Henry Rifle Forums

Just picked up a H010G (the G stands for God my #%@&ing shoulder hurts) and threw a Leupold 1.5-4X scope on her. Love love love it! Zeroed it up today at 50 yards and put Hornady 325's through it and a few 430g bear loads. Love the thump this rifle throws out!

Any advice on cushioning the blow? Are there padded vests out there or is there a better way to shoulder it? I was stuck in the same position on sandbags so I could get it zeroed in but after 24 rounds I was done I guess not a bad thing since ammo costs 2 bucks a pop.

Get a PAST recoil pad that straps to your shoulder. Shooting a hard kicking rifle is at it's worst from the bench.

Kick-Eez recoil pads are gifts from the shooting gods.

I have a Marlin 1895 that no longer kicks so hard it loosens your back teeth.
Now it feels like someone gives you shoulder a stiff shove, but no smack.

Try one and I promise you will not be disappointed.

kicks, most certainly, like a proverbial mule .... we upgraded to a Kick-Eez recoil pad, inserted a Mercury Recoil Suppressor in the stock, and Mag-Na-Ported the barrel .... after all that it still kicks harder than I'm comfortable with ... the most effective thing I've found with factory loads is to go with Cowboy Action level ammo (HSM makes a good one) .... with our hand loads, we load to Cowboy Action levels

Factory bear ammo in a light 7 pound rifle will knock you back for sure. Sitting on a bench prevents that cushioning effect. I love the round but I eventually moved to a .44 Mag. The strap on rifle shoulder pads work excellent for a range session, but at other times you don’t need one because they are awkward and make people think you are a cry baby unless your gun has a steel or brass butt plate, then you should not shoot bear loads…. IMHO. If you want to shoot stout rounds from the bench, buy a single shot rifle with a long heavy barrel, like Matthew Quigley’s.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabela ... recoil-pad

John Davies
Spokane WA

Limb-saver makes a slip on recoil pad. When I had my Marlin 45-70 I used one and it helped. As mentioned, best course would be to shoot lighter loads either Cowboy or hand loads if you’re set up for that.

I forgot, if you learn to reload, you can work up your bear load by increasing the fps until you can’t stand the pain, then you back off a little and call it good. Plus light Trail Boss loads are a pure delight at 50 yards and way way cheaper per round.

John Davies
Spokane WA

John E Davies wrote: ↑

Sat May 22, 2021 10:28 am

I forgot, if you learn to reload, you can work up your bear load by increasing the fps until you can’t stand the pain, then you back off a little and call it good. Plus light Trail Boss loads are a pure delight at 50 yards and way way cheaper per round.

John Davies
Spokane WA

Good advice and reloading did cross my mind yesterday

Kissmybrass wrote: ↑

Fri May 21, 2021 9:37 pm

Just picked up a H010G (the G stands for God my #%@&ing shoulder hurts) and threw a Leupold 1.5-4X scope on her. Love love love it! Zeroed it up today at 50 yards and put Hornady 325's through it and a few 430g bear loads. Love the thump this rifle throws out!

Any advice on cushioning the blow? Are there padded vests out there or is there a better way to shoulder it? I was stuck in the same position on sandbags so I could get it zeroed in but after 24 rounds I was done I guess not a bad thing since ammo costs 2 bucks a pop.

IMG_2376.jpeg

There isn't a game animal on earth that could withstand 24 rounds from that rifle. You wouldn't want to skin 24 buffalo all in one day.
My brother had a rolling block .45-70 he always loaded for bear. At the range I'd shoot it 5 or 6 rounds (because he insisted) and be done with it.
Personally I'd load up some cowboy rounds for range fun. Nothing to prove and the shooting is a lot more fun! Those paper targets can be punctured with ease. Claybirds disintegrate readily. What more do you need at the range?

Both those factory rounds you have are renowned for having a substantial kick. The Hornady are unpleasant for sure. Inever shot HSM Bear loads out of my .45-70, but know from my other levers that they pack a wallop! Save those for when you need to drop a grizzly in it’s tracks.

Try the Remington (if you can still find it) or Winchester Cowboy Action loads. They are labelled as “safe for ALL firearms” so you know they can be used in vintage trapdoor actions. Both the ones I listed are 405 grain cast bullets that have lighter powder charges. Shooting them out of my short barrel Marlin 1895 the felt recoil is similar to my .357 Bigboy Carbine. You can shoot them all day with no pain.

John E Davies wrote: ↑

Sat May 22, 2021 10:21 am

Factory bear ammo in a light 7 pound rifle will knock you back for sure. I love the .45-70 round but I eventually moved to a .44 Mag.

Me too. I sold my .45-70 to fund a pricy Italian shotgun deal, and replaced it with a Bigboy Carbine in .44 Mag to get my big hole maker fun without the pain (wallet and shoulder).

I have a 45-100 and use a limb saver it works great.

A Limb Saver will help, quite a bit. If you're shooting targets, a Led Sled is the ticket.

I have a Winchester 1885 High-Wall clone in .45-70 that I used to shoot in BPCR matches. 515 grain lead bullet over 65 grains of blackpowder, and fired 40-50 rounds in each match.

My shoulder never hurt since I used one of those limbsaver gel pads that slips on the butt. Ugly, but effective, and they are easily removed when you want to show it off.
My brother has a Marlin 1895 rifle in .45-70 and we fired some of those Hornady 325 grain rounds and it kicked worse than any rifle I had ever fired. It made my teeth and eyes hurt! Never again.

Thanks all for the comments! Lighter cowboy loads are definitely my next go-to's and I'm saving the brass in case I attempt reloading

be advised that Hornady LeverRevolution 45-70 brass is shorter than standard and should only be reloaded with the same powder and bullets that they came with .... for that reason, many of us do not fire LeverRevolution factory loads

secondly, HSM Cowboy Action ammo is an excellent product and its brass can be reloaded with wide range of bullets and powder

I use one of those pads on my 1885 High Wall also and it works very well. If and when reloading components become widely available again look into reloading for your .45-70. 13-14 gr. Unique with a 405 gr. cast bullet makes a nice relaxing plinker that will still knock the heck out of a steel target!

16 grain of Universal works well also.

Shooting heavy loads from the bench will definitely get your attention. As stated above, get some loads rated for trapdoor Springfields, or a slip on recoil pad, or both. I have some healthy loads that are for offhand shooting and/or hunting elk.
Additionally, in my younger and dumber years, I had a Ruger #3 in 45-70. Heavy loads in that rifle were on par with a 458 Winchester Mag. Don’t go there!

for most range work trapdoor Springfield loads make sense ... cheaper to shoot and much less painful .... it doesn't take a powerful charge to punch a hole in a paper target or to ring a gong