45-70 Revolver FAIL

Okay, I am a huge 45-70 fan. With that said, I was given via my buddy's will, a BFR Magnum Research 45-70 revolver. With my primary wrist now severely spained and in a brace I now have flinch.

Can someone PLEASE tell me that this was an uncommon occurance or what might have happened? I have shot Casuls, magnum suicide handguns and alike,,,so what the heck in plain English!!! I keep saying to myself his loads were meant for his rifle, NOT a handgun, but even then!!!! I shoot 45-70 ALL THE TIME, but NEVER have I EVER encountered such recoil!!!! The revolver is in great shape, by the way,,,unlike my wrists.

Opinions please??

Thanks!:cuss:

When I shaot the BFR it was in 500 S&W....I noticed the grips were smooth and had a real tendency to roll in the hand. I think it has to do with the design of the gripframe. Try a different set of grips, that offer better grip and not as much roll. should help....otherwise I would say to go with factory, or reduced loads for a while to get over the flinch....

Best to approach these things incrementally, B&C. Go from what you know you can handle to something a little tougher. If not too bad, repeat.

I stopped at the .35 Rem. Contender shooting hot 200 gr. handloads. It was very accurate and deadly to deer. But the fun was gone and injury was waiting in the wings. So, no further.

.45-70? No Way...for me anyhow.

If you handload, you might give it another try with reduced loads...once your wrist heals.

Thanks! For the first time in years I'm experiencing "flinch" and it SUCKS! Maybe having a hunk of iron almost creasing one's skull has something to do with it?? You mentioned the grips...the redstag grips are nice looking, but I'm thinking you have a seriously good point!

I keep thinking "overload"...even those at the range at the time stated the damn thing sounded like a Howitzer going off.:confused:

The round was my bud's reload...so the good Lord only knows what he loaded it with. we are, were, about equal stature...good sized men, and I've used his re-loads before. I don't know...this round was simply off-the-wall it seemed!

The recoil aside, it's the damn flinch I have now that's got my goat more than anything else!!!

I would never use someone else's unknown reloads, myself.

Shoot it with trapdoor loads. Run far away from the mastodon loads.

Your first mistake was shooting someone's reloads.
Your second mistake was doing it more than once.

Like said above, shoot Trapdoor loads in that revolver and you will be very happy. They will still kill anything in North America but won't kill you...

My cousin has a BFR in 45/70. I have shot it a bunch with factory loads [Hndy Leverloution and Win] It was eyeopening but not near as bad as a Taurus Titanium 44 I had. In fact my wife shot it several times. I am thinking you got some dinosaur loads.

Thanks, guys, for the great feedback. Yeah, a lesson learned my friends...if you didn't load it, don't shoot it. Like I said, I've shot Jim's loads before and never expected to get hammered like that. Loved the guy, but the remainder of that box will remain where they are! LOL

Thanks again everyone! :)

I love the .45-70 Govt. as well always have, but personally I think you guys are "CRAZY"!!!

I know this statement has not helped anyone or answered the OP ques. but still.....

About three weeks ago there was a salesman (Young guy) in a gun store that asked me if I knew there was a .45-70 Govt pistol and if I would ever shoot it? (He mentioned his interest in it because of an XBOX game called Fallout "New Vegas" the character in the game can obtain one.).... being familiar with the game, I said "NO WAY!"

You may need some "re-hab" time with a gun that has a lighter recoil for a while to get your old ways back. How about a .44Mag ? :D

If he had another gun chambered in .45-70 it's possible that his ammo was normally segregated for the revolver and rifle. And you may have gotten one of the rifle rounds.

...If he had another gun chambered in .45-70 it's possible that his ammo was normally segregated for the revolver and rifle. And you may have gotten one of the rifle rounds..

A good reason to load to the common ground for all the fireams (chambered for the same cartridge) you own.

I know nothing about shooting .45-70's from a revolver, and have no plans to acquire the knowledge.

As for the flinch, that I know about. The best cure is shooting a .22, or maybe .38 wadcutters or soft 9mm's, into a backstop without a target. You flinch with your eyes first - just watch the gun go off. Try to see the brass eject, or the front sight rise and fall, or the muzzle flash/cylinder gap blast. You'll have it beat in no time.

Sorry but limp writing that gun ,getting hurt then blaming the gun, with loads you are unsure of on top of that...

Definitely not a gun fail!

I read a review on the BFR .45/70 when they first came out. The author couldn't fire another handgun for six months after his BFR shooting session. Too many strained ligaments and bruised muscles in his hands.

I's pass on 45/70 handguns....

I find that the subjective recoil of ANY single-action revolver is worse than the equivalent DA revolver; a Super Blackhawk .44 mag beats me up more than my S&W M29. It's a combination of the high bore line and that horrible plowshare grip frame.

I'm really not interested in shooting a heavier round out of an SA revolver.

Though not a revolver I tried shooting a T/C Contender in 45/70.14" factory ported barrel.
After 3 rounds of 300 gr factory loads my wrist and elbows said "Enough". Some 454 Casull loads aren't to far behind 45/70 factory loads with up to 350 gr bullets. I'll stick to my Sharps when it comes to shooting 45/70 in any bullet weight.

