New Ruglin 45-70 Trapper is a real punisher

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NorthBorder

NorthBorder

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I just picked this up today at the LGS.
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I was really fortunate. On Saturday somebody had put some money down on this brand new Ruger Marlin 45-70 Trapper made in Mayoden,NC. Yesterday I stopped by the LGS and learned that the buyer had backed out. It was mine if I wanted it. And I did. So, I put a hold on it until today when I could get to the bank. For $1130 I walked out wth a brand new Ruger Marlin. The store owner said I was lucky because there is a waiting list for these new Rugers.
Lucky? I guess.
So I took it out to the range to see what it is made of. 10 rounds is all I could handle. It is a punisher. I don't know whether to love it or be afraid of it. I have a C Sharps and Henry in 45-70 caliber and I don't mind pulling the trigger multiple times on either of those, but this could cause a serious flinch when seated behind a bag. I had previously loaded some 405 gr LFN on top of 38.5 gr IMR 4895. I am going to have do dial down this load to something in the range of what one would shoot in a trapdoor rifle. At least to practice with.
I started out shooting at 25 yards and after the first round I knew this was going to be a challenge. I managed 5 rounds and they were a bit low and spread out. I raised the Skinner sight one revolution and moved out to the 50 and tried a few at the 100. By that time I really wasn't having fun. At the 50 my shots seemed to stay in the group from the 25. At the hundred I was just trying to split the target in half because I couldn't even see the orange center. So I don't even know where the rounds were hitting. I had previously shot the B27 target behind my 8.5x11 target with some 45s.
As for function the gun was flawless. This is the easiest lever gun I have to push rounds thru the loading gate. Levering a round in the chamber is not smooth, a bit clunky, but flawlessly loads when held a different angles. The trigger is heavy (8-10 lbs I would guess) but breaks clean with no over travel that I could detect. It is pretty easy to pick up a target thru the Skinner sight. The front sight is a ramp with a white line. Also, the muzzle is threaded so maybe a muzzle break is indicated.
To turn a John Mellencamp phrase used in a song, "Ooh, it hurts so good."
 
Your load of 38.5/IMR4895 is well below the starting load for a Trapdoor according to Hodgdon, it should be a pussycat. Perhaps you mistyped the load. Ten to twelve grains of Unique should be a safe and low-recoiling load behind that bullet at a similar velocity.




.
 
Man, that would be a lot of empty space for ten-twelve grains of Unique. Get thee some Holy Black, load around 65-70 grains under a 350 grain bullet and you will be fine. And remember, the "trapdoor" loads will knock a buffalo over. Black powder does not have the same sharp kick as smokeless.

I shoot 80 grains of Swiss 3fg under the Speer 400 grain JSP. This is how she'll do at 100 yards. marblkgrp.jpg
 
For $1130 I walked out wth a brand new Ruger Marlin.
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In 1976 I paid $175 for a 1972 production 1895. How times have changed.

That was the 1st year production after Marlin re-introduced them. I sold it some years later for $500. Those had some unique features not used on any other version. They had a 22" barrel with half mag tube. But with a straight grip and curved butt plate. The front sight was not on a ramp, but in a dovetail in the barrel. Would probably bring $2000 now.

The hard plastic curved butt plate would get your attention too. It came with a few handloads from the previous owner. I don't know the details, but they were a max load of powder under a 500 gr bullet. I was a lot younger and tougher back then. Not very smart though.
 
Had a chance to get one last month. I passed, don't want my first 45-70 to be such a shoulder breaker. Holding out for the SBL version
 
jmr40 said:
In 1976 I paid $175 for a 1972 production 1895. How times have changed.

That was the 1st year production after Marlin re-introduced them. I sold it some years later for $500. Those had some unique features not used on any other version. They had a 22" barrel with half mag tube. But with a straight grip and curved butt plate. The front sight was not on a ramp, but in a dovetail in the barrel. Would probably bring $2000 now.

The hard plastic curved butt plate would get your attention too. It came with a few handloads from the previous owner. I don't know the details, but they were a max load of powder under a 500 gr bullet. I was a lot younger and tougher back then. Not very smart though.
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Dang. I paid a whopping $350 for that JM in the pic. It is the 22" with half mag, Marlin's answer to the Winchester Light weight 1886. But it had a big old gross ugly red recoil pad on it. Recoil was so bad, that about five years ago I took it off, put an old vintage Marlin butt plate on it, trimmed some wood off the perch-belly fore-end, (but the butt plate is not curved) and did a real hand rubbed, many coat oil finish on it.

How much does that Trapper weigh? It really shouldn't kick that bad, unless it's like a six pound rifle or something. My Marlin weighs in at a hair over seven pounds. Maybe your Trapper is a six-pounder, in which case it will kick. Try black powder. The fouling won't go into the action, and the barrel will clean up easy, especially with jacketed bullets. If you cast your own, still no problem.
 
The old and possibly waiting to be re-released 1895CB weighs less than that Trapper by a few ounces and it jolts me pretty good with Trapdoor safe loads. A good pad would solve most of that problem. I’ve never thought myself too recoil sensitive either.
 
