hey guys i have a question and want some advice im wanting a challenge and just basically wanting a change. im looking a t a marlin 1895 cowboy 45/70 for deer and hogs. now i know the caliber will do it so thats not the concern and im sticking with lever and octagonal barrel so thats not my concern. but before i make the jump what do yall think? im not gonna scope it, want the nostalgia and simplicity plus i dont need a 200yd shot, nothing to prove. let me know your experience or advice. thanks in advance

Hope you're a pretty stout fella with a limbsaver.....

Sound like fun. You could take down any game animal in North America

I carried a Marlin 45/70 through the woods this morning. Dont have a scope on it. Didnt plan on shooting over 100 yards. Thats about as far as Id shoot with it open sights. If your eyes are real good, you may be able to take it a bit further. You can get loads in a wide range. I was loaded up with 405 grain soft points today. Every says stuf like it kicks real bad, but it doesnt. My 444 with hot loads will kick pretty hard but the 45/70 just doesnt do it. Now, it is a heavy gun. My buddy today carried a 30/30 and I tried to get him to trade with me about halfway through, lol. Its a good gun and will leave a large hole in anything you shoot.

thats good feedback, maybe the weight of the gun helps with recoil? any other advice on loads or anything else would be helpful

I have that same rifle, when loaded to the max the gun is heavy. Recoil aint bad either, but if you are going to walk around the woods with it you will you got it with you. I load my own and use 350 grain flat point bullets by laser cast. I want to put the peep sights on it because I have a hard time seeing the rear sight. But I like the rifle.

I use the Marlin Guide gun as my primary hog/deer gun. Like other have said it's a little heavy and it points good, shoots straight, and knocks over anything you hit. I use 300 hollow points or 405 soft points. Both work very well. I've tried the leverrevolution 325gr but don't see any advantage unless you have a scoped rifle.

I have the 1895G and it would be lighter and easier to carry than the Cowboy. My G is scoped but this carbine stocked rifle is a natural for open or receiver sights. Don't overlook using cast bullets in the rifle.



As always, good to see fellow Texan leverguners posting!

much appreciated, keep it coming guys. im stuck on the cowboy because i do like the longer octagonal barrel. what brands and loads do yall find best for all around hogs and deer? also what would you say your max unscoped range is?

They are fun but way overkill for Texas game. Nothing else kills like a big bore. They kick twice everytime you shoot it. Once in the shoulder, the other in the pocketbook. 45 caliber projectiles are expensive. Fairly good investment as big bores always hold value.

I like the look of the cowboy as well. Have owned a few .45-70s (usually someone offers more than I can pass up) and still have one. I loved them all. I am not a huge person and never thought the recoil was bad at all. Seems to me that the big bores push more than kick. I learned to just let it push and dont try to "take it" and they are not that harsh. As far as range with open sights I think it depends on amount of light and your level of eye sight. 12 years ago I had a Browning copy of the Remington rolling block in .45-70. I would shoot out to 300+ yards with it from a bench. Hit the target around 3/4 of the time, but it was fun to lob them out there.

My Ruger #1-S 45-70 is one of my favorites. Ammo....., no need to beat yourself up (unless you want to), just keep it simple - the 405 grain Remington factory loads are "trapdoor level", they're easy on the shoulder but will knock the wind out of any deer or hog walking. My kids can handle these just fine. For really light "plinking" reduced loads, try a 405 grain cast bullet over a light charge of Trailboss powder. "Unique" powder also works well for reduced loads with cast bullets. Just do a search....., there's a ton of published reloading data out there for the 45-70....., anything from very mild to extremely wild. Check out the "marlinowners.com" site for a ton of info on the 45-70 Cowboy. Get it - you'll have a blast!

I love my Marlin 1895S. I cut the barrel to 18" and recrowned it. Will shoot 2" or less 100 yd groups all day long. It wears a 1X shotgun scope. Great gun out to 150 yds. I handload and I like the Hornady 350 gr softpoint at 1850 fps. Recoil rocks you a little but is not too bad.

I have a Marlin 1895 Cowboy and I absolutely love it!! I've only hunted with it a few times and I did kill a doe, but I plan to do some pig hunting with it this year for sure. It is a pleasure to shoot.....I'm not sure why everybody thinks it kicks so hard. I have been shooting the Hornaday LeverEvolution ammo in it and it did a number on the doe I shot.....nice big hole thru both lungs and a beautiful 50 yard blood trail. GET ONE!! I promise you won't regret it one bit. BTW.....I'm going to be buying one of the new Marlin 1895 SBL rifles as soon as I can as well!!

I like shooting mine with the 405 laser cast and a mag primer with a good snort of Varget. Very accurate and powerful load... cast bullets kill just as dead as a jhp or a jrn...

I have the 1895 CB and really like it. I shoot the 405 gr. gas checked lead solid ahead of IMR 4198 most of the time. I am comfortable shooting it open sighted at 150 yards. One thing about the bullet being .458" across is you dont have to worry about expansion and such since it is already as big as say a .284 bullet would be expanded. I have shot deer, hogs, rabbits, and whatever else, and nothing really moves much after it is hit.

I have a Nef Handi rifle in 45/70 I shoot 375 grain hollow points. It dosent kick as much as my Browning a bolt 300 winchester. Shot a deer with it does a great job. This gun shoots about 2 inches a 100 yards, perfect for deer and pigs.

I never get tired of posting this pic. See what I did w/ my 45-70? 325 gr Leverevolution, thru and thru with a golf ball sized exit wound.

Great looking Nilgai. I have heard they are tough as hell, but it appears the 45-70 did the job nicely. I have also heard they are great eating, so I am sure you got a few pounds of meat off that one.

About 370 lbs. of processed meat. And yes, it's good.

Factory load .45/70's don't kick much at all. I handloaded with my 1895 and I will say that it is possible to create a shoulder smashing load..but not necessary. I used a scout scope setup but never really cared much for it. The fast handling of a lever gun is well coplimented by open sights or low powered, even red dot optics. I'd vote for trying it with sight only awhile and see how you do. You could also change out the sights for some better ones-there are several options out there.

Good luck with that rig! I always thought it would be cool to carry one of those to elk country loaded up with some Leverevolution..

I always heard that the 45-70 would penetrate a buffalo lengthwise. I got an opportunity to test that when an old Chi/Angus bull died two years ago. He had only been dead an hour or so, so I lined up and let the 500gr. LBT style lead solid go. It went in between the front legs and made its exit out of the left hindquarter near the rectum. Awesome round IMO.

LSC, why didn't you shoot from the other end? That way, you could put to rest the rumors that you couldn't hit a bull in the arse with a base fiddle? Just saying.

I had the Marlin guide gun. Wasn't too heavy, but not near as light as my Rossi .357 levers, it did push rather than kick. The muzzle brake made it very very loud. Mainly it sat at home. The Rossi's shoot out to and past 100 and are much easier to get out the window quickly. I traded/sold it to a good friend (who collects them) for some cash and carpentry work.

I love my Marlin 1895GG. With LeverEvolution from Hornady I can shoot a 1 inch groups at 100 yards using a fixed Leupold 2.5 scope. Hunt pigs and took a nice Axis at 70 yards. Definately my favorite rifle to shoot. Its my go to rifle when I'm working around the ranch.

Mike