big bore or long colt?

[byrddog]

Hi from sunny Las Vegas! B)
I'm new to this board, and not familiar with the classic cartridges. Until lately I've always been a fan of modern automatics and the military calibers that go with them, although when I'm serious about filling a tag I use a 30-06 mountain rifle.
I want to get a short barrel (16-18") lever gun, and I've narrowed it down to two. I recently inhereted over a thousand rounds of 45 long colt, so it would seem that would be reason enough to go that route, but my collection is small and I have to choose carefully. One of the reasons I wanted a lever action in the first place is to occaisionally go boar hunting, and I like the idea of the 45-70 having more of a punch. I do go plinking in the desert pretty often, do the 45-70's punish you so bad that they aren't fun? Is the 45 long colt enough to hunting with?
I tried to find ballistics tables, but they were hard to find for the Long colt, and they make the 45-70 look like a short-range cannon! Besides, numbers can never convey seat of the pants like word of mouth can!
Thank You :usa:

[va hunter]

For boar hunting I would go with the 45-70 and leave the 45lc for plinking.The extra power of the 45-70 is nice to have when a big boar is mad as hell and doesn't want to cooperate and die.Just my 2 cents. :cool:

[hadaway]

I'd go with the 45 LC. The 45-70 is a good caliber, but I don't think you would enjoy shooting it that much. The recoil is enough to discourage casual plinking.

The 45 LC is fine for boar. There are some heavier and hotter 45 LC loads out there, and the Marlin lever action can handle the hot stuff fine.

For those of you that will say that a 45 LC is too light for pigs, I can scrounge up the pics of a friend of mine and the buffalo he took with his 45 LC Marlin.

Thanks,
Lee
The Arms Room (http://www.thearmsroom.com)

[johk01]

The 45-70 can punish you. But it can also be loaded from pipsqueak loads to loads that would make you wish you hadn't pulled the trigger. I have had a Marlin 45-70 for over over 25 years and various Rugers in a .45 LC for 20 years or so. Never have hunted hunted wild pig (none of those running wild in eastern Nebraska) but have taken a few deer with the 45-70. I have carried the Marlin up mountains in Colorado chasing elk and hunted river bottoms for deer. It's a very versatile rifle and cartridge combination, but if you are going to do a lot of desert walking & plinking, check out the Puma in a 45 LC

http://www.legacysports.com/product/index.htm

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976330793.htm

Here's an interesting article on the .45 LC:
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt45lc.htm

[deerhntr]

I think the 45/70 is a Blast to shoot ,I own a Marlin that has a nice factory heavy weight barrel and recoil feels not much worse than a 3006. For wild boar or even Deer for that matter i would leave the 45 colt on the rack a good Choice would be
a 44 Magnum carbine But You must keep your shots at Big Game (I put Boar in the Big Game catagory) Under 70 or 80 yards.For longer shots Get the 45/70 But is is not going to be a Fun Plinker if you are not an experienced shooter.Check out
the Marlin 1894SS or the Winchester 94 Trails End, You will love them both :blink:

[PSG1]

If you've got that much 45LC brass go with the 45LC.Try the Marlin 1894 with 16 1/2 barrel.I LOVE mine.The 45LC can be loaded to near 45/70 factory speeds. :sniper:

[pahaska]

The 45/70 has a WAY bigger range of loads(especially if you handload,but I'm assuming you don't)While the .45 L.C. could be loaded to effectively take boar at moderate ranges,and there are a few factory loads that could do the job, the 45/70 can be loaded to take ANY North American game, also factory loads for that round,range from cowboy action loads that have minimal recoil,great for plinking, to rounds that can take deer,elk,black bear,and yes, boar! Then you could grab a Ruger Vaquero for all those .45's Both rounds are alot of fun to shoot,but when I think of being in heavy brush with a wounded porker, the 45/70 gets MY vote!! Please spend these .02 wisely.!!

[gutpile]

Originally posted by deerhntr@Jul 28 2003, 03:19 AM
For wild boar or even Deer for that matter i would leave the 45 colt on the rack a good Choice would be
a 44 Magnum carbine

funny isnt it, folks will tell you a .45 colt in a rifle "isnt big enough" , then recomend you to use a .44 mag. read John Linebaughs article about his research comparing the .45 to the .44 at www.sixgunner.com anything the .44 will do, the .45 will do, and it does it with less pressure.

[gossman]

Brydog, lots of opinions. If you handload, go with the .45 Colt, sticking to factory bullets get a 45/70, then like pahaska says go pistol for your colt rounds. My .02 cents, I own neither but planning on a 45/70 falling in the old safe sometime this year. But I did have an old ruger in .44, loved it, it was accurate, and did a dumb swap. Live and learn. :lol:

[djl4570]

Of course I have to weigh in on this because I shoot both. As hot as .45 Colt can be loaded I still would not want to use it on feral hogs. I have heard of them running away after being shot with an ought six; anything that tough needs to be killed with one shot. Now if you're talking the wild boars and not feral hogs then .45 Colt might do the trick but only if loaded to magnum power levels. Factory .45 Colt loads won't do the job very well. You didn't say what kind of load you inherited or what kind of gun it was loaded for. A Marlin 1894 Marlin or a Winchester M94 in .45 Colt does make a great companion to a Blackhawk.

45-70 is also one of my favorites. It can be loaded from low pressure loads that are safe in antique trapdoors to loads that will require the sevices of a chriopractor to correct. I shoot singleshots these days, 1874 and 1885 reproductions.

A lever gun in either is a good choice, if only one I would go with one of the Marlin Guide guns. The factory 405g Remington factory load is stiff enough to bring home the bacon without hurting you and the Marlin is tough enough that you can steam the loads up a bit should you want. If you buy a Marlin get one of the recent ones with real rifling, stay away from the microgroove rifling they were using at one time. It will say microgroove right on the barrel and they won't shoot lead very well.

[PSG1]

www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/45coltlevergun