Page 6 - 45-70 Government Rifles at Western Gun Store

Developed by the U.S. government for the trapdoor Springfield, the 45-70 was introduced in 1873, thus among the oldest cartridges still in continuous production. In the hands of the U.S. Army this was the cartridge that really won the West! Although officially replaced as our service cartridge by the 30-40 Krag in 1892 the 45-70 saw service in Cuba and the Philippines. It had long since been a popular sporting cartridge--and remains so today. Using a .458-inch bullet in a rimmed 2.105-inch case, original loadings with 70 grains of blackpowder used a 500-grain bullet for infantry and 405 grains for cavalry. Today's factory loads with smokeless powder are mild due to potential use in the weak trapdoor Springfield action. Standard is a 405-grain bullet at 1330 feet per second, with 300 and 350-grain loads at higher velocity available. The 45-70 was and is widely chambered in single-shots and remains popular in large-frame lever actions from Browning/Winchester, Henry, and Marlin.