Been carrying a 45/70 for 30 years
The 1895 Winchester was never made in 45-70 or with a 21" bbl.
Have owned many 45-70s. Have also owned 45-90, 50-90 and 50-110 plus some double rifles in BP in 8 and 4 gauge. If you are going to shoot smokeless powder go with the 45-70. Lots of guns, lots of brass, lots of loaded ammo. The 45-70 with 3031 and a Hornady 350 RN is my all time favourite bear control round. Loaded to 1600 FPS it will penetrate bear or moose length wise 100% of the time. You can load the 45-70 much hotter than that but trust me, all they do is kick harder, they certainly don't kill any better, and they slow recovery for second shot. I won't say how many bears I shot testing all kinds of different cartridges as well as various bullet, speed combos in the 45-70 because no one who doesn't know me would believe it but the sample is definitely statistically valid.
If you are going to shoot black powder a lever is a real pain in the butt to clean and you can't just leave them not cleaned as black powder attracts moisture and will rust you out in a hurry. If you want to shoot BP I would look at the 50-110 as you don't gain anything going 45-70 to 45-90 with BP unless you shoot cast over 500 grains.
There is a very good reason the 45-70 is still going strong after nearly 150 years and the rest are relegated to enthusiast users status.
He is talking about a Marlin 1895. They have shot up in vlaue since Remington's bankruptcy. Of the levers, the 1895 Marlin is my favourite because it is so easy to scope with a quick detach mount and or use peep or open sights on. They also shoot great. The guns made by Marling for at least 5 years prior to being bought out by Remington are real crap, machines were worn out and QC was poor. Not all JM Marlins are created equal. Same hold true for ones made in the first 2 or 3 years Rem had it before they moved the production and got all new machinery.
This was shot with a late Remington, 2015, made 45-70 Guide gun with an 18" barrel. The later made Remingtons are every bit as good as my JM I bought new in the mid 80s. Bottom target is the JM with a 22" barrel, firing 5 rounds pretty quickly over the hood of the truck and prior to it being Magnaported.
Have owned many 45-70s. Have also owned 45-90, 50-90 and 50-110 plus some double rifles in BP in 8 and 4 gauge. If you are going to shoot smokeless powder go with the 45-70. Lots of guns, lots of brass, lots of loaded ammo. The 45-70 with 3031 and a Hornady 350 RN is my all time favourite bear control round. Loaded to 1600 FPS it will penetrate bear or moose length wise 100% of the time. You can load the 45-70 much hotter than that but trust me, all they do is kick harder, they certainly don't kill any better, and they slow recovery for second shot. I won't say how many bears I shot testing all kinds of different cartridges as well as various bullet, speed combos in the 45-70 because no one who doesn't know me would believe it but the sample is definitely statistically valid.
If you are going to shoot black powder a lever is a real pain in the butt to clean and you can't just leave them not cleaned as black powder attracts moisture and will rust you out in a hurry. If you want to shoot BP I would look at the 50-110 as you don't gain anything going 45-70 to 45-90 with BP unless you shoot cast over 500 grains.
There is a very good reason the 45-70 is still going strong after nearly 150 years and the rest are relegated to enthusiast users status.
Taco. I live in Alberta. I no longer shoot bear control but I did for 20 years when I lived in northern Alberta. There were days when my partner and I would shoot more than a dozen bears in an evening that were raiding grain bins or bee hives. That gives you a unique view on what works.
Yes u can shoot 45-70 out of a 45-90. They all headspace on the rim so outside of jump, which isn't critical on these big bores, there is no issue. Same is true for 50-90 through to 50 -120. You can use the smaller cartridge in the bigger gun but not the other way round. Accuracy is not affected and we often down loaded 45-90 to 45-70 equivalent. What you can't do is down load black powder rounds. You do not want an air gap between the powder and the projectile. Loading BP is a lot different, not hard but has it's own rules.
Only question is what steel and year made is it. If it is nickle steel barrel and/or of a modern construction, like a Mirukou made model, I would buy that in a heart beat at that price. If it isn't nickle steel barrel you will be limited in the pressures u can run but it will still take velocity that is completely effective.Ah! I didn't think about Alaska. Man... A dozen bears a night... That'd make a lot of bear oil, so I hope you got to take home some of them!
That's good to k ow on the 45-90. There's a Winchester 45-90 case hardened 1886 I found at a local store that is absolutely beautiful. Seeing as I can't find any 1886 45-70 for sale online at less than $1700, I figured a this new 45-90 for $1500 would be great seeing as I could shoot either round.
Only question is what steel and year made is it. If it is nickle steel barrel and/or of a modern construction, like a Mirukou made model, I would buy that in a heart beat at that price. If it isn't nickle steel barrel you will be limited in the pressures u can run but it will still take velocity that is completely effective.
That is a great modern version and would make a great gun. Not light but great fun to shoot. I had one I took in trade in 45-70. It was a beautifully built rifle and a very good shooter. I would get that 45-90 and some brass and have at it.By the way, I am in Alberta Canada, not Alaska.I believe, it is this one exactly https://www.winchesterguns.com/prod...ts/model-1886-deluxe-rifle-case-hardened.html
That is a great modern version and would make a great gun. Not light but great fun to shoot. I would get the 45-90 and some brass and have at it.By the way, I am in Alberta Canada, not Alaska.