# 45-70 vs 12g recoil



## hopintocash2 (Aug 14, 2011)

with the new pcr possibly happening there has been a lot of talk of the 45-70, and it's recoil. compared to a 12g slug gun how would you rate the two?


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

My .45-70 is ported, but I don't think the kick is any worse than an 870 with a 3" slug...

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## hopintocash2 (Aug 14, 2011)

Did you have it ported or did you get it that way?


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

Mine came that way. It is the Marlin 1895G guide gun model with the shorter barrel. I bought it around '99 or so for bear hunting in PA. Its not too bad to shoot, just make sure you have a lead sled shooting rest available when sighting it in.

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## hopintocash2 (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks for the info


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## J23 (Mar 9, 2010)

hopintocash2 said:


> with the new pcr possibly happening there has been a lot of talk of the 45-70, and it's recoil. compared to a 12g slug gun how would you rate the two?


..new pcr?


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## hopintocash2 (Aug 14, 2011)

Pistol caliber rifles


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## J23 (Mar 9, 2010)

Wow, I didn't hear anything about that.. that would be fantastic. Are the odds pretty good of it happening?


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## J23 (Mar 9, 2010)

hopintocash2 said:


> with the new pcr possibly happening there has been a lot of talk of the 45-70, and it's recoil. compared to a 12g slug gun how would you rate the two?


Sorry about hijacking your thread!!

Regarding the 45/70, if they would even consider that a 'pistol' caliber, I suppose it would depend on what load you were shooting through it. If you roll your own, the 45/70 has one of the broadest power bands of any caliber out there. You can load cast bullets down to 'Trapdoor' levels, say for instance a 405 grain cast bullet at around 1200-1300 fps. On the far end of the scale, a jacketed, or hard cast bullet can be pushed nearly to 458 Winchester Magnum levels. Between the two, you can hunt virtually any big game animal on the planet with the same rifle, assuming it can digest the high end loads. Frankly speaking however, even the softest recoiling 45/70 load, such as the 'Trapdoor' load will easily dispatch a deer out to a few hundred yards, the factor limiting the range of the caliber will be the bullet trajectory; about the equivalent of a geriatric patient tossing a medicine ball. 

..to answer your question, the light 'Trapdoor' loads kick about the same as a 20 gauge slug, or maybe a 12 gauge low-brass load, though recoil can be a subjective thing. The 'Trapdoor' loads however, are by no means uncomfortable in any 45/70 I have ever shot one in, including a H&R Handi-Rifle and a Ruger #1, both fairly light.

I have shot a 5-hundred-and-something grain hard cast load in a 45/70 through a Marlin 'Guide Gun,' loaded, 'briskly.' I didn't shoot a second.


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## hopintocash2 (Aug 14, 2011)

thanks for the feed back, but to be honest i'm a shotgun guy and you pretty much lost me when speaking of trap door levels. this is all new to me so i'm trying to learn about it before purchasing a rifle. thanks again


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

The .45-70 is on the list of approved calibers for consideration. I shoot the Horandy 325 grain bullet. I would have no concerns shooting at a deer out to about 200 yards...and that is the round I am saying is comparable to an 870 with 3" slug...

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## fishhook (Jun 25, 2006)

Misdirection said:


> The .45-70 is on the list of approved calibers for consideration. I shoot the Horandy 325 grain bullet. I would have no concerns shooting at a deer out to about 200 yards...and that is the round I am saying is comparable to an 870 with 3" slug...
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ohub Campfire mobile app


I shoot this same 45-70 round in a Contender handgun with a 16" barrel that has a muzzle brake machined on the barrel. I have killed deer at a little over 200 yrds off of a tri-pod rest and I don't think the recoil is near as much as a 3" slug.


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## TMK (Mar 31, 2005)

The factory loads that I shot through a 1895 Marlin with a 22" barrel felt like less recoil than an 870 Remington 12ga with 2 3/4" sluggers.

The factory loads were 300 and 325 grain bullets pushed right around 2,000 FPS.

Chuck Hawks has some really interesting facts about recoil on his website.


If it's pain your looking for, try the 3 1/2" hevi shots with 2 1/4 oz loads!


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