.45-70 : Always Trust the Government

It all began in 1873. The Colt Single-Action Army gun and the 73 Winchester gun, which won the West, were introduced in 1873. Both guns are iconic, but they failed to stand the test of time. The.45-70 Government cartridge was originally designed for the Trapdoor Springfield. It was also used in some military Gatling guns. Both are iconic American cartridges that were used by veterans overseas in the two World Wars. They have not been around as long or bridged the gap between black and smokeless powder. The.45-70 was loaded in a 405-grain,.458-caliber bullet with 70 grains of blackpowder. This gave it a muzzle velocity around 1,400 feet per second. The cartridge’s name derives its caliber and blackpowder charge-weight. It was loaded with a 405-grain.458-caliber bullet and 70 grains of blackpowder to a muzzle velocity of about 1,400 fps. The.45-70 seemed headed towards extinction between 1930 and 1970. Its ballistics were poor by the standards of the time. But something magical happened: Three new.45/70 rifles appeared on the market as the centennial of the cartridge. It was introduced by Harrington & Richards in a replica trapdoor and Ruger in their No. The Government Afield. Today, what you effectively have are three power levels of ammunition for the .45-70 Government.Remington’s 405-grain JSP .45-70 load is a power level 1 offering, ideal for older .45-70 rifles with weaker actions.While the rather anemic Remington 405-grain flat-point load represents the maximum safe load in the older guns, the Barnes VOR-TX 300-grain TSX bullet, at almost 2,000 fps, represents a midrange load. The Buffalo Bore 430 grain hardcast load, which is at 1,900 fps, is the highest level of.45/70 performance. There are loads similar to the.45/70 load at each level. This load is capable of traveling at approximately 1,900 fps. They do require a powerful cartridge that will incapacitate black bears quickly. A hard-hitting cartridge is what they need to incapacitate a black bear quickly. Hunting over bait is a difficult task. Mature black bears can weigh 150 to 450 pounds. Given these short-range conditions, the.45 to 70 base load loads are ideal. In 2013, I traveled to Alberta to hunt black bear. I carried one of the first Marlin 1895 SBL lever action in.45 to 70 Government. On the second day, I was perched 25 feet above a spruce, looking out over a bait area where a dead bear was hanging. A black bear-sized hulk came in about an hour before darkness fell. I had planned to shoot him as he reached out to grab the dead beaver. But this guy was very adept at bait-site hunting. He quickly raised his arms, grabbed the dead beaver, and then turned to run. I had my rifle equipped with XS Sights and tracked the bruin for approximately 10 yards. I pulled the trigger when the white front post reached his shoulder. The bear jumped forward and piled up in a sled. The target was approximately 35 yards away. The 300-grain Remington bullet went through the bear’s heart and exited the other side. I found myself hunting African buffalo in Mozambique’s grassland swamps that summer with the same rifle. My Marlin was fired up with more powerful ammunition this time. It turned out that I didn’t shoot as well as the bear when I shot the buffalo. My professional hunter and me went into the long grass to look for an angry bull. We spotted him at approximately 10 yards and he was waiting for us. My PH told me to shoot him in his shoulder. I did. The buffalo obliged and jumped to his feet as we went. My guide immediately hit the buffalo with his right barrel of the.470 Nitro double rifle. The bull did not react. We didn’t know that the bullet had struck his horn and no other valuable items. I’d already levered my Marlin, so I knew I had to stop the buffalo immediately. I placed the reticle on the big black head of the buffalo and pulled the trigger. The charge was successful. Hornady offers two power-level 2.45/70 loads. The first uses a 325 grain FTX bullet, while the second uses a 250 gr all-copper MonoFlex cartridge. Many might feel that the cartridge and load don’t have enough gun. I was poor at shooting up until that last shot. Buffalo don’t pay much attention to poorly-placed shots. Five years later, five other hunters and myself took six buffalo from Africa with the same load. My shooting on that trip was not great, as four of the six hunters shot their buffalo with one shot. The best loads for the 45-70 are the midrange loads. This is exemplified by two Hornady and Federal loads, as well as the 300-grain Barnes TSX and two Barnes TSX loads. The Barnes load was used to take a magnificent mountain Zebra stallion. It delivered exceptional through-and-through terminal performance at a range around 75 yards. The Barnes load also made quick work of a few warthogs while the outfitter managed to control their population on his cattle farm. This bullet expands wide to create a large wound cavity that is sufficient for any size animal, including hogs and moose. This is done by a slight chamfer at the cartridge rim’s forward edge, which makes loading much easier. The cartridge cases are nickel-plated to make loading and feeding easier in lever guns. Although the Federal Fusion.45/70 load is identical, HammerDown uses a modified cartridge case for lever guns. It’s doubtful the lever gun will ever go out of style in America, and in a lever gun, the .45-70 offers a lot of versatility.Federal’s 300-grain Fusion load for the .45-70 is ballistically identical to their HammerDown load but utilizes a commonly dimensioned rifle case.It can serve an eastern whitetail hunter admirably, it can handle moose and elk–and where necessary, it has what’s needed to provide bear defense from browns and grizzlies. Despite the fact that the.45/70 has been around for longer than anyone shooting it, it is extremely versatile on a global scale. The starring role of the Marlin BL in Wind River 2017 only increased its popularity. With the new allowance for straight-wall cartridges in deer hunting states, the.45/70 is now more popular than ever. I also know that there will always be a.45/70 in my gun safe. That’s right, it’ll be there when it’s not in mine in West Virginia, Montana or Texas… or anywhere else. Storm Tactical’s impressive target pack contains 62 printable targets for rifle and handgun range usage. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. Get Free Targets