Marlin .45-70 for deer?
- Thread starter ETXhiker
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AStone
Member
Welcome to THR, Wolf.
It's working.
Keep it up, please.Torpid said:Hee... nudging you step by step.
It's working.
arctictom
Member
AStone
Member
Arctictom,
I see your location is listed as Fbks AK.
But I was told recently that deer weren't found in interior AK.
Was that photo taken elsewhere, or has their range expanded?
Also, what .45-70 rnd did you use to take it?
Nem
I see your location is listed as Fbks AK.
But I was told recently that deer weren't found in interior AK.
Was that photo taken elsewhere, or has their range expanded?
Also, what .45-70 rnd did you use to take it?
Nem
I had an 1895G, which I liked enough that I also got the 20" version (though I sold it, along with most of my rifles, when I joined the Army in '01).
I used the Georgia Arm 300 grain HP. It was a vigorous shove, but not painful- perhaps slightly more than shooting Remington Reduced Recoil slugs in my Mossy 500.
I only shot one small buck with it, at about 40 meters. Performance was dramatic, but not excessive. The deer fell, kicked for a few seconds, and was still. There was little spoiled meat.
J
I used the Georgia Arm 300 grain HP. It was a vigorous shove, but not painful- perhaps slightly more than shooting Remington Reduced Recoil slugs in my Mossy 500.
I only shot one small buck with it, at about 40 meters. Performance was dramatic, but not excessive.
The deer fell, kicked for a few seconds, and was still. There was little spoiled meat.J
AStone
Member
Thanks, J.
That's another good benchmark for me in terms of understanding the recoil issue.
It's sounding quite manageable.
Did your 1895G have a decelerator pad on it? The new ones in production now do.
Nem
arctictom
Member
Nematocyst-870
I have a place in Peliican Alaska , summers( fishing hanging out) and fall ( hunting ) I spend the rest of the time in Fairbanks. The pic is My son and Self ,
I use a 300 grain JHP Remington , and when the dear is down , I load 540 gr Garret solids, for growlers.
I have a place in Peliican Alaska , summers( fishing hanging out) and fall ( hunting ) I spend the rest of the time in Fairbanks. The pic is My son and Self ,
I use a 300 grain JHP Remington , and when the dear is down , I load 540 gr Garret solids, for growlers.
Nematocyst-870 said:
In my opinion recoil is really not a big issue with the guide gun at all once the decelerator pad is on (especially if you're used to shooting slugs with your 870 12 gauge).
I got my Marlin last year and it had the hard Marlin stock recoil pad.
I put the decelerator on it and no worries- the leather buttstock cartridge carrier that I added over it really serves to spread that out even more and makes it a dream to shoot.
Here an article you've probably already seen:
http://www.realguns.com/archives/052.htm
A quote:
"It looks good, but more importantly is feels really good when shooting...
...I think the pad resolved most of the short pull problem, the new pad is approximately 3/8" longer than the factory piece, but it really dampens recoil to the point I don't mind shooting heavy loads out of the gun at all."
dogngun
Member
I used a Marlin 45-70 with a Williams FP sight to shoot groundhogs back around 1980.
Used a 300grain Hornady as my "varmint" bullet.
Stops 'em right in their tracks.
(It's very good practice for deer season, too.)
Mark
Used a 300grain Hornady as my "varmint" bullet.
Stops 'em right in their tracks.
(It's very good practice for deer season, too.)
Mark
AStone
Member
A'Tom, thanks for clarifying location of deer kill in Pelican.
Torpid, that's a great page. Very informative.
Makes me not want to shoot hotter loads in a .45-70, even if the 300's sound fine.
Torpid, that's a great page. Very informative.
Makes me not want to shoot hotter loads in a .45-70, even if the 300's sound fine.
Nem- (if I may call you Nem)
I've fired Garrett's +P 540 grain Hammerheads with no dramas.
