Rifle choices: 44 Mag. or 45-70 Govt.?

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until 6 months ago I never owned or thought I needed a .44 mag carbine though I carry a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag...got a wild hair and bought a Ruger m77/44 last winter and then came across an old Ruger .44 mag carbine made in 1972...I have come to love this little carbines cause I got lots of hogs in thick brush...I have shot a .45/70 and at 61 years got no use to get beat up by a rifle like this...the .44 mag carbine does all I need at half the recoil and in the semi auto even less recoil.
 
Another option you have for a new challenge is loading black powder in either of them, but in the 45-70 it is just a hoot! With heavier bullets there is not so much room for powder in the case, and recoil (and velocity) are not too great. Something a bit nostalgic about setting off one of those big boomers and stinking up the place with that sulfurous smoke!

I am still excited about a recent acquisition in this chambering, and really enjoying all that I am learning.

Though for coyotes and prairie dogs etc., I can think of more suitable calibers that won't cost as much.

I don't have a lever rifle in 44 magnum, but I do have one in 357 magnum, and it is pleasant to shoot also. You could do worse than one in 44. If you load your own or cast your own bullets, you can keep the costs down enough to warrant shooting it quite a bit, quite often. Too, a case full of 3F in maybe 44 special will add to your enjoyment. :)
 
The .44 with 300 grainers is much easier on the shoulder than a .45-70 .
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In a Henry you're prolly right but my Rossi 16" 44 mag only weighs 5# with 300s @1400 it's no longer fun.
 
That 26 inch barrel is not fun to carry in the woods all day.

I have an octagon barrel on my Marlin 44 and 45/70. I'd pick the 44 for most hunting.

I'll weigh both when I get home later.
 
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I have a Ruger 77/44, and I think that would be a good round for all the above mentioned game. The .45/70 will extend your range some, and shoot a bullet twice as big, but you can't kill something twice as dead either.
 
Per Marlin specs and a scale here:

Marlin 1894 CB Limited (20" octagon barrel) + 10rds 300gr JSP from Prvi = 7 pounds, 2 ounces

Marlin 1895 CB Limited (26" octagon barrel) + 7 rds 405 gr Remington JSP = 8 pounds, 9 ounces

Actually not much difference.
 
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Next up on my list is currently a 45-70 gbl so that kinda answers it's self, now as to why I want the 45-70 it's a great that's been turning cover into concealment sense 1873, in its black powder format it has at least 2 written accounts of taking two buffalo with one shot (one account of two female American buffalo and one account of two cape buffal and in newer guns it can be loaded way way higher than that.
Some of the loadings are called 18 wheelers and not because they go through stuff like an 18 wheeler it's because they will go through a 18 wheeler!
it's a great looking gun so much so they used it in the new jurassic park movie I really really wanted one befor now I want one even more.
O aND as for the yotes with the right round the 45-70 can make them well explode .
 
alexander45 said:
Next up on my list is currently a 45-70 gbl so that kinda answers it's self, now as to why I want the 45-70 it's a great that's been turning cover into concealment sense 1873, in its black powder format it has at least 2 written accounts of taking two buffalo with one shot (one account of two female American buffalo and one account of two cape buffal and in newer guns it can be loaded way way higher than that.
Some of the loadings are called 18 wheelers and not because they go through stuff like an 18 wheeler it's because they will go through a 18 wheeler!
it's a great looking gun so much so they used it in the new jurassic park movie I really really wanted one befor now I want one even more.
O aND as for the yotes with the right round the 45-70 can make them well explode .
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Exploded coyote pelts don't bring very much $$$. I mean if all you have is a tail and ears... ;)
 
IMHO, the .44 Mag carbine is more than adequate for coyote, groundhogs and deer. How much horsepower is really needed to kill small to moderate sized game? Dead is dead. But, having a .45-70 is way cool. I have the Henry all steel .44 mag and the all steel .45-70. I just acquired the .45-70. I did not need it but the cool factor and price were right.

When I bought the 45-70 Henry, I looked at the Marlin 1895's. The Marlins were a recent arrival at my LGS. Granted they did not have the 24 inch cowboy model. The fit and finish on the Henry rifles was much nicer compared to the Marlins. The Henry actions were smoother as well. After the initial cleaning and lubrication, the Henry actions got even smoother. Henry also just released a 22 inch octagon barrel with brass receiver.
 
apples_oranges.jpg
The .44 is a handgun/carbine round. The .45-70 is a rifle round.
BFRs and 1895 Guide Guns are completely different, as Monty Python used to say.
 
