering being a little light and uneven, I’m very pleased with it. Accuracy is amazing. Function is perfect. Recoil is a little stiff but manageable. This piece has a permanent home here. It rounded out my lever collection. 22 LR, 30-30 Win, 35 Rem, .308 Win, 357 Mag and 300 WSM are all represented. No scientific reason to own them. I just love the looks and feel of a lever gun.

I have some 45/70s and love them. I have several lever actions and absolutely LOVE them all.

THE VIDEO IS VERY WELL DONE. I USED TO HAVE A HENRY ALL WEATHER IN 45/70 WITH A BUSHNELL TROPHY XLT 3-9X40 SCOPE WITH THE DOA RETICLE.

Absolutely LOVE my 45/70. Arguably the most versatile rifle out there. My .308 is a close second.

I love my 45-70. It was my first rifle. And it is an absolute blast.

Yay, great to see fellow West Aussies Mark & Sam here, what total long shot legends :):) 7.42

The 45-70 is to the cartridge world what the CH-47 and CH-53s are to the military rotor wing world. They're big, bulky, powerful, and old as hell, but simply cannot be completely replaced if you just need something that will always effectively get the job done.

Your Presentation, Data and Demonstration are on point! You got a new subscriber

Here is another reason FOR: in many states the .45-70 qualifies as a "primitive weapon" and can be used in black powder deer season which is nice if you need a quick follow up shot.

This rifle has lots of power ru-vid.comUgkxQt2uORDRfFOVSrO4idv4B90ThT6EOnEL , hard recoil and a little heavier than expected which affects accuracy, especially when firing freehand or hunting small game. Really rough on sites, as it often moves inside mounting rings. Replaced sight with a UTG Bugbuster, which required medium height mounting rings, but improved accuracy while sighting in as shown in attached photo, at 20 yards using Gamo Match Diablo pellets at 7.56 grain. Nonetheless, I am still trying to figure out where to install the mounting rings on the scope to avoid it from sliding around, as it becomes misaligned after about 50 or 60 shots. Currently considering using heavier pellets at about 9 grain with different tips like the H&N Baracuda Hunter Extreme or the Crosman Ultra Magnum to see if accuracy improves. Overall, I am having lots of fun with this rifle.

Awesome videos. I never miss them I have learned a lot. I have a 45-70 Thonpsom Encore. It's a handful.

The 45/70 is a great cartridge and I handload, I also have a Marlin 1895 built in the mid 90's. Back in the day ammo was reasonable and I got the rifle from a relative so I was ahead of the game. Over the years ammo has gone out of sight and I hung the Marlin up but I missed the "Big Bore" for my woods hunting. I came along a Rossi R92 lever gun in 454 Casull 12 years ago and snapped it up. A stainless model with a 20" barrel it was awesome and I found unless I was shooting bullets over 300 grains it would outshoot the 45/70. That 454 with 255gr SWC Laser Cast bullets or the 240gr Hornady XTP Mag, the 20" barrel and Ramshot Enforcer put them out at 2400fps which pretty much matched the 45/70 but it 's trajectory was much flatter. The best part was with a home cast Lee 452-200-RF powder coated bullets and a small charge of Titegroup or AA5744 powder it makes for low recoil, cheap, fun lever gun shooting with the most expansive part being the primer.

Nice summary. My 45/70 is an older JM Marlin 1895 'Cowboy, 26" octagon bl. I handload using my own cast 350 gr lead bullet over a duplex, blk pdr & smokeless recipe. As far as old cartridges still with us and the most fired every single year, that honor goes to the .22 rimfire, dating back to 1871.

I'm fortunate enough to own four. A Pedersoli trapdoor, Winchester Hi Wall and 1886, and a Marlin 1895. Love them all, but John Browning's first lever gun the 1886 is my favorite.

Now I know more about this round! I always thought that they were only black powder rounds. Thanks for a very informative video!!

In Canada, now I do need a 45-70!

Been shooting an 1873 Springfield Trapdoor in 45-70 for years. Best all around cartridge for anything I do from targets to hunting.

the drop on the 45-70 is actually a benefit. it makes it a very good short-medium range round.... without the fear that the rounds going to keep going for 100's of rounds past the target if you miss. While you always want to be safe, and never shoot in a dangerous manner, knowing the round will bury itself in general, at 1000 yard, unless you are lobbing the bullet, means you don't have the same fear with flatter firing bullets, of accidently hitting something really far away.

I found an expensive and slightly painful way to get over the 45-70 recoil. Shoot 5 rounds of 45-110 several minutes before shooting the 45-70. If you have never tried the 45-110 I highly recommend trying it once, or twice if you have a good shoulder cushion!

