[STAGE 2]

I'm looking to purchase my first rifle, and have narrowed the field down to two very different choices. The first is Marlin's 45-70 guide gun, and the second is some type of heavy barreled remington bolt action 700 series.

While these guns have little if anything in common, they both feel "right" when held and have the satisfaction that you cant get from a semi auto. I am wondering what are the ballistics and effective ranges on these rifles (assume either 308 or 300 win mag for the remington), and secondly the quality of make and reliability. Basically, if you own one what do you think.

[duckfoot]

Don't know much about the 45-70 gov but the .308 has been my pal for a while. I can only tell you about the two 308 bolts I have. The Remington 700 PSS is my F comp stick and is on the mark (.8 to 1.2 MOA all day long) out to about 750 meters and starts to peter out after that and that's with home rolled tuned 175gr SMKs. My Savage FP10 is my beater, hunting, and vermin rig is pure hate on critters and will take most game in the lower 48 running winchester soft points.

[iamkris]

As stated many times on these kind of questions, a critical bit of info you left off is "for what"?

Are you new to rifle shooting altogether? If so, you would be better served with a good .22 LR bolt action or semi to learn trigger and breath control then move up.

Is the rifle for plinking? Hunting? If so, what kind of hunting? Long range target shooting? If plinking, neither that you list are especially good. If hunting, depends on what kind? Eastern whitetail? Western pronghorns? Bear? Groundhogs? Long range target shooting the PSS will shine...the Guide Gun will be an interesting challenge.

They're both great guns and two of my favorite calibers...they just each have their place.

[Art Eatman]

Yeah, I'd ask the same questions as iamkris.

The .45-70 is limited mostly by one's skill and one's knowledge of the trajectory and distance to the target. After 150 to 200 yards, it gets sorta like a basketball's arch. It's not so much what the bullet will do when it hits as being able to get the hit in the first place, "Way out there".

Both rifles are quality pieces...

Art