.450 Marlin in bolt action
I have a bad cold and have trouble falling asleep so in that grey area between asleep and awake, I came up with this "brilliant" idea. Why not make up a BA rifle in .450 Marlin. There is/was a .458x2" that enjoyed a brief spurt of attention and a bunch of Siamese Mausers were re-barreled to .45-70 (I have one). It would seem that the .450 Marlin would be a good fit in a short action 700 or a 77 or (my favorite) a 722. Anybody tried this or had any experience with one? I saw a .458x2" at a gun show some years ago: It was well done but the price was kind of high but probably a good bit less than what it cost to make it. Anyway, I passed it up.
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Ambrose,
While this is a feasable idea, I do not see it happening commercially...at not least on a large scale production gun.
The reason the 450 Marlin came about, is basically for liability purposes. So there could be a cartridge loaded to what the 1895 Marlin could handle, without having to worry about someone putting it in an 1873 Trapdoor. For all practical purposes, the 45-70 Gov't., can be loaded to 450 Marlin level's, and even almost 458 level's for use in the right firearm. There are some ammo manufacturer's that do that like Double Tap, and Buffalo Bore, but they are sticking their neck wayyyyy out there, IMHO.
If it were not for the design of the wider belt on the 450 Marlin, it could be chambered by the 458 Winchester rifles, and the 458 Lott, which will also chamber 458 Winchester rounds. I am sure it would be a thrill in a Remington Model 600, 660, or Model 7 that has been originally chambered for the 350 Remington Magnum. The bolt face would be correct, as would the magazine length. You Might need to modify the feed rails slightly, but with a barrel change, you could be off and running.
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I have a P.O. Ackley 600 Rem in the 45-350. Its a 350 Rem mag necked out to 45. The rifle weighs 5 and 1/4 pounds with ammo and sling. Most people will only shoot it once. With my own shot loads I got 9 grouse with 7 shots. Two pair I lined up on the ground and the rest were on the wing. I also have a mexican small ring mauser in 45-70 that is about 5 3/4 pounds. I looked at the 450 Marlin but I don't think you can make the brass from anything. I really like my 722 in 222 Rem, lots more fun to shoot than those ones that kill on both ends. Find a used 458 and load for it. 0 -
There was a dealer at a gun show recently that had one. A winchester mod 70 classic, short action, with a ruger No 1 45-70 barrel fitted and rechambered to the 450. Had the rib and front and rear sights. Who ever did the work was a professional. Very good job. 0 -
I got my custom (really nice) 45-70 (loaded hot) Siamese Mauser to cover that range that the 450marlin cartridge fills. You say you already have a 45-70 Siamese Mauser, so my question is: What is your Siamese not doing for you that this new project rifle would? Or is it just time for a new rifle and this one is calling to you? 0 -
ern98: This, of course, is not a question of need but of curiosity. The .450 is a newer case and without the rim, it should feed slick as snot. Also, the .45-70 on the Siamese is a big rifle. If the .450 could be tucked into a 722 it would be a more compact package, don't you think? Besides, I have the .45-70 (and a Remington 788 in .38-55) because it's different. A bolt action .450 Marlin would be even "more different".
EDIT: Everybody seems to want to throw cold water on my idea! To answer some responses: In my experience, belted cases have always fed for me from the magazine without a hitch--after all the belt is only a few thousandths and my rifles don't seem to notice it. That big flap on the back of a .45-70 is very noticeable! And the 600/660 actions would be great ones, but they're $1,000+ collectors guns now, unless they're junkers and I've never seen a junker. I was curious if any one had tried this cartridge in a bolt gun--it seems like a natural to me. I suppose I could use a pattern 14 .303 British Enfield action, but they're big and bulky, too. The consensus appears to be that my idea is not as "brilliant" as I thought!0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ambrose
ern98: This, of course, is not a question of need but of curiosity. The .450 is a newer case and without the rim, it should feed slick as snot. Also, the .45-70 on the Siamese is a big rifle. If the .450 could be tucked into a 722 it would be a more compact package, don't you think? Besides, I have the .45-70 (and a Remington 788 in .38-55) because it's different. A bolt action .450 Marlin would be even "more different".
It has a belt, which is the same difference as a rim.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ambrose
ern98: This, of course, is not a question of need but of curiosity. The .450 is a newer case and without the rim, it should feed slick as snot. Also, the .45-70 on the Siamese is a big rifle. If the .450 could be tucked into a 722 it would be a more compact package, don't you think? Besides, I have the .45-70 (and a Remington 788 in .38-55) because it's different. A bolt action .450 Marlin would be even "more different".
Alls it takes is money. Competent gunsmith will build you any thing you want. I wouldn't be starting with a stock 722 action unless it was originality made for one of the belted cartridges, though.
As one of the previous posters noted, years back Remington made very short runs of the 600 series rifles in .350 & 6.5 Remington magnum. To make it easier on the gunsmith and more likely he could get it to function correctly, these are the actions I would use as the starting point for a .450 Marlin BA rifle.0 -
I have a bolt action rifle chambered for the 444 Marlin. The 450 shouldn't be too much different. 0 -
I have built the 458 x 2 american on bolt actions, the 450 marlin is a factory cartridge, and would be better in MHO 0
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