45-70 range report

[White Squirrel]

You and that 45-70 are on the money, JEBar. Nice!

[JEBar]

Very good groups...excellent shooting.
I'd bet your 100-yard target will be shredded the same way.

BTW, it would be nice if you could "carry home" a couple of booths and yardages from Jay Henges, wouldn't it?!? I'm sure glad you're able to spend some time there. Enjoy.

I'd love to be able to take the whole place with me .. .. we may get back over there with rifles tomorrow and with shotguns on Saturday .... if so, I'll probably take the Henry BB Steel 44 Mag .... haven't fired it on this trip

[Frank V]

Take them all!!!!

[JEBar]

Take them all!!!!

to do that I'd need one of those carts like they use to haul surf fishing equipment down to the waterline .. .. without considering the weight of the Henrys, the 45-70 shells are heavy and 44 mags aren't light ..

[Frank V]

Take them all!!!!

to do that I'd need one of those carts like they use to haul surf fishing equipment down to the waterline .. .. without considering the weight of the Henrys, the 45-70 shells are heavy and 44 mags aren't light ..

Like the old boy said in "Jaws" "you need a bigger boat" well maybe a bigger pick up???

[Sir Henry]

You and that 45-70 are on the money, JEBar. Nice!

You got that right.

[RanchRoper]

updated range reports .... earlier today I took our 45-70 back to Jay Henges shooting park .... the results can be seen below .... 12 rounds fired from a bench rest, in 3 4-shot groups, at 75 yards .... next time we go out, I plan to move back to 100 yards

Those are some scary big holes....nice shootin'.

[Frank V]

The .45-70 slug makes things happen when it lands!!!!

[Sir Henry]

The .45-70 slug makes things happen when it lands!!!!

Things don't talk back when it speaks.

[Frank V]

You betcha & when you shoot something it usually stays shot.
Ever see the cloud of rock dust a 405gr .47-70 bullet at 1720fps throws off a big rock when you hit it???
Impressive.

[Slugnut]

looks like you have a real shooter there, my friend. 49 shots at one session- that's manly !! Good luck and enjoy.

[JEBar]

looks like you have a real shooter there, my friend. 49 shots at one session- that's manly !! Good luck and enjoy.

kind comments appreciated .... with both our Henry 44 and Henry 45-70 we mainly shoot reduced powder (Cowboy competition type) loads .... the 44 magnum hunting loads don't have the same level of really strong recoil they do in our Ruger Redhawk .... mild loads are really a pleasure to shoot .... the same is pretty much the case for the 45-70 .... muzzle blast is most certainly such that hearing protection is critical but that is the case with most powerful centerfire calibers .... we bought the 44 prior to finding out about the 45-70 ... after buying it, if we had it to do over, we would probably only buy the 45-70 .... from target shooting and hunting standpoints, we really have no need for both .... there is nothing the 44 can't do that the 45-70 can't do better, the biggest positives are the 44 is a bit cheaper to shoot and we already had 44 reloading dies .... that said, we thoroughly like both and plan to eventually pass them on down the line

[Frank V]

Will your rifle feed 500 grain loads? I know most Marlins won't unless the bullet is seated deeper than normal.

You will have to seat a 500gr bullet deeper to function through the Marlin & probably the Henry too.
The 500gr Hornaday JSPs he shows are for the .458 Win Mag. I've shot a lot of them through the .458.
I'd be surprised if they open up at .45-70 velocities, but they would surely penetrate. Might be a great bullet for Bears.
You'd have to seat them deeper & greatly reduce your loads to start with. Maybe use trapdoor data to start?

again from Buffalo Bore's website : "This bullet is a solid and won't mushroom and thus will penetrate 5 to 6 feet in muscle and bone." .... I can't think of any critter I'm even remotely likely to hunt that needs a bullet that will penetrate 5 to 6 feet in muscle and bone .. .. even so, it would be nice to have a few rounds of such ammo that is capable of doing so .. .. talk about conversation pieces ..

Reading back over this thread. I hunt the dark timber for Elk, grizzlys also haunt that cover for Elk, deer, & whatever else they can find. For me 5 to 6 feet of penetration would be welcomed if I had to shoot my way out of a bad situation. In this area there is no such thing as too much penetration.

[JCN]

Something is drawing me to the 45-70AW but I have no practical use for it. A few more threads about it and I won't be able to resist.

[Frank V]

JCN, you really need one. I can tell you a fun load is a good 405gr lead bullet over 35grs of IMR3031. It clocks 1088 for me & is beyond pleasant to shoot. It still leaves a BIG hole in the target & stirrs up a lot of dust when it lands.
Have we got you convinsed yet???????

[JCN]

I think I need to get into reloading first. The cost of factory 45-70 rounds is astonishing! My guess is I'd shoot a lot fewer of them at the range, but still...

[JEBar]

I think I need to get into reloading first. The cost of factory 45-70 rounds is astonishing! My guess is I'd shoot a lot fewer of them at the range, but still...

for most of us who enjoy shooting, reloading allows us to get more bang for our bucks (sorry, couldn't resist ) .... it also allows us to spend time involved in our hobby when trips to a range aren't possible .... one other point, even if a person doesn't expand the number of calibers they shoot, it can reduce the cost of the shooting they are already doing .... given the startup cost, the more shooting one does, the faster they recoup the initial expense .... we've been using our RCBS press since the mid '60's, needless to say, our cost per use is all but nonexistent ...

[Frank V]

JCN you do need to get into reloading. The equipment will be paid for in money not spent on ammo in just a few years & if chosen wisely last two lifetimes.
What JEBar said is true you won't spend less money. What you will do is shoot a lot more for the same money spent. Plus you can load just to your gun (s) for accuracy, load up & down (stay within reliable reloading manuals guidelines) & you will be very satisfied with the results.
Good shooting.

[JCN]

I will need to look into some sort of modular or compact setup. I don't have room in my tiny house or garage to set anything up permanently. Is it possible to set everything up for an hour or two session and then put it all away in a bin for storage?

[JEBar]

I will need to look into some sort of modular or compact setup. I don't have room in my tiny house or garage to set anything up permanently. Is it possible to set everything up for an hour or two session and then put it all away in a bin for storage?

absolutely ....