I didn't find the BFR 45/70 much worse than a light single action .44 mag. The trick with single actions is to let it roll up on the recoil. If you hold it with a death grip, it is going to destroy your hands. Start with some cowboy loads and get comfortable with the gun before attempting the full power stuff.

Sorry for your experience. It sounds like the load to me.

Let things heal and then start shooting something really light. I would shoot a 22LR personally, but that is me. Good luck with that beast.

I have no desire to shoot the 45/70 round from a revolver. I don't particularly want to shoot it from a rifle.

I have a 14" .45-70 Contender barrel and I don't find it that bad with Trapdoor (standard 405 gn @ 1300fps rounds) but one or two B/Bore rounds are one or two too many.

I also have a 14" .444 Marlin Contender barrel (chamber work by SSK) and it's a handful but plenty shootable.

I agree with the others; if it bothers you on the 1st round then set it down. After all, the first time is a mistake, the second time is a habit and the 3rd time- shame on you! Did you ask your friend what brew he used for his handload? Knowledge of bullet weight and speed will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

That said, a BFR .45-70 is not for everyone.

IMO the 45-70 revolver failed the moment somebody said to himself "I'm going to make a revolver in 45-70."

If it doesnt have a turret I'm not shooting anything that big!

IMO the 45-70 revolver failed the moment somebody said to himself "I'm going to make a revolver in 45-70."

Yea. I gotta admit that shooting one is not very far up on my list of "things I gotta do before I die." It's right behind being hit a car, and bit by a Cobra.

:D

With an injured wrist, the flinch is no surprise. Maybe let that wrist heal up a little?

You know, a really good way to start out with that revolver would be using IMR's TrailBoss universal load system. (http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf)

You'd get a pleasant-shooting load (probably about on par with a warm .45 Colt) that the big BFR would soak up nicely and you could easily put 100+ through in a sitting. (And which would certainly kill a deer or black bear deader than dead.)

Then, if you really need to, you could work your way up with some other mild loads until you find the line between "OK" and "NOT OK."

Well, after good sound advice here and some serious pondering of the situation, I'm leaning towards bringing the cannon to the gun shop and sticking with my 45-70 rifles. Hey, I'm looking at it as a learning experience, and The Lord knows I've learned some rounds simply don't belong in a handgun...at least in my reality! LOL Thanks again!:)

Oh yeah, and my apologies to THR for the objectionable way I started this thread. Frustration and pain had gotten the best me! :)

No prob man, it sucks being hurt and we want to try and help. Heal up quick!

Sounds like he got one more laugh, at your expense.:D

I have a .500 mag and I also shoot a T/C .45-70 in handgun format with a super 16 barrel. I have discovered that shooting with a nice leather glove on my right hand allows me to get a very firm grip on the gun and that sets in motion the process of checking some other fundamentals for proper technique. Once the grip is secure and I am confident that I have control of the gun then I can concentrate on making the shot. You might want to try something like a glove.

I have a Marlin 45-70 Cowboy model with the 26" octogan barrel. I do a lot of handgun competition, action shooting sports. I love my Marlin, but have no desire whatsoever to shoot any of the big hand cannons. The curiosity of shooting a few rounds in the big handguns isn't enough to risk what it might do to the rest of my handgun shooting. If I was primarily a hunter, I might think differently. Mark

I bet if I made revolvers chambered for the 5" Naval shell, I would not only sell them but some damfools would shoot them and then complain about the recoil!

Jim

how much do you want fer it Jim K? Do you have ammo too?

Will there be a CCW rig included with the revolver, Jim?

Have you contacted Lee with die specs for those of us who reload?

;)

I bet if I made revolvers chambered for the 5" Naval shell, I would not only sell them but some damfools would shoot them and then complain about the recoil!


Looks like your idea is about 500 years old, Jim, but you're right...if you build it you'll find someone that'll shoot it! :D

My Dad has used a 45/70 contender in the past for deer. While not even close to a .357 in recoil, I have shot that pistol since I was 13, and never had any issues.
Sam1911s idea is exactly where my thoughts went while reading this. Try some Trailboss loads for the 45/70, and see where that puts you. With this powder recoil and muzzle blast should be as mild as it gets for most centerfire handguns. Trading it off, considering where it came from, would be the last option if it were me in your shoes.

If you like to shoot heavy 45-70 loads without getting a sprained wrist, get a Contender with a 14" barrel that has the T/C brake on it. I have one of those and an Encore with a custom .458 win mag 16" barrel from Match Grade machine which has a brake machined into the barrel. Either of my guns are shootable without injury or pain.

I bet if I made revolvers chambered for the 5" Naval shell, I would not only sell them but some damfools would shoot them and then complain about the recoil!

Jim
OOH OOH, you mean like this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCWplfMySi0

And if that's not enough this might just happen!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHsEojBGojI

Even though I'm sure they have been seen before I thought they fit here...