Marlin 1895XLR And LeverEvolution Ammo

[Morph]

Hey folks. New here. That said, let me solicit opinions on a rifle that I'm interested in.

I'm looking at the Marlin 1895XLR .45-70 for several reasons.

First and foremost I like it. That ought to be a damn good enough reason for any gun collector.

Second, ever since I sold my .300 win mag, I'm missing Thor's Hammer in my modest collection. The .45-70 is slower, but bigger. There's just something, an adrenalin kick for me, about tossing bricks at hypersonic speeds.

Third. I have the Marlin 336C, and except for the Marlin trigger flop, I love that .30-30. I love lever guns.

I plan on using it primarily for boar. I've popped boar with my .30-30 but they can be one tough animal. Yes, shot placement is most impt. Done that. But shot placement with a hypersonic brick is better!

So. Thoughts on the .45-70 LeverEvolution? Love it for my .30-30. Love it. Marlin claims the XLR was designed to take advantage of this ammo. But the .45-70 doesn't fly say, like a .270, it more like a "lob". Will LeverEvolution give me a flatter trajectory in this big caliber?

Thoughts on the 1895XLR?

And what scope pray tell, do you recommend? I'm a Zeiss guy myself but I'm open to trying different scopes. I'm nearsighted so I have issues with irons.

Finally, what's the typical reloading savings on the .45-70? 50% of cost? 60%?

Thanks.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

First off the XLR rifles make *NO SENSE WHATSOVER* and even x10 moreso with the .45-70 XLR.... to take a short handy rifle and make it a long heavy unhandy rifle with essentially no gain in performance.

As for the Hornady ammo, sure it's good in any length barrel.

 

[Abel]

I agree with the above in that the XLR is a little long with little to gain in those extra 2". The 22" barrel on the regular 1895 is plenty long to get the goods out of the 45-70 cartridge. But you're the one that has to carry it around, so I say go for it. I think Dr. Tad HW is comparing the short Guide Gun to the XLR, which is quite a difference...but the 1895 came first. I like all of Marlin's 45-70 configurations. I really like the new 1895GBL:

As for scopes, that depends on which configuration/length 1895 you go with. The regular 1895 & the 1895XLR are full length guns and I would say that a regular 4x-32mm scope would be fine. Zeiss makes a 4x-32mm in their Conquest line. But a Guide version might look better with a compact scope like a Leupold VX-III 1-5x20mm.

I wouldn't go into a rifle with a preconceived idea about what ammo I want to shoot out of it. I let the rifle decide what it likes best by experimentation.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

Where are you planning on hogging with the gun?

Just asking, because putting a high power scope on it might be the last thing you want to do. My 1895G that I use for hog hunting has a scout mouted Millet Red Dot on it. If you have to get in thickets or cedar clumps with the rifle you will want to set it up to point very quickly, and your engagement ranges will probably never be over thirty yards.