By Jim Dickson | Contributing Writer
Today, 153 years since it was first adopted by the U.S. Army, the .45-70 is offered in more different loads than ever.
It is still in U.S. military service as .45-70 blanks are used for Naval line throwing guns and a blank .45-70 has always served as a primer for the 16-inch guns of the Navy. The original load was a 405-grain bullet ahead of 70 grains of black powder giving a muzzle velocity of 1,350 FPS out of the 32 5/8-inch barrel of the M1873 Trapdoor Springfield. This was known as the .45-70-405.
Later, in a bid to improve long range performance, the bullet weight was increased to 500 grains with a velocity of 1,315 FPS known as the 45-70-500. It was so accurate that I still have a Frankfort Arsenal .45-70 round loaded for the National Matches in the 1920’s where it was still holding its own against the .30-06 fired from the M1903 Springfield match rifles with their star gauged barrels in the 1,000 yard match. The cavalry found both the service loads kicked too much in their 7 pound carbines so they were issued a reduced load of 50 grains of black powder which gave 1,100 FPS.
The .45-70 cartridge was and is a proven game killer and many men who have used both calibers on the big Alaskan bears have said that the .45-70 and the .375 Holland and Holland Magnum were equal in stopping power on the big bears.
The Taylor Knock Out Values are the best formula to date for measuring the effect of a bullet on actual game. It should be noted that the .45-70 has a higher score at 300 yards than the .30-06 does at the muzzle.
The standard velocity Remington 405-grain .45-70 having 25.7 Taylor Knock Out Values at 300 yards while the 180-grain .30-06 has a mere 20.8 at the muzzle which drops to 15.7 at 300 yards. That stopping power also means that shot game doesn’t travel as far before it piles up dead, so you have less chance of losing your kill or another hunter finishing it off and claiming it.
We also have abundant wild hogs throughout the country where they wreak havoc on farm crops. As some of these have been known to scale over 1,000 pounds it just makes sense to have a rifle with plenty of knock down power. Even if you are not hunting them you may still encounter them and a boar with a sow and piglets will often attack without warning. I can’t forget the African hunter armed with a shotgun after small game who was killed by the sudden attack of an elephant who knocked his professional hunter aside before killing him. Like the old Victorian hunter said “Use your big gun for everything laddie and count it practice for the day your life depends on it.”
The impressive stopping power of the .45-70 has made it a more reliable deer tag filler than smaller calibers and resulted in its widespread popularity today. Normally increased stopping power means an increase in recoil but the .45-70 has a recoil so soft that I find it barely noticeable. It is a very pleasant gun with which to sit down and shoot a large quantity of ammunition at one time. There are a tremendous number of loads offered for the .45-70 today and here is a rundown on those that I have tested starting with the heaviest and going down as bullet weight decreases.
The heaviest is the 777-grain Steinel Lucky Ram from Steinel Ammunition Company at 1,050 FPS for a Taylor Knock Out value of 52.89 which exceeds the 450-400’s 48.5. This brute is 1¾ inches long and takes up a lot of the inside of the case. Steinel Ammunition is now shipping to Alaska where such powerful loads are often much appreciated. With a rifle sighted in at 50 yards with regular .45-70 ammo the 777-grain load will shoot about a foot low.
Steinel also makes a 730 grain subsonic load at 1,000 FPS with a Taylor Knock out Value of 47.76
For the Steinel 500-grain load at 1,485 FPS the Taylor Knock Out Value is 48.5.
Remington loads a 405 grain Core-Lokt bullet at 1,330 FPS which essentially duplicates the famous well proven original loads ballistics with a modern SPCL bullet. It’s Taylor Knock out value is 34.5.
You can’t go wrong with this choice.
For those who want more velocity Remington has the Core-Lokt 405-grain SPCL high velocity load at 1600 FPS with a Taylor Knock Out Value of 42.39 which exceeds the Taylor Knock Out Value of the 300-grain .375 H&H Magnum’s Taylor Knock Out Value of 40.4. This is one of my favorite .45-70 loads.
Black Hills 45-70 FPL Cowboy Action load is a 405-grain lead bullet at 1250 FPS, just 100 FPS lower than the original. Game shot with it will never know the small 100 FPS difference between the two. It’s Taylor Knock Out Value is 33.1.
Georgia Arms FPL 405-grain .45-70 is a 50 FPS faster at 1300 FPS which nudges its Taylor Knock Out Value to 34.4.
We now drop down to the lighter bullet weights.
The Black Hills Honeybadger is a 325-grain bullet at 1,933 FPS out of a 26-inch barrel with a Taylor Knock Out Value of 41.10. This is a fluted monolithic solid that has shot completely through American buffalo with every shot. It leaves a wound channel like an expanding bullet without expanding. It does this because its tapered flutes act like a garden hose nozzle forcing the blood and tissue they encounter out 35% faster than the bullet itself thereby producing a large cavity wound channel. You have the deep penetration of a solid with the wound channel of an expanding bullet. The best of both worlds.
The Hornady Leverevolution 325-grain FTX has a Taylor Knock Out Value of 43.59 and sports a soft plastic ballistic tip that gives a much flatter trajectory while remaining safe in tubular magazines. If you want a flat shooting .45-70, this is it.
Steinel makes a 325-grain monolithic solid at 1,740 FPS with a Taylor Knock Out Value of 37.
Now we drop down to the 300-grain loads.
Armscor loads a 300-grain JHP at 1,900 FPS for a Taylor Knock Out Value of 37.29. A handy feature of this ammunition is that a 20 round box contains four 5 round boxes of .45-70 enabling you to carry spare ammunition more easily without worrying about loose cartridges clinking together and alerting game.
Steinel loads a 300-grain JHP at 1,840 FPS for a Taylor Knock Out Value of 36.
Federal has a 300-grain SP HP Power-Shock bullet load at 1,850 FPS with a Taylor Knock Out Value of 36.3.
Remington has a 300-grain Core-Lokt Tipped Levergun at 2,100 FPS with a Taylor Knock Out Value of 41.22. This is another very flat shooting aerodynamic shaped bullet with a soft plastic ballistic tip enabling it to be safely used in tubular magazines.
Finally we come to the 250-grain load from Hornady. It is also a 250-grain Leverevolution round at 2,025 FPS and a Taylor Knock Out Value of 33.5. This is the 45-70’s answer to the .444 Marlin caliber.
There you have it. A list of all the different .45-70 loads that I have tested. All worked well and it is up to you to decide which one you like best.
The .45-70 remains one of the most reliable game getting cartridges out there and has more power for less felt recoil than any other commercially available round. The number of different loads attests to the well-earned popularity of this 153-year-old round which still out performs the more modern calibers in the game fields.
