How bad is the Recoil of a 45-70...

[MakAttak]

Marlin 1895SS 22' barrel (for those who want specifics)

My dad picked this up for me from a friend and I have yet to shoot it.

Yes yes, I will shoot it no matter what to find out for myself, but I'd like to know what people's impressions are of the recoil from a 45-70.

 

[siglite]

There's significant recoil, but I was shooting out of a heavy rifle. So the recoil felt more like a "push" than a "punch." It wasn't unpleasant at all to shoot. Quite the opposite. I really enjoyed it, and I'm not a big fan of recoil.

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

no worse than a 12 gauge.

I have an 1885 high wall with a metal butt plate and i can shoot a box without a problem. wouldn't want to shoot more than that. I think your marlin has a recoil pad, that should help quite a bit

 

[MakAttak]

Well, that's good to read.

I had heard some people giving horror stories of how bad a 45-70 is and I was concerned I couldn't take it hunting. Thanks for the help.

 

[General Geoff]

Asking about the recoil of a certain caliber is like asking about the 0-60 time of a certain engine. The vessel makes a big difference.

 

[AirplaneDoc]

Siglite is correct, more of a push than a punch, unless it is commig out of a contender Encore, then look out

 

[MakAttak]

Asking about the recoil of a certain caliber is like asking about the 0-60 time of a certain engine. The vessel makes a big difference.

You'll note I included the vessel in my Post.

I also realize what ammunition I use will make a difference as well.

However, I appreciate the help.

 

[MakAttak]

Woo, just realized the typo in the OP. 22' barrel would be kind of interesting... it's 22'' (inches, not feet)

(I know no one mistook what I was saying, I just imagined the 22' barrel)

 

[Mossyrock]

It will also depend a great deal on the load. They can range from "mild" to "WILD". There is a BUNCH of difference between the Winchester or Federal 300gr hollow point loads and the Garrett heavy-bullet "Hammerhead" loads. If you WANT to shoot the heavy stuff, start light and work your way up. Starting out with the heavy, high-velocity loads is a sure way to put you off the rifle in a hurry!

 

[pgeleven]

45//70 recoil

its significant enough to make you respect the weapon. i got overconfident on my second shoot with my Marlin 1895GS and even with the deccelerator pad i got a scope-kiss to my eyebrow which drew blood. however, if you can get over the price of the ammo you will love your new boomstick.

 

[plumberroy]

I have a 45/70 handi rifle I have shot loads from "did it go off"(.457 round ball) to "@#$% that hurt"(600 grain hard cast bullet) only factory loads I've ever fired where 405 remingtons they were mild my hunting loads are 300 grain hp's barely into ruger #1 reloading range thet are about 12 ga.recoil level
Roy

 

[Cosmoline]

IT DEPENDS. There are three classes of .45-70. With cowboy level loads the recoil out of your rifle will be next to nothing. With standard level loads recoil will be reasonable but no worse than a .30'06. With the magnum level loads you can get some serious recoil. Out of a Guide Gun it was enough to make me give up guide guns. Your rifle is sligtly larger but the recoil would still be pretty intense.

 

[hrgrisso]

Marlin 1895 XLR

I bought one of these this fall I think the shotgun comparison is a good one. I shoot the Hornady Lever Revolution ammo almost exclusively as it's the cheapest. Recoil is nothing.

 

[steveno]

a rifle like a Ruger #3 will bring tears before you even shoot them. I had a Marlin Guide gun and with heavy loads is not fun at all. the Ruger #1S that I have isn't bad at all. it has a much better stock design than the #3 and the guide gun

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Blackpowder (or equivilant) or new commercial stuff I hear has a bearing on the recoil as well. Blackpowder and equivilants being more of a push as opposed to the smokeless powder punch

Again, just what I've heard. I've an 1884 Springfield trapdoor that I keep under 900 FPS on the velocity, have some Hogden powder that I made some loads with. Haven't fired it just yet, little nervous about firing it lol.

 

[ArmedBear]

Black powder .45-70 recoil, even with a 520 grain bullet, is not a big deal if you shoot standing up. It's slow, so it just pushes you back. Hardly even noticeable, believe it or not. Shoot the same load from the bench, and you can get a bruised shoulder, depending on where you brace it against your shoulder.

