Marlin 1895G 45-70 for deer?

[Guest BigNoise]

I know there are a few of you on here who praise the 45-70. I may be acquiring one here soon and I will use it primarily for deer hunting in the hills of west TN (Dickson,Stewart County). My question is, is this a good deer rifle? With the short barrel it looks kinda goofy, but I love compact guns. Also, any scope recommendations below the $200 mark?

Thanks,

Tyler

[roverboy]

I've never used a .45-70 but it would have to be awesome. I've always used something around .30 cal. like .30-30, .308, .30-06, and 8mm mauser. A good scope under $200 shouldn't be to hard to find. Some people don't like Nikon's, but you could probably get one under $200. Theres a lot of cheap scopes but I'm talking from experience. You can't really trust a lot of the Tasco, Simmons and a few others. Also the .45-70 in a lighter gun will get your attention when it goes off.

[Chris]

.45-70 is a great deer rifle... you'll want to upgrade the recoil pad, but it'll do the trick just fine. I really like it for hunting in heavy brush... a couple of branches between you and your target... simply not a problem.

[Curiousgb]

45-70 is a great deer rifle. Within its range it will kill anything on this or any other continent. It can be loaded from mild to wild. I have a 1895ss it is extremely accurate. I used irons but had a Leupold 2x7 on it.

It can also be used for Coyote.

[KahrMan]

45-70 is a fantastic round for deer. The Marlin 1895 is my favorite deer gun for hunting in the woods around here. Here is a pic of my 1895 with the barrel cut down to 16". Leverevolution makes a 325gr round that is a real thumper. Like Curious said, the 45-70 will take down anything in North America.

Here is buck I took with it

Edited December 1, 2010 by KahrMan

[Guest BigNoise]

I knew Kahrman liked the 45-70, thanks guys. I am not worried about knockdown, I guess more about functionality and range. But, most deer are taken within 70-100 yards anyway, and honestly with my 270 I don't even know about taking a 200+ yard shot.

[Curiousgb]

My 1895 will shoot one inch groups at 100 with no problem. With a properly sighted and practiced round I wouldn't have a problem out to 175 maybe 200. They did accuracy tests with the 45-70 in the 1800/1900 on Long Island and I think the range was something like 1800 yards. Of course it was more like an artillery round at that distance.

After the Sandy Hook tests of 1879, a new variation of the .45-70 cartridge was produced, the .45-70-500, which fired a heavier 500 grain (32.5 g) bullet. The heavier 500-grain (32 g) bullet produced significantly superior ballistics, and could reach ranges of 3,350 yards (3,120 m), which were beyond the maximum range of the .45-70-405. While the effective range of the .45-70 on individual targets was limited to about 1,000 yards (915 m) with either load, the heavier bullet would produce lethal injuries at 3,500 yards (3,200 m). At those ranges, the bullets struck point-first at roughly a 30 degree angle, penetrating 3 one inch (2.5 cm) thick oak boards, and then traveling to a depth of 8 inches (20 cm) into the sand of the Sandy Hook beach*. It was hoped the longer range of the .45-70-500 would allow effective volleyed fire at ranges beyond those normally expected of infantry fire.[5]

Edited December 1, 2010 by Curiousgb

[Guest GunTroll]

I've seen some football size exit holes on GA whitetail. 45-70 will kill with authority. Perhaps a bit over kill but to each there own. I have a Marlin 1895 cowboy that will one day see the hunting woods. I'm not a big fan of the 26" barrel on mine for around here though. Bought it for WY when I lived there. Have fun!

[Chris]

I've seen some football size exit holes on GA whitetail. 45-70 will kill with authority. Perhaps a bit over kill but to each there own. I

You don't have to worry about finding a blood trail or tracking the deer very far... they rarely make it more than fifty yards or so.

[gregintenn]

A 45-70 would make a fine deer rifle. There are actually a lot of different loads available for them, and the sky's the limit with what they're capable of if you handload. As for a scope, I'd recommend watching places such as ebay for a used M8 Leupold 4x. You can get one for less than $150. I feel they are the perfect scope. They also have a lifetime warranty. If anything is ever wrong with it, send it back and Leupolld will repair it free. It doesn't matter if you ran over it with your truck...they'll fix it.

[Curiousgb]

I forgot one thing about a scope on a 45-70. Make sure you have lots of eye relief.

[Guest Spurhunter]

I LOVED mine, I put a 2-7 Bushnell Elite on it, and shot everything from deer to hogs, and coyote's. The Leverevolution ammo is accurate and flat shooting, but VERY stout! I like the Federal powershock in 300gr HP. Will kill anything you shoot at. This is the ONLY rifle I regret selling, but needed money last year.

[Guest ADAM]

I loved mine for the fact you could shoot through brush if needed. I never put a scope on mine but at 100yds open site was not a problem.

[gregintenn]

PM me when you get it if you don't mind buying a used scope. I can probably send you something you'd like reasonable.

[Guest BigNoise]

What about finding ammo? I know wally world wouldn't have any, but can I find leverevolution at say BPS or GM?

[gregintenn]

I'm guessing they'll have 45-70 in stock. If not, your local dealer will have no trouble getting it.