In reply to:

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Martin,

Unfortunately articles on the site definitely imply that a .45-70 is superior to a .458.

Quoting from Modern .45-70 Performance "...the 45-70 provides a degree of lethality not generally found with other calibers, even ones producing much greater power. This is best evidenced by comparisons with the mighty 458 Winchester Magnum."

If it were correct in actual practice, it would be a very simple business decision for professional hunters who have seen the results in the field to to rearm themselves with .45-70 Marlins and save a lot of money. They aren't doing that.

Richard.

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Well as to your first point .. Randy is doing ( for good or bad ) what ever it take to sell his loaded rounds.

It does seem that could be construde as a implcation that the 45/70 is some how better then the 458 mag Or Lott which is dead wrong .

There are tests and i myself have done them using a 460 Weatherby and 458 win mag along with the 45/70
The tests in them selfs really dont show the whole picture
but seem to add to the confution on the matter of which is really the best .

The test involves penatration in to a harden object
using one type of bullet in all the rifles in the test .

everyone here knows that at some point no matter what speed you drive your bullet its going to stop ...

So if you take a .458 Diameter 500 grain tapered flat point bullet and load it into a 460 Weatherby and the same bullet into a 458 Win Mag and the same bullet into a 45/70

Your going to wind up with very close to the same deapth of penatration on all three bullet's .

Now with all that said and done i can tell you that it's more of a stunt then a test .
Thats the key to it .." It's a stunt " not a true test

To do the testing right the bullet's must be fired into
some kind of real matter and your going to be looking for far more then just how far you can drive the bullet your going to be looking for what kind of destrution it does on its way in .

You will add the amount of destrution /shock value +
deapth of penatration + bullet design + Bullet over all weight after it comes to a stop + and how much real damage its done to what ever the type of matter you have used ..
Some folks used - Pre formed / moulded containers filled with bone and animal matter .

Some just go to the butch shop and pick up all the old left overs / backs leg bones what ever is around .

Is just as cheap to used a square 5 gallon bucket
fill it part way with gellaton and drop in old bones till the bucket starts to over flow then let it sit and harden .

Stack 10 of them back to back ... that test make alot of diffrents compared to the other tests run
and it will show just how much more real fire power the 460 Weatherby can deliver then the 45/70 and the 458 does
far and away more then the 45/70 .

But not to take away from the 45/70 it is a heck of a round there i question about its fire power.
But does it out do the 404 jeffery or the 458 Win Mag
No but it's alot closer then one might think .

So to sum up .. Randy does over state what the 45/70 does and can do .

But it is one he77 of a round in a modern rifle .
At 2000 FPS using a 400 grain well made bullet
an expert can drop Cape Buffal one right after another.

But why ? when a person can use somthing else ..Maybe
its the challenge like i have said before .

I am not a great hunt i have although kill my fair share of Elk And Deer and Brown Bear and alot of other critters
Would i walk out on the plains of Africa with my 45/70 and shoot at Cape ? maybe maybe not would i be scared to do it nope i do know what my bullets will do .
Would i have someone else go out with me packing just a 45/70 ? tough question ... would i go out with out some other rifle NO . I think that answers the question though.

No i would not go out with out another rifle .
Maybe even my and i do own one thats why i mentioned it before but really din't want to say anything
it's a BLR that was a 300 Win Mag that i had converted to 50-110.. That rifle i would walk out and shoot Cape with
Its more then enough
.

Now to the last statment about PH's rearming themself's
LOL i will let you in on something here there are ... more then a few gent that did go out and buy 45/70 GS
Not for Rhino Not for Cape Buffalo but for Lion.
Now that means nothing it's just a big bore short range
light weight rifle that can stop a lion . it sound cool but thats about the end of it .. and there not using them
to hunt with there only using them for pack into the bush
after wounded lion . alot of these folks still use a shotgun
to finish off the lions as well . so . its just a matter of
what works for them ..

So no all the game guide's are not rushing out to grab 45/70's becouse there not the greatest gun to come down the pike.


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Martin

P.S
Tonights dinner is 3 Lb's of ground Elk and some vegies ....

Your invited if you can get here in the next 20 min


Martin




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Owner PA Bullet's

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