By
Craig Boddington
The .45-70 Government was adopted by the US military in 1873. Amazing that it’s still with us today, more amazing that it’s still popular. Truth is, it almost died away. The .45-70 saw us through the plains campaigns and the last years of bison eradication, but it was our standard-issue military cartridge for just 19 years, replaced by the .30-40 Krag in 1892.
In the 1870s, no repeating actions could handle the .45-70. The 1881 Marlin lever-action came first, followed by Winchester’s answer, the Model 1886. The .45-70 was the most popular of the 1886’s 19 chamberings, but it was long gone before production ceased in 1935. Longer gone were the 1881 Marlin and the original 1895 Marlin.
Because repeaters were costly, through the 19th Century single-shots were more popular. The .45-70 was a common chambering in most big single-shots. However, after the bison were gone and the Great Plains were pacified there was limited need large cartridges. Winchester 1885 High Wall was probably the last classic American single-shot, .45-70 just one of its many chamberings.
The original .45-70 load used a 405-grain lead bullet in front of 70 grains of blackpowder, producing 1330 fps for 1590 foot-pounds of energy. Factory loads were converted to smokeless powder, but because the trapdoor Springfield action is not strong, pressures were kept mild and original ballistics maintained.
Factory ammunition remained available, but from about 1930 no new .45-70 rifles were made. Bill Ruger gets credit for starting the comeback. People thought he was crazy when he brought out his Ruger No. 1 in 1966, the first modern centerfire single-shot. Some folks thought he was even crazier when, early on, he chambered his No. 1 to .45-70, an almost-forgotten relic.
Handloaders already knew what the .45-70 could do in strong actions. Also, thanks to the early success of the .458 Win Mag, introduced in 1956, the .45-70’s .458-inch bullets were common. Gunwriter John Wootters was among the early purchasers of a Ruger No. 1 in .45-70. He took it to Mozambique where, among other animals, it accounted for a huge leopard.
The time of reintroductions and reproductions wasn’t yet, but the .45-70 was back. Its return was secured in 1972 when Marlin introduced their 1895 lever-action in .45-70. Marlin took the name from their original 1895, but the “new” 1895 is based entirely on the 336 action. The process started in 1964 with the Model 444, an internally enlarged 336 adapted to the powerful .444 Marlin. Eight years later, Marlin went a step farther, hogging out the strong 336 action to house the big .45-70.
The new Marlin 1895 opened the floodgates, introducing a new generation to the .45-70’s hard-hitting short-range power. Standard factory .45-70 loads are still loaded to mild pressures, ensuring safe use in trapdoor Springfields. Marlin’s 1895 spurred ammunition manufacturers to create a new generation of .45-70 loads, pressures still mild, but with lighter bullets loaded faster, increasing energy and flattening trajectory. Long standard, loaded by multiple firms, is a 300-grain bullet at 1880 fps, yielding 2355 ft-lbs.
Since lever-action 45-70s have tubular magazines, downrange performance was hampered by the necessity to use blunt-nosed bullets. Hornady changed this in 2006 with their Flex-Tip-eXpanding (FTX) bullet with compressible polymer tip, the first sharp-pointed bullet safe for use in tubular magazines. In their LEVERevolution line, these were mated with new propellants that increased velocity without excessive pressure. Their 325-grain FTX is loaded to 2000 fps, yielding 2886 ft-lbs.
Today, the 1895 Marlin has been joined by newly manufactured Winchester 1886s, and Henry’s .45-70. Also, numerous big single-shots on old and new actions. Standard .45-70 loads continue with mild pressures, but there are ascending grades of .45-70, always available to handloaders. Hornady’s loading manual lists three sets of data for the .45-70: Trap Door, 1895 Marlin, and Ruger #1. Similarly, specialty ammo makers like Cor-Bon and Garrett offer .45-70 loads tailored to various action strengths.
With heavy loads in strong actions, the .45-70 transcends the big woods cartridge it was long considered, to a serious thumper adequate for the biggest bears and baddest Cape buffaloes.
Part of this ammo revolution, and the .45-70’s resurgence, is based on the popularity of the “guide gun.” Whether Henry, Marlin, or Winchester ’86, the guide gun is simply a big lever-action somewhat updated. Usually with shorter barrel, perhaps a rail mount with ghost-ring aperture, rust-proof finish, laminate or synthetic stock.
