Big Bore Rifles

[Mad John]

Anyone else in love with the old Big Bore rifles? Sharps, Remington, Hepburn, Springfield, Peabody in 45-70 and bigger? Those guys were pretty serious about their hardware. Anyone? Even Civil War and before?

 

[TipBledsoe]

I had a 45-90 for a while. I had fun with it. But I guess it wasn't "true love." I traded her off.

 

[baboon]

I sold double rifles & dangerous game rifles for a few years for Eurogun Imports. It was a father & son operation. We sold safari too. Shot a lot of .375, 416's, 470's & 500 nitro express. I Did want to shoot the .600 N.E. they had. The son still has his .500 N.E. & I still have my .416 Remington mag.

 

[MTA]

I sold double rifles & dangerous game rifles for a few years for Eurogun Imports. It was a father & son operation. We sold safari too. Shot a lot of .375, 416's, 470's & 500 nitro express. I Did want to shoot the .600 N.E. they had. The son still has his .500 N.E. & I still have my .416 Remington mag.

If I ever hit the lottery, buying a few safari rifles is high up on my list

 

[Leadeye]

I've still got a few , 375, 405, 444, 45-70, 45-90, 458 WM, 460 W and one of those Pedersol 75 calibers.

 

[benenglish]

Good to see you posting, John.

 

[medicmike]

I would love to have a cool big bore rifle. A 45-70 is on my short list....hopefully someday....

 

[Lonesome Dove]

I bought a Perdersoli Quigley but in 45-70 for a Bison hunt in Montana but like all else in life it never happened. Sold it.

 

[baboon]

If I ever hit the lottery, buying a few safari rifles is high up on my list

If you ever get a chance to go to the SCI convention, you head would hurt for all the doubles on display.

 

[Mad John]

Several years ago when I had not made a significant purchase and decided that I really need a classic exotic rife. I looked around for a year or so and saved up all the dust I could pan. I found a double made by Mayfield in London around 1919. A pretty side by side hammer gun. The engraving is all but photo quality with six stage pop-up express sights. The center rib is inleted for claw mounted scope rings. No scope.
I was 'happy happy happy" It came with a full box and two extra rounds. I could not wait to get it out on the range and try a shot. I did! It was the least amount of "fun" I had ever had with a new gun. After that shot I came to the realization that .577 Nitro Express was one of those guns that you only pulled the trigger was because you HAD to! It was like an incredibly beautiful woman, once you get your hands on one the danger is unveiled!
I will probably never fire it again but I still love the gun. Also like a beautiful woman it is expensive to keep satisfied at $60 dollars per round,

 

[MarkTheNewf]

Yup. Got a Marlin 1895 in 45/70. I'm normally a 308 shooter, but I gotta say that big 45 round is heaps of fun.

Just loaded up some 525gr 'Piledrivers' from beartooth bullets. Here it is along side a 168gr 308 bullet/round.

Oh boy. Somehow what I expected to be 1300-ish fps chronographed at a smidge over 1500. One heckin' kick. Like glasses bouncing on bridge of nose recoil. The second set did come it at the 1300 fps mark and, as typical for this gun, grouped well at that velocity. It seems to like 400+ grains at 1300-1350 fps and the 'smaller' rounds (300-325) at around 1600 fps.

FWIW, the 45/70 is the reason I started casting bullets as well. Jeeze....it's like $2 a round if you buy the stuff in a store. Now I cast and powder coat and shoot with abandon.

 

[Mills]

Shiloh #3 50-90

 

[smittyb]

Does 450 bushmaster count?

 

[Mad John]

I deeply love the venerable .45-70. When I was just a kid back in the early 60's my grand dad gave me an old Springfield Trapdoor Rifle. Ammo was virtually impossible to find and near extinction. I reloaded the few pieces of brass with a block of wood and an ice pick. I used hand cast 457 balls thumb loaded on a full case of FFFg. I killed deer with it. I was hooked on those big guns, Now I have Sharps, Springfield , Rolling Blocks, Remington-Lee bolt actions, and others in .45-70, .45-90, ,45-110, .45-125, .50-70, .50-90,.50-110 And a big Sharps in . 50 X 2 3/4. I love em!
My favorite of the bunch is the original .45-70-505 the . 45-125with a 525 gr and of course the Sharps "Big 50" 2 3/4 inch 620 gr!