Like I said, if you can handle your 870, you're fine.
If anything it's not the recoil so much as the hardness of the buttstock, so soften that up and it's all grins!
I've fired Garrett's +P 540 grain Hammerheads with no dramas.
Like I said, if you can handle your 870, you're fine.
If anything it's not the recoil so much as the hardness of the buttstock, so soften that up and it's all grins!
AStone
Member
Yes, please.
Response to PM inbound ...
And remind me, please, of your body weight...
I'm ~140 ...
I've thought about this for some time and it seems to me that while the recoil will move a smaller person around a bit more, they're likely to feel it less.
A heavy person has more inertia and therefore tends to absorb more of the recoil and move less. A light person should tend to move more and absorb less recoil.
Like shooting from a bench magnifies recoil compared to shooting offhand because you can't move while seated at a bench and therefore absorb all of the recoil.
Thoughts?
AStone
Member
Interesting hypothesis.
Seems it would work best with those of us who are ... um, flexible.
I'm reading ...
AStone
Member
Found a couple of older pages relevant to this discussion.
Here's one on THR from a few years back about recoil in .45-70.
Here is Chuck Hawk's recoil table essay.
Here's one on THR from a few years back about recoil in .45-70.
Here is Chuck Hawk's recoil table essay.
The 300's and 405's look manageable, but I may stay away from the 350's.
AStone
Member
Bumpity bump
After all,
it's Friday night.
Well, OK, Saturday morning,
but in any case,
it's a nice day to discuss ...
.45-70.
Bigga
bada
boom.
After all,
it's Friday night.
Well, OK, Saturday morning,
but in any case,
it's a nice day to discuss ...
.45-70.
Bigga
bada
boom.
Working Man
Member
I really like that buttstock cartridge carrier torpid has. That company looks
like they do great work.
Nematocyst-870, even if you are not going to use it anytime soon I would
advise buying one if you find it at a good price. Around here it is feast or
famine for the 1895GS.
like they do great work.
Nematocyst-870, even if you are not going to use it anytime soon I would
advise buying one if you find it at a good price. Around here it is feast or
famine for the 1895GS.
SwampWolf
Member
Though they're a little pricey (I paid a little over $700.00 a couple of years ago), I'd recommend looking for a Winchester 1886 "Extra Light Weight" repo (made by Miruko) if you're after a 45-70 for deer (or most anything else for that matter). The 1886 (and its son, the Model 71) have absolutely the smoothest operating lever-action ever. And this version of the 1886 handles superbly, albeit with a fairly stiff backlash.
AStone
Member
Went to the gun store today to buy 100 rnds of .38 for the range tomorrow.
While there, I handled, er, fondled an 1895G ... again.
It's next on the list.
While there, I handled, er, fondled an 1895G ... again.
It's next on the list.
JustsayMo
Member
Nem,
Once you go big bore, there ain't no goin' back. It will take the biggest bite out of your ammo budget, your other rifles will spend more time in the safe and you'll wonder why you even need a skinny bullet rifle.
Worse yet is there are a lot of us enablers that are overly passionate about rifles that produce large diameter holes. You'll get no peace at the range as the GG attracts a lot of attention. You too will soon be recruiting others to the fold. You'll buy reloading and casting equipment to stretch your ammo budget. Brass will be more valuable to you than gold. You'll have a silly grin and a sore shoulder for days after each session.
You've been warned
Once you go big bore, there ain't no goin' back. It will take the biggest bite out of your ammo budget, your other rifles will spend more time in the safe and you'll wonder why you even need a skinny bullet rifle.
Worse yet is there are a lot of us enablers that are overly passionate about rifles that produce large diameter holes. You'll get no peace at the range as the GG attracts a lot of attention. You too will soon be recruiting others to the fold. You'll buy reloading and casting equipment to stretch your ammo budget. Brass will be more valuable to you than gold. You'll have a silly grin and a sore shoulder for days after each session.
