Sometimes I disgust myself.......I'm a rotten so & so

I've been having an "intersting" exchange of views with a poster on the Hunters Life forum, and as I'm off to Botswana tomorrow for a hunt, I've suggested he visit here and get a wider selection of views from the well informed sources here.

The subject is the all time favourite of the calibre that can't be mentioned..... F, Fo, For..... no, I just can't say it

By the time you're finished with it, you'll be hoping the old Carmelo will come back again

I just hope it's all over when I get home.

As I said, He, He, He, He, He!!!!!!

Shakari,



I assure you I do not advocate the 45-70 for the most dangerous of African game and I will explain why.



I can handload my 45-70 with 420 grain bullets to velocities that I believe will wreck the day of any animal that walks the planet, however to do so I am at the upper limits of where I would safely care to take my Marlin.

Thus far the hottest days this summer I have shot these loads was 86 degrees. It can get much hotter that that in Africa and Reloder #7 being as temperature sensitive as it is I may run into sticky extractions on a very hot day. This is not something I wish to experience when going against a Cape Buff or charging Elephant.

I would feel more comfortable with a .404 Jeffery which I am looking to acquire by the way.

Depending on what this is about, good luck with your hunt.
Frank

I will explain why I think the 45/70 Government is an inadequate round for dangerous African game.



1. The 45/70 is a hold over straight walled black powder round. It was a heck of a man killer when it was adopted by the US government for the trapdoor springfield. That was 1878.



2. The 45/70 shoots a .458 bullet. The bullet albeit large, is a poor penetrator. It requires a great deal of velocity (458 Win Mag velocity) to overcome the poor penetration. You can not generate that kind of velocity out of a lever action rifle. The only way to come close to the velocity of the 458 Win Mag is to put the round in a strong bolt action rifle and load it up to brutal recoil levels to approach the level of the 458 Winnie.



3. The 45/70 is an adequate round for deer/elk out to 100 yards. That's not just me that's what my Speer manual says.

At the speeds generated out of a lever action no wonder they call it the Big Rainbow!



4. If you use the 45/70 lever action on dangerous African game, it's just stunt work. No amount of magical wide meplats or hard cast bullets will ever make the the 45/70 anything else than, a hold over black powder round that folks have been trying to make into Ultimate poor man's Dangerous Game rifles of all times.



5. If hardcast bullets are such a boon to the dangerous game hunter, why haven't I seen more of them in those "Safari Grade" ammo boxes?



Of course it's your money and your life. You need to go shoot what you want to shoot. Just don't expect me to ever believe that the 45/70 is an adequate African dangerous game round. It wasn't in 1878 and it isn't now.



Just my opines!

The British shot a lot of DG in Africa with lesser ctgs than a 45-70 with stiff modern handloads. The caliber is an entirely different beast when handloaded in a modern rifle. The Ruger no 1 and 3 rifles will digest loads that approach the 458 Win Mag. The only reservation I have about this is you don't have a quick second shot! The levers are an interesting option but I am not sure how much pressure they can take. I wouldn't want to risk losing my hand in the African bush, that would ruin my day.

If a 45-70's all you have, and you are going on a one-time Safari, I say go for it. But I wouldn't go out and BUY a 45-70 specifically to hunt DG. There are better calibers for the purpose.

Why is everyone against the 45-70? Some principal I missed? I�ve never owned one but I had some good hunts with a .444 Marlin -mostly whitetail...

Everything has it�s time and place.

Not again...