NorthBorder said:
It weighs less than 7 lbs. A lot lighter than my Henry.
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Dang. Well, that's good for carrying, not so good for off the bench I guess. On some of the really big-kicker rifles, like a .460 Lott or something, I notice that some guys use a "stand up" bench, just a real tall bench rest where you stand to bench/shoot the gun instead of sitting down. They say it makes a big difference. Maybe try it off cross-sticks.

Using a shooting sling and shooting from a kneeling position might work better too. Shooting my Brown Bess with a 140 grain load from a kneeling postition kind of rocks me back and sits me on my butt, but does not hurt my shoulder or jar my fillings loose. More of a big gentle shove. But Bessie can shove pretty hard.
 
An army friend of mine gave me a 450 marlin when they first came out. It was a guide gun with the ported barrel that he wanted me to back him up when he went Kodiak bear Alaska. It weighed under 7 pounds and the recoil was so brutal that my in grown toenails would shake loose. Got pain relief from my toes but had to deal with shoulder pain. I just could not see that I would be a good back up when I could easily miss the mountain because of recoil.

Nice rifle you got there. Congratulations .
 
ms6852 said:
I just could not see that I would be a good back up when I could easily miss the mountain because of recoil.
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In that situation, you would not feel the recoil. At all. !!! You would think someone slipped in some .45 Colt Cowboy Loads in it.
 
Thanks for the review. Ive read its a beast. Heck even my 30-30 trapper hurts me after a few its so light.
 
45-70 is the premiere reason for trail boss. A light load with a 350 cast bullet for 40 rounds of steel Silhouette is doable. My XLR is a little heavier and that helps. Lots of young punk marines and cops used to shoot at the indoor range my dad tested and tuned at. Sent them squeeling for the hills every time after a few level 2 full power loads. The gun is more than capable of brutalizing the shooter. Loads from Walmart are mostly trapdoor safe and much more mild. I believe 5744 makes light loads and tin star. I need to try those.
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Dang. I paid a whopping $350 for that JM in the pic.
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Paid $350 for my 1895G in 2003, I had just gotten back from the war. It was slightly used. It was traded in due to stout recoil. Got it from interest gained from reading the review on Gunblast.
 
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I have an 1895 SBL on pre order.
There are 97 people ahead of me in line and the dealer said I should see it by Christmas.
Also waiting on a transfer for a BFR in 45-70.
 
Man, that would be a lot of empty space for ten-twelve grains of Unique. Get thee some Holy Black, load around 65-70 grains under a 350 grain bullet and you will be fine. And remember, the "trapdoor" loads will knock a buffalo over…
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Man, best not to knock what you’ve never tried. It happens that 10-12 grains of Unique is a common load used by hundreds of .45-70 shooters over the years. Unique loads could be found in loading manuals, perfectly safe and accurate with low recoil. For those who care about details, 12 grains takes up exactly 50% of the case volume under a 405-grain cast bullet, so hardly a real ignition problem. Too, the load uses the bullets the OP already has - no need to invest in more bullets or to deal with cleaning up after BP. (I don’t mind the latter, but many do.)

BTW, Trapdoor loads don’t “knock a buffalo over”, more wives’ tales perpetrated by those who haven’t done it.



.
 
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25-20 WCF said:
Man, best not to knock what you’ve never tried. It happens that 10-12 grains of Unique is a common load used by hundreds of .45-70 shooters over the years. Unique loads could be found in loading manuals, perfectly safe and accurate with low recoil. For those who care about details, 12 grains takes up exactly 50% of the case volume under a 405-grain cast bullet, so hardly a real ignition problem. Too, the load uses the bullets the OP already has - no need to invest in more bullets or to deal with cleaning up after BP. (I don’t mind the latter, but many do.)

BTW, Trapdoor loads don’t “knock a buffalo over”, more wives’ tales perpetrated by those who haven’t done it.



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Well, 50% is a lot of empty space. For sure, it works. I don't remember saying it was an ignition problem, or that it did not work. Well, we know what assumptions do, to you and me. I guess that to you, 50% is half full, to me 50% is half empty. !!! How do you know I've never tried? I'm glad you know so much. But I know your answer..."it's obvious". !!! But it's not. See, I'm a mind reader too.

I'm pretty sure more buffalo were knocked over back in the day by the 45-70, out of the Model 1873 Springfield rifles, than the big Sharps cartridges did from Sharps rifles at the end of the buffalo knocking over days, when they knocked almost all of them over. How's that for perpetuation? Perhaps "dropped" would be a better term for you. But, you probably won't like that either. "Quickly killed"?? Is that okay with you? From now on, I'll just say "killed". Will a Trapdoor load kill a buff? Or should I say: "a long, lingering, suffering death"?

My point being that black powder loads are, or "Trapdoor Safe" loads are all one needs for deer, elk, black bear, etc. I hunt/hike/trekk/explore in Grizz country, and feel perfectly safe, warm and fuzzy ("invincible"??) with my 45-80-400 load, in either the Marlin or my Trapdoor rifle, or the standard 45-70-405 load when packing my Trapdoor carbine.

Sorry to point out that the 45-70 case is...wait for it..."big". I'll be more careful next time. :)
 
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