You've been warned
AStone
Member
And articulately so, with soul.
But not dissuaded (as wasn't your goal, anyway ... just the opposite).
You want to hear the funny/sad thing about this? I've been having heretical thoughts about this question since yesterday: if (OK, no, when) I indeed get a '95G (1895G, that is, but I've already started abbreviating its model number), do I really need my 870P 12 ga?
<Warning: extreme rationalization ahead. I don't really believe any of it yet, just asking some appropriate questions that need answers before I make a deicision.>
Honestly, I bought my 870P as primarily (far and away) an SD/HD long gun for camp and studio. Looking for a shotgun for SD/HD purposes is literally what brought me to THR. It was the first long gun I'd owned in 20 years.
Originally, I thought I would also use it for deer (with slugs), but on more research, decided that I wanted more range (and better accuracy) than a 12 ga with slugs would offer, so bought my 336 in .30-30 for that task. Now, I'm looking at the GG because its action is identical to both my 336 and my 39A.
So is there really any need for me to keep a 12 ga if I've got a '95G in my circumstances?
As some of you know, I'm working on a minimalist toolkit of long guns and hand guns to meet my needs of hunting and SD (against large, toothy critters up north and human intruders) in my semi-nomadic lifestyle. A '95G replacing the 870P would mean one less gun to tote around, one less action to deal with (I'd be all lever- and wheel-guns then), and one less gun to practice and become proficient with. I can tote more ammo with the .45-70 than with the 12. And I could use the funds from sale of the 12 ga to pick up a '95G.
</end extreme rationalization>
Of course, the argument can (will?) be made that I "need a shotgun", that "no toolkit is complete without a shotgun", and - trivially - my user name would no longer be accurate if I didn't have my 870.
Hmm. I suspect I'm going to read a few opinions in this thread on this topic, so I'll just sit back for a while and read while you folks try to talk me out of this madness.
Nem
PS: I realize that this question is potentially taking the thread in a new direction. If mods or OP suggest it, I'll take this new version of the question to a new thread.
Last edited:
Nem, do you still enjoy your 870, and are you comfortable shooting it?
Do you envision having a storage/travel space for it in your future nomadic plans?
If you can answer yes, then keep it.
You've already broken it in, and its just gonna get smoother for you as time goes on, and it's an "old friend' you've praised many times here.
Either way, shoot a guide gun a couple of times before you decide on selling your 870.
If it helps to share, my guide gun is my favorite gun, but I still have 2 shotguns.
I like choices.
Do you envision having a storage/travel space for it in your future nomadic plans?
If you can answer yes, then keep it.
You've already broken it in, and its just gonna get smoother for you as time goes on, and it's an "old friend' you've praised many times here.
Either way, shoot a guide gun a couple of times before you decide on selling your 870.
If it helps to share, my guide gun is my favorite gun, but I still have 2 shotguns.
I like choices.
AStone
Member
Torpid, good points all. Thanks for adding a dash of rationality to the pot.
I'm reading ...
I'm reading ...
SwampWolf
Member
It's not rationality, it's rationalization that's at work here! A word of warning to the uninitiated: the worst "deals/decisions" you'll ever make when it comes to firearm transactions is when you rationalize giving up one gun so that you can "afford" the latest gleam in your eye. Oh, we can drudge up many reasons to dump the gun that we spent so much time debating over and researching- even setting up website clubs ) ) for.
Don't do it, Nem! Keep the 870 and wrestle up some patience for the 45-70 acquisition. At the risk of sounding very presumptuous, someday you'll thank me for this bit of advice should you follow it. Been there, done that (way too many times!).
) ) for.Don't do it, Nem! Keep the 870 and wrestle up some patience for the 45-70 acquisition. At the risk of sounding very presumptuous, someday you'll thank me for this bit of advice should you follow it. Been there, done that (way too many times!).
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