CraigC
Sixgun Nut
There is one cartridge that effectively bridges all gaps but it is not going to do so with the same loads. That is the .45Colt. Loads can range from the original blackpowder 250gr at 950fps to monster masher 360's at 1400fps. With proper guns and loads, the .45Colt is capable of virtually any task.
Notably, the big move against the buffalo happened after the war and the big cartridge rifles of the day were responsible for a great many dead buffalo.
Its predecessor was the .50/70. Its predecessor was the .58 Miller rimfire and it was a dismal failure.
For anyone of any era to consider the original .45/70 (500gr at 1200fps) to be "underpowered and unsuitable for anything larger than whitetail" shows an extreme level of ignorance on the subject. See that 1800lb bull in my avatar? It was dropped by a slightly smaller, 150gr lighter bullet at the same velocity. Today, with modern guns, modern bullets and modern powders, the .45/70 is a viable dangerous game cartridge. The .30-06 is not.
The move to high velocity small bore rifle cartridges for military use was strictly to gain effective range for direct fire. As opposed to the volley fire used up through the Civil War and shortly thereafter.
The .38Super and .357Mag came about because the .45 did not have the velocity to penetrate windshields. Not because it was incapable against flesh.
http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/article.cfm?tocid=1094&magid=78
Good Lord, I hardly know where to begin. As a matter of fact, I'm struggling to find a single part of this post that isn't patently false.Sorry, but no! The legend of 45 caliber being superior is largely based on mythology, not facts. The 45-70 was the original poodle shooter. The army went from a 58 caliber black powder round to a 45 caliber black powder round in 1873. It was a failure. In the 1870's it was considered under powered and unsuitable for anything larger than whitetail. By the 1890's rounds like the 7X57 had proven to be vastly superior as both a military and hunting round and the 45-70 was all but dead. Even the 30-30 was seen as vastly better in every way. Now, with modern loads the 45-70 is a legitimate big game round, but is no more effective than typical 30-06 class rounds on even the largest game.
100 years later Marlin revived the 45-70 with colorful advertising hinting that it had been a successful buffalo rifle. The problem with that is that the 45-70 was introduced in 1873. All the Buffalo were gone before the Civil War started in 1861, 12 years earlier. In fact laws were passed banning buffalo hunting to preserve the handful left in 1874, one year after the 45-70 was introduced.
As far as 45 ACP is concerned the 38 Super and 357 magnum were both introduced for LE because the 38 Specal and 45 ACP handguns of the day simply were ineffective during the depression era fight against organized crime. By 1946 the army was disappointed in both the 45 and 1911 pistol, most of the GI's who carried it did not care much for it. After WW-2 the Army conducted extensive tests and determined that the 9mm out performed 45 ACP in every test when using FMJ ammo. The Army wanted to make the change in 1946, but with no war and no budget the plan was shelved and forgotten. The legend of the 1911 and 45 ACP were mostly the result of articles written by gun writers after WW-2. Most of that writing was long on hyperbole and short on facts.
Notably, the big move against the buffalo happened after the war and the big cartridge rifles of the day were responsible for a great many dead buffalo.
Its predecessor was the .50/70. Its predecessor was the .58 Miller rimfire and it was a dismal failure.
For anyone of any era to consider the original .45/70 (500gr at 1200fps) to be "underpowered and unsuitable for anything larger than whitetail" shows an extreme level of ignorance on the subject. See that 1800lb bull in my avatar? It was dropped by a slightly smaller, 150gr lighter bullet at the same velocity. Today, with modern guns, modern bullets and modern powders, the .45/70 is a viable dangerous game cartridge. The .30-06 is not.
The move to high velocity small bore rifle cartridges for military use was strictly to gain effective range for direct fire. As opposed to the volley fire used up through the Civil War and shortly thereafter.
The .38Super and .357Mag came about because the .45 did not have the velocity to penetrate windshields. Not because it was incapable against flesh.
http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/article.cfm?tocid=1094&magid=78