45-70 mares leg

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John_Doe

John_Doe

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So once apon a time i was at a gun show with my dad looking around at every intresting piece on every table and I came across a mares leg that the man selling it clamed was in 45-70. At the time I wasn't familiar with 45-70 and how large of a cartage it really was, well that was about 2 years now and the other day i told a co- worker this and he started searching the internet to buy one. Well he couldn't find one. I looked and couldn't find an example of one either. So was I lied to , was it a custom build, if it was a build was it legal?
 
Fine Figure of a Man said:
And as useless as a Mossberg Shockwave
Click to expand...

someguy2800 said:
To some the dumber it is the more fun it it. I can’t imagine putting up the money to buy one but I think it would great fun with cowboy loads.
Click to expand...

Yep and yep.

Some people just go after the oddity stuff... how it looks or how big the cartridge is. I've got a Mossberg 500 with the 18" barrel (next to the bed) and I really don't like to shoot that thing vs the 28" barrel, I suspect it would be the same thing with a cut-down 'rifle' pistol in some crazy cartridge like .45-70. They did, however, chamber the TC Contender pistol in .45-70... so never say never!
 
Steve McQueen's original Mare's Leg from "Wanted Dead or Alive" were converted M1892 rifles in "pistol calibers". His guns were chambered in Five-in-One Blank caliber (a blank that fit .38-40 and .44-40 rifle and revolver, .45 Colt revolver, one-for-five common western prop guns).

For looks, the prop department had bounty hunter "Josh Randall" (McQueen) carry 45-70 rounds in his cartridge belt. (Over the series, "Randall"'s mare's legs had either an octagon or round barrel; he only carried one at a time).

I suspect that is the cause of the confusion.

As an aside. Most modern "mare's legs" made on new receivers and sold as pistols do not match the TV guns in detail (barrel length, forearm length, placement of the stock band and magazine band). Dixie Gun Works advertised exact replicas of the Josh Randall gun but they were expensive compared to some of the modern "Mare's legs" made for fans of "Wanted: Dead or Alive", Briscoe County", or "Firefly".
 
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Opening Post:: "... if it was a build was it legal?"

If it were built from a .45-70 lever action rifle, it would be legal if built after filing and getting approved an ATF Form 1 and paying $200 to tax and register as a Title II 1934 National Firearms Act short barrel rifle; if it were an NFA SBR, sale and transfer of registration would be a Form 4 and another $200 tax.

If built from a virgin receiver as a pistol, it would be a Title I 1968 Gun Control Act handgun subject to ordinary handgun laws.

(Some state laws might apply; some Southern states only recognize pistols as having barrel length less than 12 inches that was an exemption of single shot trapper's pistols from the concealable handgun state statutes which got carried over into concealed carry permit law. I was told I could not open or concealed carry an AR pistol with 12 inch or longer barrel on my handgun carry permit, shorter than 12" OK..)
 
Carl N. Brown said:
Opening Post:: "... if it was a build was it legal?"

If it were built from a .45-70 lever action rifle, it would be legal if built after filing and getting approved an ATF Form 1 and paying $200 to tax and register as a Title II 1934 National Firearms Act short barrel rifle; if it were an NFA SBR, sale and transfer of registration would be a Form 4 and another $200 tax.

If built from a virgin receiver as a pistol, it would be a Title I 1968 Gun Control Act handgun subject to ordinary handgun laws.

(Some state laws might apply; some Southern states only recognize pistols as having barrel length less than 12 inches that was an exemption of single shot trapper's pistols from the concealable handgun state statutes which got carried over into concealed carry permit law. I was told I could not open or concealed carry an AR pistol with 12 inch or longer barrel on my handgun carry permit, shorter than 12" OK..)[/QUOTE
Carl N. Brown said:
Opening Post:: "... if it was a build was it legal?"

If it were built from a .45-70 lever action rifle, it would be legal if built after filing and getting approved an ATF Form 1 and paying $200 to tax and register as a Title II 1934 National Firearms Act short barrel rifle; if it were an NFA SBR, sale and transfer of registration would be a Form 4 and another $200 tax.

If built from a virgin receiver as a pistol, it would be a Title I 1968 Gun Control Act handgun subject to ordinary handgun laws.

