[Andrew Wyatt]

Has anyone had any experiences with the Gibbs rifle company enfield number4 mk1 chambered in .45-70?


I'm considering getting one and would like to know about it before i buy.

[Sir Galahad]

I handled one a couple days ago. The buttstock is tiny and no recoil pad. So you can imagine a huge wallop on a small part of your shoulder. Compare to a Marlin which has a normal size buttstock and a recoil pad and still packs a healthy punch. (Eight shots from a Marlin will raise a nice bruise; imagine what the Gibbs will do.) The mag has been made. The sights are nothing to write home about. If I were to choose between a Gibbs and a Marlin, I'd take the Marlin hands down. Also, the wrist is very thin on the Gibbs. I can foresee cracks in the stock at the wrist after a number of shots. The Marlin is also the only one rated for high performers like Buffalo Bore of the two. If you're looking for a .45/70 repeater, Marlin is the way to go.

[Andrew Wyatt]

Aye. I shoudl have said I'm not very interested in the really high powered .45-70 rounds.



What kind of sights does it have, and did they eliminate the original rear sight base?

[Gewehr98]

Since it's inletted and inserted into the buttsocket of the receiver, as opposed to a one-piece stock on a Siamese Mauser. Look how well the .45-70 Ruger #1's do with their diet of heavy loads, and they run a 2-piece stock.

I wouldn't, however, run sooper-dooper Ruger #1/Siamese Mauser .45-70 loads in that Gibbs Lee-Enfield conversion. It's still a rear-locking action, keep the pressures down there in the .303 British range and the rifle will stay in one piece longer than you. :D

[Detritus]

45/70 in a short, light, bolt action = PAIN, bad idea, and with the existing Marlin guide gun type 45/70s an unneeded solution to the "handy rifle with a big punch" problem.


the sumit carbine is a marketing ploy not a truly useful gun. it's up there with the freedom arms ans similar 45-70 revolvers. and my even be in the same class as that insane single action six-shooter that some joker made up in 30-06!!

maybe the thing was made for those who liked the Remington-keene concept of a 45-70 bolt gun i don't know but the mere thought of that round in a rifle that light OR a stock that narrow much less both at the same time is painful!!

if you want a nice short handy 45-70 get one of the carbine length Marlin guns. the gibbs while intriguing is not exactly a gun most folks will find comfortabel to shoot.

[Sir Galahad]

The stock on the Gibbs looks smaller than a Lee Enfield stock. I remember the Enfield stock being bigger. I could be wrong. But you're still going to get a helluva wallop even from mild Cowboy action shooting rounds.

Hey, Andrew, where in Bakersfield you at? I used to live near Monterey and Baker and then over on Sunset. Used to work at Electropower if you now where that's at.

[Gewehr98]

My tax return is going for a Magnum Research BFR (5-shot revolver) in .45-70, just as an aside. 405gr loads should be a lot of fun.

Bolt action .45-70's don't have to be painful to shoot. I'm finishing up my Siamese Mauser .45-70, and it won't hurt any worse than my Ruger #1S in the same chambering. And you don't have to always run sooper-dooper loads in the .458 Winchester Magnum velocities if you don't need to, that reduces the pain factor considerably.

[Andrew Wyatt]

I'm over by the corner of white lane and south H street.


I like the idea of a detachable magazine'd bolt gun in a big bore caliber, and I already have a number4 mk 1 (which is about the best not left handed boltgun for the left handed ever)

I know how to install a recoil pad, so its lack is not a big deal.


I'm interested in the sights. can i put the original type sight back on it?