Got an itch to scratch.....again

[longwinters]

I can't believe it but I'm looking at guns again.... I've mentioned before about a Marlin lever and now am starting to look at em again.

I am leaning towards 35 Rem but might consider 45-70. I was wondering if you men with experience with these calibers might give me the pros/cons of each caliber.

I would also like a longer barrel than 18.5" though this seems to be the most common. Guess I'm thinking of a bit more velocity here as well as balance. But would it really make much difference in these calibers?

So educate me please.

Long

 

[FOTIS]

I have the marlin in 30-30 35 rem 444 marlin and 45-70.

The 444 and the 45-70 are definitely hammers. If given the choice between the 2 I would choose the 45-70. Way more versatile in my opinion.

 

[jmad_81]

My amazing wife bought me a marlin 45-70 for my birthday/valentines day/ anniversary last year. I have always wanted one, and it has been everything I expected and then some! I pack it when I'm taking others bear hunting incase I have to go after a wounded one. And plan on packing it in the thick timber where by brother and I spike hunt.

They are a ton of fun, you won't regret it.

 

[SJB358]

Yeah, a 35 Remington is a nice cartridge in a Marlin, but it isn't anything compared to the power and capability of the 444 or 45-70. Both of those two are really fun to load for, have power for everything and can be loaded down to plinking levels.. Just can't say enough good about the 444 or 45-70.

If you can find a standard with the 22" barrel, they are very nice handling rifles. I have a Guide Rifle, my buddy has the SS 22" model and Brian has an XLR, all three of them handle and point very nice. Plus, again, they shoot like custom bolt rifles when fed anything decent.

Same goes for my 444. It is a shooting machine..

No knock on the 35 Remington, as it is great as well, but the 444 and 45-70 are just plain fun.

 

[JD338]

Larry,

The compact levers make a lot od sense when hunting the hardwoods and cedar swamps in the UP.
The 336 35 Remington loaded up with the 200 gr SPCL is a classic deer combo and more than enough for the biggest swamp bucks.
The 1895 45-70 is a flat out hammer on deer and bear. The shorter 1895 Guide gun has an 18.5" barrel and is a dream to handle and maneuver inside a deer blind.
I can push 300 gr bullets over 2200 fps and the 405 gr to 1850 fps making for some serious horse power.
My 1895 45-70 shoots the 300 gr BST at 2100 fps and shoots .400" at 100 yds.

Get a 1895 45-70 and don't look back.

JD338

 

[ajvigs]

I will chime in. I picked up an XLR 45-70 from Orchemo and it is fantastic. I like the longer barrel and the pistol grip a lot. I just had the XS sights installed but haven't shot it yet because of some stuff going on in life. The XLR is a very very nice rifle.

 

[longwinters]

I saw one of the models (can't remember the model) stainless, Lam stock, big loop, 18.5" barrel, in 45-70 tonight at a local shop. It looked pretty cool, except I'm kind of a wood/blue guy. I think the price tag was in the $800.00 range.

Long

 

[SJB358]

Yeah those blued and wood 45-70's are hard to put down.

 

[Blkram]

The Marlin 1895 GBL has the grey laminated stock, stainless barreled action and the big lever loop, with the rear peep sight. I believe the SBL has the nutmeg laminated stock, blued barreled action and big lever loop.
But both come with the shorter barrel length only.
You cannot really go wrong with either, just ensure that they are going to feed from the magazine to the chamber properly before buying (Marlin has had some issues with these the past few years, I hope that they have gotten it straightened out).
I have not played with the 35 Remington, but have two BLR's in 358 Win that I love to shoot, and have taken lots of game with the older rifle over the years. It has been my backup rifle for guiding, camping, bowhunting, and of course whenever DrMike gets the urge to hunt bears! Black and grizzly!
So it would depend on what you are planning on hunting, and where, as to whether or not it would work for you on your quests. Many of the brush country deer and bear hunters back east have loved the combination for decades.

