I'm looking at getting a 45-70 for a hog gun. I'm leaning towards the H&R single shot because of the price. Does anyone have any experience with these? Accuracy? Terrible/great trigger?

Thanks

It will kick like a sun of a gun because it is so light.

If you can get past that it is a good gun, I had one in 45-70 and, currently have one in 500 S&W. I like to throw it in the ranger/mule when duck hunting. It will get the job done and it is very reliable. The trigger on my 500 is pretty crisp at about 5 lbs the trigger on my 45-70 was very creepy at about 8 lbs.

I think the newer guns triggers are generally good.

Accuracy, I have only used mine with open sights so accuracy was good at 50 yards and I have hit hogs at 75 yards with no issues.

Best thing about it is paint it with a your favorite color so it will not rust, put it in your hunting vehicle with some rounds in an Allen butt-stock round holder and, it will be there when you need it. No need to worry about it...

Thanks Nathan. I plan on using this as a "truck gun" so what you described is perfect. I appreciate the help.

You are picking a great caliber in my book. I don't have any experience with 45-70 in the H&R but I do have one in 30-30. It's a good gun. Good luck.

45/70 is a cool cartridge
I had one in a Marlin Guide Gun
I hope you plan on handloading

With trapdoor loads like a 405g bullet at 12-1300 FPS it recoils about like a 20ga
With a good bullet that will punch through just about anything in NA at reasonable distances.

As you go up to the next two powe levels (don't know what the HR is rated for) it can get wicked on both ends.

I found a heavy/slow load to be much more of a shove than the jab of a lighter/faster load.

No experience with the 45-70 in an H&R but do have one in 44 Mag. Good rifle for the price.

With the 45-70 I do have a little experience. Marlin 1895, Wickliffe, Browning 1885 and TC Contender. Like CCoker said more of a push with the first level loads like the Remington loaded 405 gr or the lead bullet cowboy action loads. Go to the higher pressure loads and it will rock you pretty darn good.

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like the H&R is a good rifle for the money.

Yeah
I have one in 223, a youth handi rifle

if it has a synthetic stock, you can put 2 lbs. of wieght in the butt and it won't kick anymore than a .410

I have no experience with the handi rifle, but the 45-70 is a great cartridge. As light as those rifles are, the full power loads will rattle your teeth out.

I'm okay with that. I am very intrigued by the 45-70 and I love big calibers. I'm looking forward to the big bang that comes from this little gun.

I have the Marlin Guide Gun and love it. Haven't shot it beyond 60 or 70 yards, but very accurate at that distance. Pigs don't run very far after being hit with it.

I got lucky and found a .45-70/20ga Rossi wizard combo at academy. The wizards are great guns and I prefer them over the handi rifle. Wish they were more popular so barrel selection on the used market was a little better.

Had a H&R Buffalo Classic for a while was a very fun gun to stoot it had a 32" barrel on it and recoil was not bad shooting the Hornady 325 FTX loads. Trigger was fairly nice too. I Traded it to get a 1895 marlin in 45/70 mainly for ammo capacity. Always wanted to try the Buffalo Bore 500 gr ammo on a hog...

Go with a lever action instead of the single shot. You will be happier in the long run. Keep it in 45-70, it's a great cartridge.

had an H&R 45-70 once. sure wasted a lot of bullets and powder money on it.

a real broad-side of a barn door shooter.

just recalled, sold it to ex-thf'r original "crazyhorse".
bet its a tomato stake now.

H&R once made the handi-rifle as an inline muzzle-loader ( one of the first ever ) in 58 caliber.

That gun was a real kicker, but it was shootable enough. Reasonably accurate, too.

We had a lot of fun with the one we had. - I can't imagine the 45-70 being much worse about recoil than a 58-100.

its a great little rifle, i have h/r single shots and a guide gun lever action the handi rifle i carry in my truck shoots a better group than my guide gun with 325 hornady ammo. as guy above said i put a home camo job on my truck gun and a butstock ammo carrier and threw it behind the seat its accurate and wallops deer and hog in a gun priced for a working man h/r are great and u will love the 45/70 unless u can.t handle the recoil, which i don,t think is any worse than a 12 gauge shotgun

The design of the rifle stock will determine how much felt recoil there is more so than the 45-70 round. I've shot the 45-70 in lever actions and they were all comfortable to shoot. I had an H&R single shot that kicked worse than any other gun I've ever owned (was in 12 ga but its design is real similar to the stock design of the 45-70). I have a 458 Lott which makes the 45-70 seem like a varmit round and because of the stock design, it is pleasant to shoot from a standing position. Every H&R I've ever shot seem to be pretty heavy on the recoil for the caliber it was. Just food for thought.

That's what I'm torn between. I love lever actions but with all the bad press about Marlin I'm not sure I want to go down that road. Henry has a good reputation, but they sure are ugly, and I don't like they way they load. The only other option is to pay $1,000+ and that's why I ended up thinking about a cheap single shot. For half the price of a Marlin I can get the H&R. I'm still undecided but this is my dilemma at the moment.

The Henry is actually a beautiful weapon to most of us. Its action is as smooth as a baby's behind and I've never heard of them having trouble with the action mis-functioning. I love my Henry and wouldn't trade it off for any other lever action. Marlin has made good weapons for many years and its inevitable that sometime during that period they would receive some bad press. I'd be willing to bet that they make good on any problem you might have with their product.

The newer handi rifles have a cheap plastic trigger guard, forend spacers, and crappy trigger.

Now if you can get the supreme model which is the Buffalo Classic with the Wesson & Harrington name, case colored, crecent buttplate, and was sent in for the metal upgrade, and trigger job, then you gots yourself something. I love mine.

Something like this but better:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=332968200


Nathans Idea is great too!

Let us know what you decide to go with and how you like it. There is also the option of getting more than one? Heh Heh Heh.

I recommend both! I use my Marlin Guide Gun as I do any other hunting rifle. I shoot handloads of 300gr gas checked hardcast slugs loaded to 2200fps, and sighted in 3" high @ 100 and 3" low @ 200. Point, aim, flatten!

My H&R single shot, which makes the Guide Gun look huge, has been chopped to 16.25" and stocks replaced with a synthetic youth set. It weighs about 5.5lbs and will kick your teeth out with plain Winchester 300gr JHP factory loads. I chrony'd the Winchesters, and they are still thumping @ 1750fps with that short barrel. Sighted in to 50yds. It is the ultimate truck/tractor gun. It's gotten dinged and bumped, but I just touch up the bluing with a Hoppe's kit I got off Midway.

TxPit....you should name your little single shot Anarchy because it looks like it causes trouble on both ends of the gun...