AJ Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 The .45-70 Government loaded with a 405 grain bullet was introduced in 1873, when it became the official U.S. military cartridge. It was initially chambered in the military Model 1873 Springfield (Trapdoor) single shot rifle. The old fashioned nomenclature stood for .45 caliber loaded with 70 grains of black powder. There was also a .45-70 loaded with a 500 grain bullet. Soon, many superior hunting and target style single shot rifles were being chambered for the .45-70. One of the most famous was the Sharps. The .45-70 had served duty as the official U.S. military cartridge from 1873 until 1892. Winchester chambered their powerful Model 1886 lever action rifle for the .45-70, giving the cartridge a home in a popular repeater, which carried it well into the 20th century. The late gun writer Elmer Keith, being a fan of large caliber guns with heavy bullets, wrote many kind words about the old .45-70 during his long career. He helped to keep it alive through the 1930's, 40's, and 50's. A common custom conversion using surplus Siamese Mauser bolt action rifles being rechambered for .45-70 also helped keep the cartridge alive. The modern resurgence of interest in single shot rifles was initially sparked by the introduction of the Ruger No. 1. The subsequent introductions of the Browning 1885 High Wall, a number of Trap Door Springfield reproductions, and Sharps rifle reproductions helped fan the flames. Marlin revived the .45-70 in 1972 by offering it in a variation of the Model 336 called Model 1895. It became a popular rifle for deep woods hunters that hunted large game in close range, dense woods. In the late 1990's, Winchester reintroduced the Model 1886 lever action in .45-70. The advent of powerful repeating rifles in .45-70 gave the cartridge a major boost in popularity. The .45-70 was alive and well. In 1998 Remington reintroduced the single shot No. 1 Rolling Block rifle. A couple of modern double rifles are being chambered for .45-70. Even some single shot pistols and one enormous derringer are chambered for the old cartridge. Presently, the 45-70 is available in more new guns than it has been for about 85 years. The .45-70 has made the most remarkable comeback in cartridge history. The .45-70 cartridge is built on a straight walled case with a moderate .0255" of body taper. It is a rimmed cartridge that spawned other bigger versions of the cartridge including the .45-90, .45-110, and .45-120. The same concept was carried up and down in calibers with .40 caliber and .50 caliber cartridges. The .45-70 is one of the oldest centerfire cartridges still being loaded by U.S. ammunition manufacturers and the .45-70 is the oldest centerfire cartridge still being chambered in modern rifles. Factory loaded ammo is available from Federal, Remington, Winchester, PMC, Buffalo Bore, and Cor-Bon. Since there is a wide range of firearms that are chambered for the .45-70, there have been 3 distinctive levels of ammunition designed. The lowest pressure loads are for 1873 Springfield rifles, Springfield reproductions, and other rifles of similar strength. These loads are held to pressures of 25,000 cup, which is very similar to the original black powder loads for which these rifles were designed. Modern factory loads are intended to be safe in these rifles. The traditional factory load is a 405 grain bullet at 1330 fps, with 1590 ft. lbs of energy. This is a very moderate load that kills well because of the penetration of its big, heavy bullet. In order to get better ballistics ammo manufacturers use a 300 grain bullet with velocity around 1800 fps. This gives just under 2200 ft lbs of energy. Ballistics for the 300 grain load is 1” high at 50 yards, zero at 100 yards, and 5” low at 150 yards. This load is still carrying over 1000 ft lbs of energy at 150 yards. The second level of ammo is designed for use in modern guns by Marlin, Winchester, New England Arms, Browning, Remington, and others of similar strength. The pressure level is bumped to 40,000 psi. Factory loaded ammo in this level is available from Cor Bon and Buffalo Bore. Loads in this level basically duplicate the performance in the new .450 Marlin cartridge. An example of this load with the 300 grain bullet traveling 2100 fps shooting 1” high at 50 yards is ¾” high at 100 yards, 2” low at 150 yards, and 9” low at 200 yards. This load has over 1100 ft lbs of energy at 200 yards. The third level of loads is designed for the Ruger Number 1 and Number 3 single shot rifle, the Browning Hi Wall, and the Siamese Mauser. The pressure level for these loads are 50,000 psi and are only available to reloaders. Loads at this stage are brutal on both ends of the gun. Recoil is fierce and this load can handle anything that walks on this earth. These loads can launch a 350 grain bullet over 2100 fps with over 3500 ft lbs of energy. These loads shoot fairly flat with a trajectory of 1” high at 50 yards, 1” high at 100 yards, 1.5” low at 150 yards, and 7” low at 200 yards. This load is still carrying almost 1800 ft lbs of energy at 200 yards. Combine the high energy levels with the large frontal diameter of the bullet, and it spells critter stopper. The .45-70 is indeed a grand old cartridge that will hopefully be around for another century. It was very popular and effective for big game as designed, but modern technology has allowed reloaders and ammo manufacturers to take the old cartridge to another level. The nice thing about this cartridge is its versatility. If you have a modern strong rifle, you can feed it high end loads that will take anything in North America and most animals in Africa to light loads that are easier on the shooter but still effective on deer. [ 05-10-2003, 11:35 AM: Message edited by: AJ ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government Great info, AJ!!! The senior-citizen 45-70 may not stir up the mental images that some of the modern big game calibers do. And, although it may not make the ultimate sheep or antelope rig...........you'd be hard pressed to choose a better round for the typical whitetail and black bear application. You can almost bet that when I reach into the safe for a deer rifle, I'm reaching past the .300 mags, the .270, the .308 and a bunch of others. I'm grabbing the 1873 Trapdoor and a handful of 405 grainers!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archerjg Posted May 10, 2003 Report Share Posted May 10, 2003 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government That is good information AJ thanks for sharing. Archerjg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted May 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2003 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government I hear ya Akvisnet! It sure seems like that happens. how about if we whisper from now on while talking about the 45-70? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron buck Posted May 18, 2003 Report Share Posted May 18, 2003 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government When did they do that? The guide gun is on my "wish list". What problems was the porting causing? Or is just a cost issue from the factory? I have always liked the 45-70. I have had a few different rifles chambered for it. Another one I want is the Ruger #1S. The 45-70 is a great old round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted May 19, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government Marlin stopped offering it as standard equipment in 2003. Many shooters complained about the porting and they left if to the shooter. You can always send the gun to Magnaport and have the holes cut in the barrel, but once they are there, its hard to get rid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J_Owens_66 Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government I would like to own this cartridge in Ruger Number 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted February 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government You can make the bullets sing in a No. 1. It is a super strong gun that allows you to take advantage of the big cartridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest J_Owens_66 Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government What kind of ballistics would the 45-70 get with 250 Grain Barnes Spitzers? Wanting to get maximum fps, so i thought the 250 grain would be the way to go?> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bronco_mudder Posted February 25, 2005 Report Share Posted February 25, 2005 Re: COTW - .45-70 Government I love shooting my 45/70's. I have a trap door, wich I load 300 grainers with 40 grains of 3031. I also have a Ruger #1 stainless laminate, that I have loaded up to 53 grains of 4198 (I prefer 3031) with a 405 grain alaskan bullet. It produces incredible results on moose, as well as incredible recoil. Call me a wimp, but I had a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad installed, with the stock shortened to keep the legth of pull the same. I have bought a W.W. Greener Mark 3 Police gun action for my next project. It is a falling block like the typical Martini action. This will be turned into a 45/90 long range creedmoor rifle. I think it will be a great toy. Oh, yeah I just put that Ruger #1 up for sale in one of the local papers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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