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Marlin 1895 (45-70) VS. Marlin 338 ballistics

JWS
I am in the process of buying one of the above firearms. I also want to make sure I have enough stength in one firearm when I head out West to hunt elk and moose. Could anyone tell me the ballistic beakout on these two rifles
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5 comments

Date Votes
  • ern98
    Welcome, "Petersen's Rifle Shooter" mag March/April 2009 edition, has a pretty good artical on the 338 Marlin Express that I would recomend to you. Boiled down it says that the 338ME comes close to 338winmag in performance. Call it about 200ft/sec difference depending on the bullets used, with the Marlin wanting lighter slugs then the WinMag. I have some personal experience with the 45/70 and want to point out that the plain jane govt loading carries alot less velosity then the +p loading and that makes the ballistics very different. I like the Baffalo Bore 400g @ 2000ft/sec in my custom Siamese Mauser but I still try to keep my shots inside 200yds. The 338ME will have a lot more reach, but I have not shot one as yet and probably never will as I have a 338winmag already. The 338ME IMHO is almost a propriatary cartridge that will never be widely produced or stocked unless it becomes chambered in more then just the Marlin lever guns. If you are a reloader then no problem, stock up on brass and never look back. If you don't reload then you might have an issue at some future time. Good luck with whichever.....
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  • JWS
    Thanks for your comments. I wondered if the 338 ammo would be hard to find in a given situation. I am not reloading yet so it looks like I need to stay with the 45-70.
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  • glabray
    The .45-70 with its rainbow trajectory might not be an ideal choice for elk here in the west. Shots can be a bit on the long side and I'm sure you want to be able to place your shots for clean kills.
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  • tsr1965
    Smart choice. I will tell you that the 405 grain lead round nose flat point at 1400FPS will take down an Elk out to 200 yards. It is all of putting iot in the boiler room. If they can be taken down with an arrow, then the old 45-70 is no contest.
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  • I.Shute
    If you like the .45-70 and you'd like a little more ooompf out of it, look for one built on a P-14 Enfield or a Siamese Mauser.

    There is some hotter ammo out there, someone will soon point this out.


    I load these with a 405 grain bullet at about 2140 fps.
    Just don't shoot them in a Marlin lever, seems like they're tearing your shoulder and the rifle to pieces
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