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I have personally never shot anything larger than a rabbit, but am looking to buy a christmas gift (a nice one) for a buddy. He wants to retire his Model 94 .30/30, which he uses for one deer a year. In the future he may go after a black bear. I want to replace it. The easy answer is another lever gun, same caliber, but I think he might like a .45/70 lever gun. I have been looking at the Marlin 1895. Is the .45/70 too much gun for New York State whitetail? thanks, Paul | ||
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I wouldn't think so... Suspect there are a lot of deer taken up there with the old cartridge, and it should do very well. There is a lot to be said for a big, slow-moving projectile. | |||
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Not a bad choice at all. And it's impressive your that kind of friend. If you can get him talking about guns, (take him to a gun store because you want to look  ) you may find him interested in something of a completely different flavor from his '94. Nate | |||
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I'm with BigNate! The gesture weighs more than caliber choice. The 45-70 has killed more deer than there are in the state of New York. It will work fine. Welcome to AR!  The only easy day is yesterday! | |||
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The 45-70 doesn't make as much of a mess as a typical 12Ga slug gun.... But it's a real hammer. With proper handloads (or ammo from Buffalo Bore) the 45-70 is more than adequate for ANY animal in north america. AD If I provoke you into thinking then I've done my good deed for the day! Those who manage to provoke themselves into other activities have only themselves to blame. *We Band of 45-70er's* 35 year Life Member of the NRA NRA Life Member since 1984 | |||
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You're buying this gun for a buddy?....can we be buddies?...haha.... You may consider a bolt action since he already has a lever gun. One with a little more range to it. Nothing at all wrong with the 45-70 but he may like the variety. The Hunt goes on forever, the season never ends. I didn't learn this by reading about it or seeing it on TV. I learned it by doing it. | |||
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Definately go to a sporting goods store and pay attention to him. I was talking several years ago about a new 243 with a comp stock, I'd never owned one. A girl friend at the time heard me talking about it and had my son get one for her. He told her I'd never buy one for myself, he was right. Well she bought the thing and I pretended to love it, a requirement for a gift from a woman. I still don't like that thing and hearing that hollow stock sound drives me nut's. I can't sell it and I had damn sure better shoot it now and again. The only way to get rid of it is to get rid of her and she's a good cook! Go find out what your buddy really wants, he'll let you know and you won't have to ask. | |||
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Im with Don. Of corse a 45-70 will work, but isnt it about what the shooter wants?? A couple of other lever guns you might also consider are the 336 Marlin in 35 remington and the 444 Marlin. Great deer rounds for thick woods and fun to shoot in a classic rifle. | |||
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35 remington is another great round for deer or bear Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum | |||
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Thanks for the help, we are heading to Gander Mountain tomorrow so I can get his "advice" on a new gun for "me"! Got to get it to him earlier than Christmas so he can get sighted in by deer season. Paul | |||
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The 45-70 has been used forever in NY for deer and bear .For the last 10 years I've been using a Browning 1885 with 300 factory or equivalent .Now using Win 300Partition since I found some of the others are too fragile for me.Little meat damage and then the others , seeing the hole ask 'what did you use ,a cannon ?'  It really works very well....The 35 Rem is another old favorite in NY and becomes VERY potent when using the Buffalo Bore load !...I use a 1x4 scope not to see at distance but because I want to find holes in the brush to shoot through . Don't believe those that call any round a "brush buster" any bullet including the 45-70 can be deflected !! | |||
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Hey Paul, That is an excellent way to go about it. I like Stainless and Synthetic for my firearms, and have been tossing around the idea of swapping a Blue and Wood 18.5" 444Mar for one of the new 24" Stainless and Gray Laminated XTR 444Mar rifles. I do believe they make an XTR Model in the 45-70 as well. If you all tend to hunt in inclimate weather, you might want to look the XTRs over. Best of luck to you. | |||
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Good cooks are hard to find. Why not rebarrel it to something like 7-08, 308 or 358 and fill the stock with foam? She'd be none the wiser. Okie John "The 30-06 works. Period." --Finn Aagaard | |||
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The 45-70 will flat out slam a whitetail. It's very comparable to an inline Mler performance w/ sabots. The inexpensive Remington CLs will do for anything you'd shoot w/ a 45-70. Good Luck Reloader | |||
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thank you for all your help. I had not even considered a .350 Remington, but that is a cartridge he has thought a lot about and always wanted. I went with the 336 carbine in .350 remington. I am trying to learn a bit about this cartridge, and can not find much. This is different than the .350 Remington Magnum is it not? That one came out in the mid 1960"s from what I can read on the net.I think it is much older round from the books I have at home - I have a Jack O'Connor book from 1961 which refers to it as an older cartridge even then. What are the factory ballistics with the 200 grain soft point? It sure is a beautiful gun, can't wait to give it to him so I can fire it! thanks, paul | |||
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