I will be buying the SBL for an upcoming project...going to rebore the 30-30 to, or rebarrel and rechamber, for the 414 Super Mag! Should be a lot of fun! I should be able to get a 240 gr bullet to 2400 fps out of the 18 1/2" barrel. Should be quite a bear stomper!

 

[DrMike]

[O]f course whenever DrMike gets the urge to hunt bears! Black and grizzly!

Which can be quite frequent. :grin:

 

[longwinters]

Almost pulled the trigger today. My boss and I were talking about the 45-70 and he called a gun store in the area. Asked for a price etc....I told him to ask if we'd get a discount if we bought 2. They said yes and I said "order em". He just told them thanks and hung up as he wasn't sure he wanted that big of a caliber. We looked at Chuck Hawks recoil chart and with 405 gn bullets the recoil was only 18 lbs...same as an 06.

I suppose its good that he is not as much of an impulse buyer of guns as I am . Maybe thats why he is the boss?

Long

 

[longwinters]

Well the itch is scratched. Had to go down to Indiana and happened to stop in a Gander Mtn. Amazingly they had the 45-70 in the 22" barrel. Price was actually good and they had plenty of ammo. I was doing a good job of being strong about holding off, but when I could actually handle one it was inescapable. So it came home with me. Now I need to figure out a scope, get the trigger lightened from its current 5-6 lb pull, look at a big loop replacement lever and perhaps put a better recoil pad on it.

Long

 

[DrMike]

I do believe you will really enjoy this rifle; they can be great. I'm with you in wanting the longer barrel rather than the Guide Gun.

 

[SJB358]

Very cool Long! I think your upgrades will all be very helpful. I did those same things to my Guide rifle when I got it and have been very happy with it.

I have a VXR 1.25x4 on mine. Pretty good piece of glass and it looks nice atop the rifle.

 

[Elkman]

Yu will love it. I got the GBL when I ended up trading around. I did replace the trigger and It does make an appreciable difference in my group size. I will Admit to not doing much with the rifle as yet, because I did a re barrel, and bought a tactical at nearly the same time. But I am committed to load development and a spring bear hunt in the near future. I have also thought about taking a deer or two from the back yard with it.

 

[JD338]

Long,

Congratulations on the 1895 45-70, you are going to love it. What model did you get?

I have a DRC lever which allows for big hands with gloves, works perfectly!
On top is a Leupold VX-3 1.75-6x32mm mounted in Leupold standard bases with low rings.
The scope is very bright, even at last light in the cedar swamps. Mounted low, the sight picture is very quick to acquire.

Looking forward to seeing some pictures.

JD338

 

[longwinters]

Its just the plain 1895. Wood and blue. 22" barrel. I think the trigger will be the 1st thing to get taken care of.

Long

 

[JD338]

Those are very nice. She will most likely be a shooter too.

JD338

 

[longwinters]

Well if you go to Marlin Owners there can't be any rifle made after Remington took over that is any good at all. Seems almost cult like over there.

So I'll see if this is the 1st "Marlington" ever to shoot. :?)

Long

 

[Guy Miner]

I really liked my standard 1895, 22" .45/70 Marlin. Great gun. I did learn to wrap it in tight to my shoulder when messing with these 425 gr "Piledriver Junior" bullets at nearly 2,000 fps. That was a thumper of a load! Still, the standard recoil pad worked fine. Showed this photo because I was so pleased with how well the scope & mount worked out for me. It's just a little 2.5x fixed power Leupold that weighs a mere 8 ounces and has excellent eye/forehead relief. My eyebrow never even got kissed with this scope configuration and the heavy loads. Can't say that for some of the other combos I tried.

Mine really was an excellent rifle. Put a 4x Leupold on it and sold it to a good friend of mine a few years ago. He loves that rifle and has put a dent in the Eastern Washington whitetail population with it.

Enjoy! Guy