Anyone deer hunt with a 45-70 rifle?

[panhandlehunter]

I had a CVA Stalker in .243 that was stainless. I think I paid around $250 for it a couple years ago. Pretty accurate.

[xman59]

the 45-70 has been around way over a hundred years because it works,, and very well at that.... i doubt you will ever hit a deer with it and wonder "did i hit it?" a 300 gr hollow point hits like a sledge hammer,, really more like two of them,,, i have shot through pine trees 6-8 inches thick to see what the results were,, the target behind always had a nice big slug hole in it along with a lot of wood schrapnel!
it makes a cookie cutter type hole, as already stated it does not do a lot of tissue damage away from the impact point and it always goes through,,, i have killed a lot of deer in my years and none have been more impresssive than those shot with the 45-70..... gittcha one!!!!!

[JayFlow]

Hope you arent the least bit recoil shy because the one I hunted with felt like a mule was kicking me in the shoulder ever time I pulled the trigger. Make a darn good brush gun though and will knock down anything that gets in its way. When I gun hunt I dont use anything bigger than a .270 regardless of where I am for the most part, and in Texas I usually used a .243, 22-250, or a .220 Swift for hogs and deer. Put the bullet where it needs to go and theyll drop where they stand every time, plus alot less meat loss.

[banzai]

Like Big Smith said, the 45-70 doesn't blow the meat up. The old saying is that you can eat right up to the hole.

Also, x2 on the no need to track deer or hog after a good shot. I call mine my Sunday morning gun because I don't have time to wait, then track, then clean on Sundays when I'm trying get home from the ranch. Shoot it pick it up, clean it and go home.

Don't worry about the recoil shooting standard rounds. I am a small guy and with a limbsaver pad on my marlin, recoil is not an issue. Hot hand loads are different.

45-70 is plenty accurate, but not a flat trajectory round. If you want to shoot far, be sure you can mount a tang sight.

[Junctiondawgs]

I've killed a few deer with my HR 45-70, but the gun kicks like a mule. Hornady has a great round for 45-70 (Leverrevolution).

Test Barrel (24") Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
MUZZLE
2050/3032
100
1729/2158
200
1450/1516
300
1225/1083

Trajectory (inches)
MUZZLE
-1.50
100
3.00
200
-4.10
300
-27.80

[DapperDan]

Not sure what kind of gun you are looking for. If shooting under 150 yrds the 45-70 simply wont be beat!!! Its a 30-30 on some serious steroids! Hits like an absolute tank. If you need to shoot further then the 270 is a great round. Its what i shoot and would any day to 400 yrds easy. Its all in what you are looking for.

[marshman]

the 45-70 has been around way over a hundred years because it works,, and very well at that.... i doubt you will ever hit a deer with it and wonder "did i hit it?" a 300 gr hollow point hits like a sledge hammer,, really more like two of them,,, i have shot through pine trees 6-8 inches thick to see what the results were,, the target behind always had a nice big slug hole in it along with a lot of wood schrapnel!
it makes a cookie cutter type hole, as already stated it does not do a lot of tissue damage away from the impact point and it always goes through,,, i have killed a lot of deer in my years and none have been more impresssive than those shot with the 45-70..... gittcha one!!!!!

x2! I have one and love it. killed several deer with it and never had to trail them much if any.

[DrenalinJunkie]

45-70 is WAY over kill for white tails....... stick with the 270 or 30.06

[rtp]

The guy I call when I need tracking dogs uses a 45-70 to put the live bucks down. I was with him this last season when we came upon the wounded buck we were after. The buck was standing when the guy shot him from about 30 yards right in the shoulder. I would have thought the 325 grain bullet would have rolled him. The buck remained upright and strolled over about 30 yards before he fell over. Like mentioned earlier, I was surprised at how little damage was done to the meat. I was expecting the worst with that size bullet. I think it would be a fun gun to hunt with at shorter ranges say 150 yards and in.