Thanks for your great video. Very educational and engaging. Blessings 😊

Thanks again, Raymond.

Another great video . Great edit

I was considering buying a 45-70 for the power vs my marlin 30-30 but not to say its a bad weapon or cartridge after seeing this video I can see it isn’t for me. Thank you for the information. For anyone wanting a lever action seeing the 45-70 not being for you, my personal recommendation in the Marlin 336 chambered in 30-30 I believe it offers the best in power and range

Just got a Henry 45-70 side gate for my birthday can't wait to try it

As a reloader, it's a dream cartridge...with Trail Boss powder and really cheap bulk lead bullets...you can shoot all day long...and still have an awesome hard hitting satisfying whack on metal swingers. Bonus is the wife and kids can easily shoot those loads too. Then when you want hard hitting power, you can load it way above most factory loads ( In newer, stronger firearms ) and some really heavy hard cast beast mode bullets and it will take large and/or dangerous game. It's my favorite by a longshot.

Nice video. Check into the .45-70 when it was tested for the U.S. Calvary. If I remember correctly the round traveled 3200 yards and hit intended target which was a huge piece of pine board. This was a 28 second in flight muzzle to target shot. Testing was done along with Jersey Coast. The best reason to own a .45-70 is saying .45-70 government. Some more that amuse me are .32-20 ,25-20, 30-40 Krag, and my all time favorite 6.5 - 284 Norma ! 👋🤣

I have a Marlin (Remlin) 1895CB with the 26” octagon barrel and it’s my favourite in the collection. Got it as an engagement present from my wife after I proposed; it is very special to me and a beautiful rifle.

Dude, I love your gun channel, but your VOICE is so great - you should have an audiobook channel too!

I have a M92 and two 45-70s an 1873 made around 1876 and a Remington Rolling Block Target Rifle. I reload 70 grns over a Winchester primer in Starline Brass, a thin cardboard wad and a grease cookie a hollow base 405 grain paper patched bullet. I love them, deer haven't complained with a shoulder shot they just drop dead

I use a .350 legend for whitetail deer, they get a heart/lung shot and run 75-100 yards good thing it is "open" woods... Thinking of using my 45-70 in the future, i.e. Stop, Drop, and Roll. Great video!!

I run the Hornady ballistic tip through my 45-70 and it's a badass round and super accurate and I love it by far the funnest gun I own

I have a Buffalo Classic 45-70 with a 36" BBL. What sold me was when I shot at a dead tree stump nearly 2 feet in diameter with a 350 grain hardcast bullet. It blasted right out the back side! Every time! Incredible penetration. Just as an aside, 300 yds is a walk in the park for my gun. And I haven't even tried the good bullets yet.

For my birthday, my dad gave me his 1895gs. It had barely been shot, and it was in perfect shape. He got it after an incident hunting where a bear surprised him, but the recoil was too uncomfortable for him and his friends, so he stuck to his 44 mag revolver. I took it to the range and had so much fun shooting it. It wasn't until I got home that I saw the bruise. Wish the ammo was cheaper so I can afford to take it out more.

If you load with trail boss powder it is very comfortable to shoot.

The sheer sonic blast generated will also , esp when you miss, scare the crap out of what/who you are shooting at. BOOM. A handy feature.

Awesome video-thanks!

I once shot a box of 45-70 in a tee shirt. It was a Model 1884. It left a black and blue the size of two hands.

45-70 Gov't. Definitely a favorite of mine. I own a Marlin Guide Gun. Super accurate. And, yes, a very reloading friendly cartridge. Enjoyed the video.

I have a H&R Buffalo Classic 32" barrel in 45-70 . Barrel ported by Mag-N-Port , stock cut to fit me with a Pachmayr White line recoil pad. Trigger worked and rear stock is packed with #9 led shot and a Nikon Pro staff scope on top. tips the scale at 10.2 Lb Hand loads are Barnes 250 Gr TSX bullets using Star brass , CCI primers. IMR 4227 at 51.4 Gr. This rifle is -0- at 200 yards and groups 1 1/2 " at that distance. Getting very low on the Barnes TSX 250 Gr. bullets and cannot find any on line.

I bought a Henry 45/70 two years ago because I just wanted one! My first trigger pull made me think I made a mistake...I think I lost three fillings (😉)...however, after running a box of ammo through it, I'm hooked. I absolutely love that rifle...great in farm country for whitetails!

The movie Wind River used this weapon as well.

45-70 is the guy she told you not to worry about..

Interesting video. Thanks. Believe it or not, I once saw a Derringer chambered in 45-70.

Very informative video!