The .44 is a handgun/carbine round. The .45-70 is a rifle round.
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That's sorta like saying that the 44-40 is a handgun round -- when in fact it's
genesis was the 1873 Winchester rifle. (24"-30" barrel ain't no "carbine") ;)

I tend to look at terminal ballistics for intended use: A 300gr 0.430" bullet doing 1, 450fps from a 24" 44Mag...
will pretty much get that same job done on a deer as a 300gr 0.457" bullet doing 1,850 from a 18½" Guide Gun.

44Mag will pretty much do everything the OP wants -- and is a whole lot less to carry and to feed. :D
 
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a 24" .44 mag :confused:
why ask why :rolleyes:
The same on deer? let us not even speak of ursus horribilis
btw; Would you happen to know how much velocity you can get out of a .44 Mag using a 535gr Postell bullet?
 
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OK... a 20" 44Mag at 1.390... ;)

You're going to shoot a 535Postell at a deer ???!!! :what:
(Ya oughta wait until you have about 4 of them lined up and fill your whole deer-tag ticket in one shot.) :neener:
 
Bowhunter57 said:
I currently own a Henry Big Boy (steel frame), in 44 Mag. and plan on using it for coyotes, groundhogs and deer.

However, when I purchased my Henry, I laid eyes on a Marlin 1895 Cowboy in 45-70 Govt...with a 26" octagon barrel. This rifle is long, gorgeous and called my name several times, but I walked out of the store with the Henry. I plan on going back to purchase this Marlin, reload for it and use it for hunting the same critters...coyotes, groundhogs and deer.

My question:
Which one would you prefer to use for hunting the above mentioned animals? ...and Why?

Your experiences and opinions are appreciated.
Bowhunter57
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You're using a .44mag for groundhogs? DyAAAAMMMNN! Oh, and my recommendation is get both rifles...
 
I have a few single shots in .45-70 and used to have a Marlin 1895CB. Emphasis on the "used to". It never worked right and that was before the Remington takeover. I greatly prefer the single shots, which are purely for target shooting. There's nothing that I hunt (or worry about encountering) that would call for a .45-70.

On the other hand I am very interested in picking up a .44 repeater for toting around the ranch. Nowadays I lug a lightweight AR-15 but a lever gun would be more compact and easy to scabbard with a saddle.
 
Killed many a groundhog with .44 magnum................handguns.
And that was in the woods or along creekbanks where I had backstops.

No open field shots where stuff would skip.

That's where varmint bullets launched by rifles gets the nod.

Had an old beater Ruger SBH 3 screw w duplicate serial number ("D" before the prefix). That thing LOVED WW 210gr silvertips.

Best shooting, ugliest Ruger, I ever had. Grew up Ruger but ended up being a Smith guy.
 
44mag is more than enough killing power for deer up here in our area. Its what I use and dropped every deer I shot. I use Winchester platinum tip 250gr HP when hunting. Took a black bear with 1 shot. As for groundhogs both are way overkill, I use a 22mag and a 223 for those shots over 150 yards.
 
I don't hunt so can't offer any more than to say I have the same 45-70. It is a riot to handle and shoot, not to mention it's a beautiful rifle, but I can't see lugging it through the brush and needing it in a hurry.
 
I have an 1894 in 44 mag and a 1895cb in 45/70. Haven't shot anything but paper with either one but they are fun to shoot. With hot loads the 45/70 will rattle your teeth a bit though.
 
Accumulate

Bowhunter57 ,
I have an older (1974) Marlin M1895 and a newer (2013) Rossi M92 in 44 mag, and if I had to give up one of them strictly on utilitarian grounds, I would keep the M92. At 100 yds on sandbags off the bench, the scoped M1895 shoots 300 gr JHP or JSP into 1" or a tad less with 53 gr of 3031, and the M92 does a respectable 2"-3" with open sights with anybody's 240 gr JHP/JSP on 24 gr of W296. Either gun will kill the crap out of deer, hogs, or anything up to and including black bear (heavy, hard lead slugs in the 44). And it's a lot lighter & handier. But not having to give either up, I won't, and ain't gonna - I'd recommend you do the same :cool:
 
codefour said:
How much horsepower is really needed to kill small to moderate sized game? Dead is dead. But, having a .45-70 is way cool. I have the Henry all steel .44 mag and the all steel .45-70. I just acquired the .45-70. I did not need it but the cool factor and price were right.
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I will most likely use the Henry 44 Mag. for groundhogs and coyotes. However, the Marlin 1895 CB 45-70 will definitely be used for deer. On the other hand, if I like it as much as I think I will, there will be a few coyotes that will be volunteered to do some ballistics tests. :D When it comes to coyotes, I will show them the same mercy they're showing the deer fawns around here...none. :scrutiny:

I have a bass guitar & amp and a fishing kayak that I must sell, first. After I've sold both of them, I'll be running to the gun shop. :)

Bowhunter57
 
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