Timberman

I think the .45-70 has got to be the baddest close range deer cartridge ever invented. I took my new marlin 1895 cowboy rifle on its first deer hunt yesterday. Hunted a virgin, smoking hot stand that I've been dying to hunt since I hung it in July. Got in the tree at 2:15, by 2:45 had 6 does and a spike around the tree. I refrained from shooting them, was waiting for a buck. A nice 8 pointer came running in at 3:00, right up to the Tink's bomb. I blasted him from about 35 yards, blew him right down on the ground. Some of the does ran, and I sat there for a minute, and then noticed 3 does off to my right, just looking around. So I shot the first one, and the other 2 just stood there. Shot the second one, and the third one ran about 20 yards and stopped, so I shot her too. All dropped like they'd been poleaxed. I stayed in the tree until about 5pm, then drug them out to the field edge. There were 4 does down at the end, about 200 yards. I took a shot at one, aimed about 6" over its back, and drilled it, you could hear the bullet smack it. She made it about 10 feet. So I had 5 deer in the back of my truck!

I'm shooting Hornaday's new Lever Revolution ammo, with a 325 grain hollow point. The carnage that results from a shoulder shot is simply unbelievable. I highly recommend this cartridge to everyone. I've still got 6 doe tags and one buck tag, gonna try them again tomorrow.

mikmaze

e gads what a racket, don';t ya know us bow hunters like peace and quiet? I drilled a doe at 25 yards, she only went 40 yrds, and was done. gotta love the wasp expanding 1.75 inch cut heads...... all this while 7 other deer were standin around...... gotta go back next Saturday and pry that 8 shows up again, gonna go early it all day for that one, what a beauty, but I needed to take a doe first......

crobtex

Wow, that's a lot of meat!

How do you get so many tags?

blackdiesel

no joke! id hate to clean that many!

bnold

Thats what i was wondering??

Brock

I have a 1895 in 45-70 as well....took two does last year off my dads place...both around 75 yds and it knocked both of them off their feet and they stayed down where they were grazing without a flinch. One doe was 130lbs....big old floppy eared nanny. Other was about 100lbs...

the 45-70 has to be one of the most versatile rounds for handloaders around and will do it right if kept within its limitations on range......behind the .30-06 I cant think of another round like it.

Then again I have a .308 M70 Featherlite, .300WM Browning Abolt, M-1 Garand, 5.56mm M-4 (rock river), Ruger SBH Bisley Hunter 45LC, Ruger SBH 44Mag and various other short and long weapons......

Funny thing I hunt with my longbow most the time...LOL

Congrats on that fine rifle....if you want to really put it through its paces....the Marlin 1895 is one of few that can handle hot loads in 45-70. Google GARRET AMMUNITION and check out the Cape Buffalo shot from *** to nose with a 45-70 with his rounds.

We have a herd estimated at 1,000,000 here and there is no limit in the Lowcountry zone I live in.....and I can shoot 5 does this year and as many bucks as I want. Up until 9-11 I averaged 3-4 does and 2 bucks a year....sometimes more if I hunted with a rifle...but with bow it is usually just one or two.

Jeff in TD

I have a 45-70 handgun that really flattened an elk right where it stood.

While most factory loads for 45-70 are designed to be safe in the old trap door guns, if you handload you can take advantage of the stronger modern guns (like the new model Marlin). Book loads for the really strong actions (like Ruger's #1) are even warmer.

With the right gun and the right load the 45-70 is capable of one hole groups at 100 yards.

Equalizer 2

The 45-70 in a modern rifle is fantastic. My dad has dropped at least two elk with his and there isn't much if any tracking needed.

You can actually drive a 350 grain bullet over 2100 fps. The same as a 30-30 with a 170 grain bullet.

If you like to hunt deer and like to eat them the south is definitely the place to go. When I was in GA the limit was 3 with firearm plus 2 with a bow. The season was also about 90 days long. In Alabama right next door they had a similar season length and the limit was one buck a day with special days and areas for does.

I didn't use a rifle in GA but a .44 mag revolver. Got my limit in one day, had three does (this was an any deer area) come under my stand and I shot the first one and it ran off, shot the second one, it got up, shot it again and it got up, shot it a third time and it stayed down, then the first one came back and piled up about 20 yards from my stand. The third one trotted out to about 30 yards and stopped. I decided I would go for a head shot with the pistol but missed and caught the first vertebre under the head. I was tagged out and worn out by the time I field dressed them and loaded them up.

mizzu

I have an Uberti 45-70 lever action 1895
Golden Boy replica. I use it as a heavy brush hog gun. The nice thing I have found with the stock round is it is throws a heavy projectile slow enough as not to be deflected in heavy cover. Plenty of knockdown inside 100 yards, like a 900 mile an hour brick.

LJTyre

Never shot a .45-70, but I love my Winchester '84 in .375, very similar, big bullet, knock the mess out of anything and drop it where it stands with a half decent shot.

I do want to get a smaller caliber with a scope for longer range work, but that huge hunk of lead is awesome!

Duallydog

Goes with the old engine adage "no replacement for displacement."

Timberman

I shot one doe in the back of the head with that rifle last evening. I just love this gun, it's like hunting with a scoped cruise missle. I'm trying to be picky about filling my last rifle tags. Here in MD we have a 2 buck, 10 doe limit with EACH weapon (bow, rifle, muzzleloader). So you could kill 36 deer I suppose. If I can just shoot one with my .44 mag Super Redhawk, I'll have an Eastern Shore Grand Slam . That includes the Sika I shot with the muzzle loader.

My STW is getting jealous. I took it out on the marsh yesterday morning, but didn't see any monster deer. I'm gonna have to shoot something with it to keep it happy.

crobtex

I had seen a couple of articles about there being too man deer in some areas up there. Nothing better then having fun when doing "population control".

2500

good grief that's a lot of deer tags per person!

I'm out of freezer space... you must have a HUGE freezer(s) being able to handle 5 deer and out for more...

it's rifle season in Ok for another week. been out hunting most of last week. been passing up shots waiting for a mature buck.

my favorite deer rifle is a custom Weatherby .270 w/4200 elite 6x24 scope. took off Unertl 4x scope, but getting ready to put it back on.

kinser5mfan

here in missouri we get 1 any deer tag (buck or doe) with a 4point on one side rule. and you can buy several doe only tags
my cousin shot his 45/70 open sites at a nice buck on the run a few years ago.. i was watching in my scope telling him higher and more lead he finally hit it but it nevet killed it we steped off 525 yards when we found some hair but never any blood now that is one good (lucky?) shot
i'll keep my 30-06 and .243 my son now has