I almost pissed my pants in Joy as the plate tore off..! I'ma Getin one 😁

Another reason is if you cast bullets it's a great for that and can make the cost really cheep my hunting load cost only around $.35 a round

I bought a 730 grain bullet mould from Cast Bullet Engineering in Australia. Use it suppressed in a .458 mag

Thanks. I needed that.

People keep talking about how the 45-70 shouldn't be considered a long range round... It was and still is.

My wife loves her 45-70....the first time she destroyed my target stands she fell for the rifle.

Love lever actions. I own a Marlin 22magnum lever and love it, however... Henry side gate in 45-70 is my next purchase especially with the brass receiver, such a beautiful gun.

really enjoyable video. love the intro.

The only government that I trust.

Been hunting with my 45/70 for a very long time. Many bears, bison, deer, and hogs taken with this setup. Been running a 2x fixed scope last couple years and holds zero very well. Handloads of hard cast at 1700 FPS 405g are all I have ever used.

I've wanted one since reading a Field and Stream article about the cartridge. Then the convergence of seeing the Marlin at a gun show and having the money had me putting it in my truck.

I have a Remington rolling block in .45-70, built on an original 1870's vintage Egyptian contract action. 30" half-octagon barrel. I also have a Siamese Mauser action I plan to have built into a .45-70. The cartridge can be loaded to low-level .458 Winchester magnum power for the Siamese action, though I don't plan to do it (I want to be able to use the same ammo I use in the Remington). Incidentally, the .44-40 Winchester is still being used and produced (along with the ,45 Colt and .45-70). It is most popular among cowboy action shooters, though it is still a viable short range deer cartridge.

The winner is…..the 22lr!!😂

It was pretty awesome to see the .45 ACP swing the plate just as much as a .223

Dude's gotta hellofa voice for radio! That's a compliment. 'makes these videos easy to listen to and watch. So *not one of those RU-vid electronic voices that drive us all crazy.

Very interesting, thank you.

I remember reading an article Col Boddingham wrote in G&A some years ago about his favorite bear cartridge. He shot a lot of bears in Canada and he stated even though the 300 Rem ultra mag and other cartridges that produced more foot pounds of energy than the 45-70, the bears he shot with the 45-70 seemed to react more when hit with the 45-70. He stated his load which was a 505gr hammerhead bullet, when it hit a large bear the bear’s shock factor was more, and the bears he took with the 45-70 did seem to drop much sooner. He stated that the Foot pounds of energy doesn’t necessarily make up for a huge chunk of lead, and he didn’t look at the energy chart as much after his experiences..

I think it would be useful to have a 45-70 in the arsenal. Never know when you might be accosted by a T-Rex or a grizzly bear.

Excellent video.

Good video and good comparison

When 45 70 went to $70.00 a box here in Canada, I sold mine. I really liked it, it was fun for heavy duty plinking, but I could not eat through that much money. I enjoy the 30 30 just as much, perhaps even more, I shoot the 30 30 better over time. So someone who might not mind the expensive ammo or a reloader can enjoy my old gun. I just was not using it enough.

444 Marlin is a better straight wall big bore cartridge in my opinion. Faster, flatter shooting and comparable energy.

I have had a Winchester 94 in 30-30 for 63 years also a Henry lever action 22 and a Winchester Miroku 1886 in 45-70 for a few years....I do love a lever gun....

I use a 45-70 Marlin CB in my scabbard, on my horse in the back country N.W. Wyoming and western Montana. Also carry a 375 win winchester XTR Big Bore,

Do I need one?? No. Do I have one??? No. I have four. Because......reasons.

The 50-110 is the king in a lever action rifle. Hand loads can produce over 6000 foot pounds of energy. 👍

I love my Marlin Guide Gun. But definitely got to handloads to get the best out of it.

Great advice but I must say my Ruger/Marlin 1895 SBL that only uses a ranger point precision muzzle break is actually pretty smooth and doesn't bother me when I shoot it or even my wife for that matter. Not just smooth for a 45/70 but smooth in general. Now I want to get my hands on a BFR 45/70 Revolver for some fun arthritis.

Great video thank you

So what you're saying is that I'm gonna be looking to buy one... great advice

thank you for this video!

Credit American love for lever action rifles. John Browning designed the Winchester 1886 lever action. First repeating rifle to use the 45-70. The lever action kept the cartridge alive

I definitely "lol" when that 45-70 threw that plate lol. Great video.

I love my 45-70 guide gun The hornady polymer tips are awesome Easy to handle, accurate, deadly That’s all I need

Fortunately my homestead has the potential for anything from a red stag to a buffalo, so I could use one. Settled for a 450 bm bolt action, even better these critters are considered ferals out here. Hallelujah, God been good to me!

When it comes down to it i wanted a lever action so I figured might as well get the biggest one they make

Thanks for showing me that that's pretty cool