 

[satx78247]

To All,

My currently-owned "biggest bore rifle" is my Remington Model 760 the Jessie at JES "reformatted" from .30-06 to 9.3x62MM.

Fwiw, I'm "currently looking at" a Dublin-made .500 Nitro Express for BP double-rifle with exposed hammers, that is likely circa 1900-1915.
(VERY "Plain Jane" is the DR but I like it, as it looks like a rifle that a professional hunter OR game warden would buy/use for decades & that would collect anything up to & including elephant. = Of course the 9.3x62mm will also collect the same game efficiently & W/O 'kicking your head off", with my 290 grain GCCB at 2000FPS.)

ANOTHER good thing about the 9.3x62mm is that it is EASY to fire-form from plentiful/cheap/once-fired .30-06 brass.
(Since I cast my own bullets for it AND get the brass for free from a Garand match shooter, who doesn't reload, the 9.3x62mm is REALLY CHEAP to load.)
Fwiw, I only reload LAKE CITY ex-GI brass.

The "Big Brother" of the 9.3x62 Mauser is the .400 Whelen Improved, which is the largest cartridge that can be reformed from .30-06 brass. = That cartridge uses the same bullets as the old-school .405WCF AND the Model 760 can be re-bored to .400 Whelen. = For a .40 caliber rifle, it is quite inexpensive to reload with GCCB or with solids/JSP.

yours, satx

 

[Windrunner50]

I love my 45-70, easy to handle and carry. It’s a thumper but throws lead rocks like a champ!

 

[satx78247]

To All,

BTW, the .400 WHELEN IMPROVED will easily fire a 350-400 grain GCCB at 2000-2200FPS & it hits like "a sledgehammer between the running lights". Will NOT tear your shoulder off either, as it PUSHES rather than KICKS.
(Fwiw, I'm "talking myself into" having Jessie at JES rebore/rechamber one of my "spare" Model 780 rifles from .30-06 to .400 WI. - I really do NOT need a .400; I just WANT one for "the Africa trip". = BIG MEDICINE for Cape Buffalo & "the ballistic twin of" the .405WCF.)

NOTE: Loading a PBCB of SOFT LEAD at about 1400FPS makes a DANDY "brush rifle" for smaller/WT-size game, too - Much like the "old-school loads" for the .45-70.

yours, satx

 

[2ManyGuns]

I love my 45-70, easy to handle and carry. It’s a thumper but throws lead rocks like a champ!

I have one of those also, a lot of fun! Also have a Marlin 1895CB, when I first bought the CB, I set up one of the old school cast iron sinks at about 50 yds. With some 405 grn boolits, it penetrated three of the partitions in that old sink and put one hell of a dent in the last. It may not penetrate body armor, but I bet it would leave one hell of a bruise, maybe even cardiac arrest if hit in the right spot. I was really surprised at how far it penetrated.

 

[satx78247]

I have one of those also, a lot of fun! Also have a Marlin 1895CB, when I first bought the CB, I set up one of the old school cast iron sinks at about 50 yds. With some 405 grn boolits, it penetrated three of the partitions in that old sink and put one hell of a dent in the last. It may not penetrate body armor, but I bet it would leave one hell of a bruise, maybe even cardiac arrest if hit in the right spot. I was really surprised at how far it penetrated.

2ManyGuns,

FYI, the .45-70 Government was called the "horse-killer" by the American Indian during the Indian Wars. = It was always, even at Trapdoor Springfield black powder velocity, a GOOD KILLER.
(The old-school .45-70 probably killed more American buffalo than the "BIG SHARPS" buffalo rifle ever did.)

yours, satx

 

[2ManyGuns]

Has anyone shot 375 Winchester? I have one sitting in the safe, still waiting to shoot it. Maybe one day I will get the chance, I did buy a hundred rounds for it when I found them.