Shomebigbores, have you ever used any of the Garrett or the Buffalo Bore loads in your 45-70? I used to hear lots about them on the Marlin talk forum but haven't heard much about them lately. They are obviously not readily available in my neck of the woods. They were costly then and I'm sure they still are but someday I'd like to try them.

By the way I went by the name of "deadeye" on the Marlin forum.

Legendary Guns in Phoenix carries Buffalo Bore. I have to order the Garrett, but I don't believe anyone else is making as dependable a round for large and dangerous as the 540 grain.

Randy has also taken a lot of time in developing these rounds. There is another maker out now that calls his bullets "Moose Mangler". I saw them on www.gunbroker.com last week. There will be several that create new rounds but I think you have named the two I trust. Buffalo Bore has taken my favorite .458 and made it the same speed as the 44 mag. The only time I would use anything else (454 Casull) would be for a carry in dangerous game territory. I am a little phobic about being caught doing something like gathering wood and end up in a face to face with a mad mama grizz. (or moose)

Buffalo Bore loads their's a little hotter than Randy, but I don't think the bullets are as hard. They have still gone completely through some very big game. For more open areas I would use BB in the 350 grain configuration. I have simply never had a shot that I "would comfortably take" at large game over 250 yards anyway. I would have with my 300 mag, but I sold that one in favor of the Marlin 45/70.

I don't care for the Cor Bon bullets. Can't say why, except I just don't get good groups with them.

Walt

1895ss,

This is the first forum I have become active in. I used to read the Marlin forum, but never registered. I used it for information, and I suppose you can find a lot of that in my "opines". Fact is often stranger than fiction, just as it is hard to understand why the blunt nosed .458 rounds penetrate deeper at 1650 than at 2200.

Go figure, but learn from experience. Education is a wonderful thing, but experience and determination are the real life teachers.

Walt

I had so many of them it is not funny. 444, 356's 35 rem, 358 BLR's, 450 Mag, 45-70 etc etc....Just keep trading in and out of them.

I shoot a Marlin as well, but did not see the .38 WCF (38-40) listed.

Obviously I don't use it on big game, but it works great on skunks, both the two legged and four legged varieties.

The rifle is an 1889 Marlin, manufactured in October of 1889 and shipped to a hardware store in Casper, Wyoming. It was my great grandfathers (along with a Colt SAA in 38 WCF) and still groups at about 1.5" at 100 yards.

I just bought a Marlin 1895 45-70 a few weeks ago but I havent fired it yet.I installed a Williams reciever sight and glass bedded the buttstock to the reciever to hopefully prevent the possibility of cracking with heavy loads. I also removed the despised crossbolt safety,cut both ends off with dremel tool and epoxied both pieces flush in the holes. I bought two boxes of Garretts 540 grain Hammerheads and also loaded some with speer 400 grain flatpoints,anxious to see how it shoots. I also have a 336 30-30 that my dad bought new in 68,a Win 94 NRA centennial rifle,and a Win 94 trapper in 44 mag.

roklok wrote:

. I also removed the despised crossbolt safety,cut both ends off with dremel tool and epoxied both pieces flush in the holes.

I disabled my cross bolt saftey as well, but I didn't remove it. I used one of those half moon spring clips and slipped it over the off side of the cross bolt. If you get the right size it will not come off as it snaps on tight. I've had it on there for several years and it hasn't come off yet. It used to be a pain in the rear when you went to shoot and the damn thing was on. I don't have that problem any more and it was a simple fix.......

I just sold my 450 GG....Why am I looking at buying a 444 Already? What is wrong with me????????

I just got back from shooting my 1895 45-70 for the first time this afternoon. With the 400 grain speer bullet in front of 52gr of RL7 I was getting 2060 fps,which is exactly 200 fps faster than the speer manual lists for a 22" 1895ss.Maybe the newer ballard rifling has somthing to do with the difference.I was pleased with the accuracy,about 1" at 50 yards with peep sight,but I am going to have to buy a taller front sight as I am out of adjustment on my peep and it is still shooting 6" high.Very impressed with the gun other than the slight headache from the recoil, but I guess thats to be expected with a load like this.

Roklok...You're not supposed to place the butt of the rifle against your forehead you know...Place the butt against your shoulder and the headaches may go away...

And POP...You're just another one of those "Gun Nuts". That's all I can tell you.....

Merry Christmas to one and all...

So thats what I have been doing wrong all these years!

roklok -

When I got my 1895 I developed some loads that make 400g @ 2050fps look tame. The hard reddish/orangeish rubber "pad" that the factoryputs on the 1895's didn't do much to absorb the recoil. My shoulder took the beating but somehow I managed.

I put on a "small" Kick Killer slip-on pad I picked up from Cabelas. And I cheated and put an extra 1/2" of foam in it before I slipped it on the 1895. Made a WORLD of difference.

Soon to have a 444!

Don't have a Marlin at the present. Sold the 30-30 but have shot the 38/55 and fell in love with it. What a cool caliber, and it will be my next rifle procurement. Will make a great spot and stalk close in whitetail rifle.-tr

Coyote_Hunter_ wrote:

An another note, I posted this poll a couple days ago - before I became the proud ower of a Marlin 336 in .30-30. Went to the gun show with my hunting buddy and ound a very nice, 16 year-old 336 with a Buchnell 3x9 scope mounted. The scope isn't the one I would choose these days, but I had a similar one on my Ruger 7mm Mag for over 20 years and never had a problem with it.

I also picked up a Marlin at a local gun show pretty cheap. It's a pre-1972 in .30-30, and it's the best shooting lever-action of any brand I've owned or shot - ever! It had an off-brand 4x scope on it with really fine crosshairs (awful hard to see in dim light and thick brush) but when I took it to the range, it shot under 1 MOA with any load I fed it. My only complaint has been a sticky loading gate, but man what a shooter! The .30-30 is so cheap and easy to find, and has such a wode variety of available loads, I feel it's a great choice for closer range areas. I personally prefer to stalk well and get close to taking longer shots, and in the mountains here in Colorado, there are plenty of places where you'll never even see a 150 yard shot. When I carry it, I carry it loaded with Fusion's 150 grain load as it has shot better for me than most (though there's really not much difference) and it expands perfectly. I'm eager to try the new Leverevolution ammo thorough it, but no one locally sells the stuff. Still, shooting at 200 yards, it'll keep groups under 2 inches from a bench, and that's twice as good as any other lever gun I've used.