The first “guide gun” I ever saw (before I heard the term) was a lovely Marlin .45-70 by Idaho custom maker Jim Brockman. Neither rail mounts nor Cerakote existed, but this rifle had it all: Matte metal, flat black stock. Three sight options: Detachable forward-mounted Long Eye Relief scope on the barrel and detachable 1.75-5x20mm scope on the receiver, rear receiver base also housing an aperture. Deadly accurate, this rifle was far ahead of its time. Wish I’d bought it.
I didn’t, but I have a long history with the .45-70. The first animal I took with it was a big Arizona mountain lion in 1979. Not with a rifle, but with a JD Jones .45-70 barrel on a T/C Contender. In a handgun, the .45-70 is all the fun anyone needs!
Years later, I took a massive bison bull with a Wesson & Harrington break-open single-shot. I used .45-70 cases loaded to .45-90 specs, using 415-grain hard-case bullets. They exited the far side. A big bison is 25 percent larger than a Cape buffalo, so I know, unequivocally, that a .45-70 with good loads is adequate for African buffalo. In between, and still, a lot of pig hunting and close-range deer hunting with .45-70s, much of it preceding the “guide gun” phenomenon.
The lever-action is uniquely American, so “guide gun” is generally interpreted in Noth American context: A rifle a guide carries for in extremis use when hunting big bears. The concept is seductive, and big lever-actions became popular. Toward the tail end, Marlin was offering the 1895 .45-70 in many configurations. Despite parent company Remington’s impending doom, they were selling all they could make.
Ruger acquired Marlin from the ashes and tooled up to make lever-actions. I assumed they would start with a .30-30, but the first Ruger Marlin was a short-barreled 1895 .45-70 in stainless and synthetic. “Why” is simple: In latter Remington/Marlin production, .45-70s outsold .30-30s two to one. Good on the old warhorse .45-70!
The problem with the guide gun concept: Few of us hunt big bears or guide in big bear country, and the purposes aren’t the same. A bear guide should carry a fast-handling, powerful repeater. A bear hunter must carry a rifle that will stop a bear, also has adequate range. With proper loads, the .45-70 is powerful enough. On the latter count, I’m not convinced.
A young friend had a chance to go on an Alaskan brown bear hunt. He considered a lever-action .45-70. I talked him out of it. A 200-yard shot would be possible, but difficult. He chose a scoped bolt-action, got a nice bear. I hunted brown bear in Alaska last fall, never got a shot. Going again this spring. I have a Ruger/Marlin 1895 .45-70. Wonderfully accurate, wears a good scope. Love to take a big bear with that rifle, but I’m not taking it. Too costly a hunt to take chances! Last fall, I carried an accurate, well-scoped .338, same gun this spring. If my one chance is past 200 yards I can take it with confidence. Possible with a .45-70, but risky.
It’s not that the .45-70 isn’t capable of extreme accuracy or long-range shooting. Rather, its arcing trajectory makes longer shots difficult. And although big bullets always hit hard, they lose energy fast. I’d hunt Cape buffalo with a .45-70 before I’d take it for a big bear. I know I’m not going to shoot a buffalo past 100 yards. On a bear hunt, likely just one chance. I want to be certain I can take that shot with confidence.
So, whether you call it a guide gun or just a big lever-action, I see the grand old .45-70 as ideal for situations where you know the shot will be close. Perfect for pigs, awesome for black bear over bait or with hounds. Ideal for thick cover whitetail hunting. Overgunned, maybe, but not much tracking!
Let’s be fair: With modern loads and optical sights, the .45-70 is not a bayonet-range rifle. Couple seasons back my friend Bobby Dierks had a big Kansas buck up on an opposite ridge. He had his Henry .45-70 with Leupold red-dot sight, figured about 200 yards. He held the dot on the backline and dropped the buck. Fine shot with a .45-70…and with a red dot. Also, a great buck, entered into Boone and Crockett’s records at 173 typical. Regardless of game, circumstance, or load, the .45-70 is slow and its bullets drop quickly…but hit hard when they get there.
