Been saving for my first 45-70 rifle for quite a while now. The Gibbs Enfield conversion has caught my eye in a recent "American Rifleman" magazine advertisement. Anyone actually had one in their hands or shot one?

Puncher bought one of these about six months ago. I believe he loves his. You'll have to ask his fiancee if he can come out and play.

Mike

I did not wait for a Gibbs rifle when I first got the bug for a 45-70 SMLE lo' so many years ago. I belive Puncher is pleased with his though. I am pretty sure we could get a response out of him on Cast Boolits though. My own 45-70 has seen some pretty stout loads though and is holding up very well indeed....Here it is.


Here is their version...


45nut

[ 10-21-2003, 04:50: Message edited by: 45nut ]

Gents;

The Gibbs .45-70 that I've been coveting locally is based on the #4 Mk1 action. They added an open-notch rear barrel sight, but left the "ears" which mount the issue aperture sight on the receiver.

First thing I'd do is get one of the nicely machined, click-adjustable issue rear sights and junk the one out on the barrel. Apart from that, it's an attractive package for around $300, and I do 'need' a .45-70 which is a cartridge I've never messed with. I'm also a devotee of Lee Enfields, so this is a neat combo for my tastes.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Well I'll be ! Those folks at Gibbs are clever buggers aren't they. I guess a 0.375 barrel and chambered for 36/56 is possible?

BruceB
Someone once told me you either will like a 45-70 or hate it, that there was no inbetween, but to at least try one. Well I did, and I loved it and still have it. I too like the Lee Enfields as they are the first military rifle that I became acquainted with as my father used a No 4 made by Savage for deer hunting. I only got to see it when deer season opened. At any rate get yourself a 45-70 and from knowing you from your posts I am certain you will like it.

Joe

Howdy, Joe.

Yessir, I've been SEVERELY chastised by some folks in our circle for never having loaded for the old .45-70. How it has escaped me for over 35 years of casting, I have no idea. I feel one 'coming on' now....

My Lee Enfield experience started in the Army Cadets in Canada, back in the '50s. In those days, the guvmint actually trained us youngsters (14-18) in rifle and MACHINE GUN marksmanship, using the #4 and the Bren LMG. Funny, nobody ever shot up the school, the principal, the hated Latin teacher etc etc, even though we had a hundred or so rifles and a dozen LMGs in the school basement. When I left the Cadets in late '61 to join the regular Army, the lads were already being trained on the then-new FN-FAL C1 autoloading rifle.

I spent the summer of '61 doing nothing but .303 shooting out to 1000 yards and learning to be a Cadet Rifle Coach at an Army camp far from home....I fired over 10,000 rounds of .303 that summer, and I got PAID to do it!

I have not been without a .303 of some description ever since those days.

BTW, I have a bunch of various .30 boolits sized .310" waiting on my bench for a trial in the 7.62x39. Days-off will arrive Thursday morning at 0600, and I can hardly wait.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

BruceB
Amazing the training you got as a Cadet. I know my best friend and I would have given anything in our youth to have gotten to shoot those rifles and machine guns. How much the world has changed now. I can just hear the liberal anti's crying if this country were to do something like that in this day and age.

I need to get myself another 303. I kind of favor the the Mark III* I just like the way they look over the No 4's. Alot of people made fun of some of the British equipment during the world wars but I found the more I studied or handled some it that they were right about alot of things. The Bristish 303's were one hell of a good battle rifle in my opinion.

My Dad had an old cigar box that was full of these old 303 cartridges. They had the nickocupra roundnose bullets on them, berdan primer of course, with a VII and 07 on the headstamp. If one pulled the bullet there was a DA stamped in the little bit of lead exposed at the base of the bulleet. There was a little hard card wad over a load of long stringy cordite. I still have some left in my collection and my wifes key chain has been wearing one of the slugs for over 24 yrs now.

Joe