I can't speak to the recoil of a smokeless load, other than that they vary a lot. That Marlin will take the hottest rounds you can buy or safely load, i.e. equivalent to .450 Marlin. Those could be nasty, mainly due to velocity, which makes recoil a whack instead of a shove. Try it and see -- standing offhand, not off the bench, first.

 

[TreyNC]

My buddy had a Marlin 1895, don't remember the barrel length. I shot it some last year, I think.. some 300gr bullets. Seemed like a shot gun to me, stout but more of a push. I think it would hurt off the bench, but standing not bad.

 

[dodge]

I have a Marlin guide gun and with my loads that push a 350 gr Fn at 1800 fps I don't feel that it's all that bad even from the bench. The jump is worst than the backward recoil but it will get your attention.

 

[anthony-white]

I dont think its all that bad, like a 12 gauge seems to be the correct phrase here for me as well. I dont have extensive experience but have shot some of the leverevolution ammo through mine and was slightly dissapointed by the recoil (i was expecting more).

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Woo, just realized the typo in the OP. 22' barrel would be kind of interesting

In that case, there will be no recoil at all.

 

[flashhole]

A 405 grain Remington factory load is pretty mild by comparison to what you can do with handloads. I have settled on a Hornady 350 grain RN bullet over 58 grains of Varget. It's stout but not at all punishing. My Guide Gun is a pleasure to shoot but I will give you a caution about scope choice. I put a Burris Short Mag scope on my Guide Gun because if you shoot from a bench scope eye is a real possibility. The Short Mag has a very generous eye relief so that is no longer an issue. If you go more than 7 or 8 power on your scope you have too much scope for the gun.

 

[Matt304]

I have the same gun, 1895 w/ 22" barrel. The recoil is not bad at all. Medium loads (like Hornady LeverEvolution) will not kick too hard at all. Those are fun loads, at 325gr.

Recoil is mostly a function of energy and bullet weight. A heavier bullet at 3,000ft-lbs will recoil more than a light bullet at 3,000ft-lbs. So the hot 405gr loads from Buffalo Bore will be your good ones for 45-70.

Recoil perception is merely a judgement derived from what you commonly shoot. As your recoil average goes up, your perception of it goes down, and you begin to actually shoot better. You can handle some BIG stuff that you might not realize if you work your way up to it.

For instance, a few years ago I thought that a .270 was actually a good recoiling rifle. Before I would shoot, my mind would remind me that "This is a powerful rifle". I would get uneasy and sometimes pull the shot. I have since worked up through energy levels, and changed views a bit. I now realize that the 17ft-lbs of recoil from a .270 is very small, and doesn't even really move your body. 300Win mag at 23ft-lbs is not much either. 45-70 with LeverE ammo should be around 30ft-lbs or so. 375H&H is about 50ft-lbs of recoil and it's not bad either if you warm up to its feel. 458Win mag is what starts getting attention at around 75-80lbs recoil. These are all assuming a 7.5lb hunting rifle. Regardless, these are all guns which I thought of before and imagined a severe kick that almost scared me just to think about. Now I realize that on the scale of things, none of them are anything to fear. They can all be handled without a flinch. Moving through these ranges I have allowed myself to shoot the smaller stuff much better than ever before, like .270-.300, simply due to my mindset on recoil.

The moral of my rambling: I think that if you want to use a gun for a hunting rifle but fear its recoil, you need to practice with a much bigger gun than the one you fear. Afterwards, the way you react to it will be totally different as you realize what it could be like.

Always keep a good scope eye clearance so that you are never afraid that the scope may hit you. This will cause flinch too of course.

 

[MakAttak]

Thanks for the advice on the scope, I was just wondering what kind of scope I should put on it for deer. This saves me from making yet another thread about this gun.

 

[redneck2]

I have an 1895, no scope. Hand loads with 400 gr FP Speers over Varget, about 58 gr IIRC. While they are significant, it's far less than brutal or punishing. I put a Decelerator pad on before the first shot. It was a good move. As noted above, maybe in the same range as a good 12 gauge load, but less than a 12 gauge slug.

 

[Matt304]

Thanks for the advice on the scope, I was just wondering what kind of scope I should put on it for deer. This saves me from making yet another thread about this gun.

What are your shot distances limited to?

Thick woods, go 1.5-4X. If you have chances at further open shots, maybe find a lower power like 2 or 3X that goes up to a decent power.

What is your budget?