45/70 Levergun in Africa!

[Maddog2]

Here is a pic of the best hog taken with the 45-70.

[JEBar]

that's a lot of pig ...

[Maddog2]

My ph on my dangerous game safari told me he wished I had brought my 45-70 for the cape buff and elephant. While not legal in Zimbabwe, I kinda wish now, I had. Would have taken different bullets, but it would have been neat

[JEBar]

My ph on my dangerous game safari told me he wished I had brought my 45-70 for the cape buff and elephant. While not legal in Zimbabwe, I kinda wish now, I had. Would have taken different bullets, but it would have been neat

that would have most certainly been something .... just for my knowledge (realizing there is no way I will ever get to put it to use) what bullets would you have used ?

[Maddog2]

Well, predicated on the accuracy in my gun, I would have considered the Belt Mountain Punch Bullet[400 gr.]. The bullets are crazy expensive[$2.50 apiece], but in the grand scheme of things for total price of the trip, not THAT cost prohibitive.

[JEBar]

now that is a very different bullet .... I'd never heard of them .... from limited reading about them, they seem to be very well made .... I don't see any way I'll ever hunt outside of the USA .... my dream trip falls more in the line of going after one of the big bears found out west .... I can see ordering some of their bullets just to have them as conversation pieces .... if so, I'd certainly load a few and test a couple

[Maddog2]

For the bears out west, a good quality controlled expansion soft point would fill the bill. Hornady comes to mind. The punch bullet is a solid, and I wouldn't recomend it for thin skin game. JMHO.

[JEBar]

For the bears out west, a good quality controlled expansion soft point would fill the bill. Hornady comes to mind. The punch bullet is a solid, and I wouldn't recomend it for thin skin game. JMHO.

understood and agree .... if I was to order a few it would mostly be just to say I have them .... the purchase and potential use of a 45-70 has made me completely rethink my long standing beliefs about hunting bullets .... historically I've been in the 30 caliber camp and have chosen what I would carry from our 30-30, 308, 30-06, and 300 WBY Mag .... the biggest question was which Nosler bullet between 150 and 180 grains to use .... they say speed kills and I subscribed to that theory ..... the concept of hunting with a lead bullet wasn't even on the radar and I admit to still not being totally on board .... there is still something of a barrier to lobbing a 300 +/- grain bullet out of a 45-70 in the direction of a big game animal in my thought processes

[Maddog2]

I understand where you are coming from, with the "speed kills". I am almost the opposite with the "big and slow[er]". The longest shot I've made with the 45-70, was on a hog in south Texas at a lasered 187 yds. Even when I killed a buck antelope, with a bolt action .270, back in 1980, in Wyoming, the distance was only 175 yds. Once you shoot the 45-70 enough, to understand the drop, you'll love the performance.

[JEBar]

I understand where you are coming from, with the "speed kills". I am almost the opposite with the "big and slow[er]". The longest shot I've made with the 45-70, was on a hog in south Texas at a lasered 187 yds. Even when I killed a buck antelope, with a bolt action .270, back in 1980, in Wyoming, the distance was only 175 yds. Once you shoot the 45-70 enough, to understand the drop, you'll love the performance.

well understood .... our 300 WBY mag is capable of delivering a bullet with killing force at hundreds and hundreds of yards .... far more capable of doing so than I am capable of directing it to do so .... I guess the best analogy I can give is I like driving a vehicle that is capable of traveling at far higher speeds than I ever intend to ever drive it .... when I look through the scope on our 300 and see the cross hairs on a clear target that is 200 plus yards away, I have no problem taking the shot .... I haven't reached that level of lobbing a round down range with our 45-70 .... hopefully, over time that might come .... all that being said, the vast majority of the time my shots have come at less than 100 yards and at that distance I'm already very comfortable .... if/when given an opportunity to again hunt elk in the Rocky Mountains where long range opportunities are much more plentiful, I don't believe our Henry will be my rifle of choice