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45-70 vs. 450 Marlin

mljackso
Would you recommend a lever rifle chambered in 45-70 or 450 Marlin for an occasional woods gun and home defense standby (next to the trusty 12 gauge pump)? Considering resale value, cost of ammo, hunting suitability in heavy brush conditions, etc., what would you buy if rifle cost was equal?
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • CS8161
    45-70....lots more choice for ammo and if you reload you can equal the 450 Marlin and surpass it in power.
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  • zink
    Ammo is cheaper and more widely avail. There are some manufactures that load some 45-70 +P that has more knock down also. My 45-70 Marlin LTD II is my last hold out go to gun. I have shot prarie dogs [:D]to elk with it.

    Lance
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  • mbsams
    No contest - 45-70
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  • mrbruce
    45/70 hands down.....
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  • tsr1965
    My vote is for the 45-70, especially if your talking about buying a Marlin lever action.

    As has been stated, the Marlins that chamber the 450 and 45-70, are the same gun, and can handle the same pressures. The short story about the 450 Marlin is that Marlin wanted a round that could not be used in the old Trapdoors, Rolling Blocks, Sharps, and to some extent(forgive me Bert), the 1885 & 1886 Winchesters.

    There are companies out there that load the 45-70 to +P pressures for the Marlin 1895, and the Ruger #1...those companies being Buffalo Bore, and Garrett.

    Go with the 45-70.

    Best
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  • Sig220_Ruger77
    Having owned both I really can't say I like one better then the other. Both are essentially the same cartridge, with the Marlin having a slight modification. If you are going to shoot factory ammo only I would reccommend going with the 45/70, but if you reload I would go with whichever one I can find the better deal on. People say that you can load the 45/70 hotter, but in retrospect, you can load up the .450 Marlin as hot as you want it too so that is irrelevant.

    Jon
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  • ern98
    We are living in the days of limited production where many if not most of the rifle/ammo producers want their moniker on at least one custom type of ammo. Marlin, catering to the special requiements of their tube feed lever guns are doing more of this then most. The big reason to buy 450Marlin is so that none of your hot 45/70 ammo will end up in rifles that are not strong enough to safely hanndle such. If you attend cowboy shooting type events or other events which spotlight the older single shot rifles then this might be a reasonable concern for you. If you don't then I'd buy the 45/70 because it is anybodys guess how long the 450Marlin will be in common production and not heading down the road with all the other obsolete or discarded ammo.....
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