(Some state laws might apply; some Southern states only recognize pistols as having barrel length less than 12 inches that was an exemption of single shot trapper's pistols from the concealable handgun state statutes which got carried over into concealed carry permit law. I was told I could not open or concealed carry an AR pistol with 12 inch or longer barrel on my handgun carry permit, shorter than 12" OK..)
Click to expand...
So it might have been considered just a pistol? But not likely?
Click to expand...
 
someguy2800 said:
To some the dumber it is the more fun it is. I can’t imagine putting up the money to buy one but I think it would great fun with cowboy loads.
Click to expand...
Maybe, its sounds like wrist braker, but i just found it odd I coulndnt find reference to a build like this before. Kinda wondering if i was just lied to.
 
Carl N. Brown said:
Steve McQueen's original Mare's Leg from "Wanted Dead or Alive" were converted M1892 rifles in "pistol calibers". His guns were chambered in Five-in-One Blank caliber (a blank that fit .38-40 and .44-40 rifle and revolver, .45 Colt revolver, one-for-five common western prop guns).

For looks, the prop department had bounty hunter "Josh Randall" (McQueen) carry 45-70 rounds in his cartridge belt. (Over the series, "Randall"'s mare's legs had either an octagon or round barrel; he only carried one at a time).

I suspect that is the cause of the confusion.

As an aside. Most modern "mare's legs" made on new receivers and sold as pistols do not match the TV guns in detail (barrel length, forearm length, placement of the stock band and magazine band). Dixie Gun Works advertised exact replicas of the Josh Randall gun but they were expensive compared to some of the modern "Mare's legs" made for fans of "Wanted: Dead or Alive", Briscoe County", or "Firefly".
Click to expand...
I don't really know all i know is what it was marked as, i really regret not asking more questions now but i was under the age of 18 and wasn't very familiar with the mares leg concept to much and or with the 45-70 carrtrage, its more possible this was a missmark by the seller. But i just wonder if somone was crazy enough to do this.
 
DPris said:
I'm not aware of any production MLs in .45-70.
It wouldn't sell enough to bother as a production gun, but could have been a gunsmith build.
Denis
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Yeah but if it was did i see a one of a kind peice?
 
Impossible to say.
One or more gunsmiths could at any point in the past 60 years have built a .45-70 Mare's Leg, or a handful.
Could have been a homegrown product, a customer's special order, or a Gunsmith Special.
Denis
 
DPris said:
Impossible to say.
One or more gunsmiths could at any point in the past 60 years have built a .45-70 Mare's Leg, or a handful.
Could have been a homegrown product, a customer's special order, or a Gunsmith Special.
Denis
Click to expand...
Ok well if there are more then one out there a google search isn't sufficient in finding them, I've been looking online for a couple of days to see if anyone has seen one of these,or information on one, the best info i got on this is the steve McQueen thing from here and the idea it might have been 45 colt not 45-70 and it was just miss marked
 
I have pistol grip shotguns and they produce impressive recoil. I also have a levergun in 45-70 and its not bad to shoot but that's up against my shoulder. I'm not sure I would want to shoot a short mares leg in 45-70 considering the recoil would eclipse the shotgun recoil.
 
John_Doe said:
I don't really know all i know is what it was marked as, i really regret not asking more questions now but i was under the age of 18 and wasn't very familiar with the mares leg concept to much and or with the 45-70 carrtrage, its more possible this was a missmark by the seller. But i just wonder if somone was crazy enough to do this.
Click to expand...


American Derringer made a 45-70 derringer at one time, so yeah someone could have definitely made a 45-70 mares leg.
 
I have three MLs in .45 Colt, not hard to shoot at all.
Newest one has outshot handguns at 25 yards, with NO sights. :)
A .45-70 I would not fire.
Denis
 
someguy2800 said:
To some the dumber it is the more fun it is. I can’t imagine putting up the money to buy one but I think it would great fun with cowboy loads.
Click to expand...
Had mine in .45LC for about 4 years and have approx. 350 rounds of cowboy .45 through her.

Fun to shoot,accurate and FAR too large to conceal.

Its quals as a pistol in my nanny state,and is on my CCW.
 
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