Ruger No. 1 in .450 Marlin?

Ruger Guide Gun in .375 or .416?


I'd be all over a CZ 550 series, they have tons of ass kicking safari type calibers to chose from. Beautiful gun, and a good value in those larger calibers vs other makes.

I’m hoping to get drawn for Buffalo here in Alaska someday.

I’d have no problem using my 30-06 with a trophy bonded bear claw 200g.

I'm pretty sure my uncle killed his cow bison with a 308. Like newmexican, if I was going, I'd probably take something in a 30-06, Nosler Partition either 200 or 220 grains. I just don't see much use for the rest of my hunting with any chambering bigger than 30-06.

Montana actually has a 150 grain bullet minimum to hunt bison, just fyi.

I’d certainly take my 1895 Marlin. Load up some Swift A Frames to about 1950fps and let it eat. 45/70 has been getting it done for over a century one more buffler won’t break the bank.

It makes a surprisingly good deer gun as well. For the woods I hunt I’ve quit bringing my .300WM

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
I’d certainly take my 1895 Marlin. Load up some Swift A Frames to about 1950fps and let it eat. 45/70 has been getting it done for over a century one more buffler won’t break the bank.

It makes a surprisingly good deer gun as well. For the woods I hunt I’ve quit bringing my .300WM

I'm going to assume that the OP doesn't reload so I'd say to him, get the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and buy some Hornady LEVERevolution 325gr cartridges with 2050 ft/sec of velocity and 3032 ft/lbs of energy and he's good to go. Don't forget that native Americans killed a bezillion of them with arrows and spears.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
Don't forget that native Americans killed a bezillion of them with arrows and spears.

Don't forget that during the time the natives ruled the American plains, there weren't tourists in SUVs with video cameras to record how long the buffalo ran before bleeding out or having their lungs fill with blood. Arrow and spears rarely resulted in "dead right there".

I'm a Winchester Model 70 fan; I admit it. I'd go with the Alaskan in .375 H&H or the Safari Express in .416 Remington.

I like the .45-70, but if I had a chance to pick up a dangerous game rifle, I'd go with a traditional bolt with controlled round feed.

CZ550 in 9.3x62.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
I’d certainly take my 1895 Marlin. Load up some Swift A Frames to about 1950fps and let it eat. 45/70 has been getting it done for over a century one more buffler won’t break the bank.

It makes a surprisingly good deer gun as well. For the woods I hunt I’ve quit bringing my .300WM

I'm going to assume that the OP doesn't reload so I'd say to him, get the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and buy some Hornady LEVERevolution 325gr cartridges with 2050 ft/sec of velocity and 3032 ft/lbs of energy and he's good to go. Don't forget that native Americans killed a bezillion of them with arrows and spears.

Jim

Leverevolution rounds have been known to explode in whitetail just after breaking the skin. If I were hunting 1 ton or larger critters, I would be using something with some serious deep punch. Buffalo Bore has some stout loads made for thick game where overpeneteation is highly preferable to adequate penetration. Grizzly ammunition also makes good big dangerous game loads

I absolutely LOVE my Henry "All-Weather" .45-70!! Nough said!!!!!!!!!

If you have the time and inclination to go traditional by all means find a Single shot, Sharps, Remington-Hepburn or the like and shoot it with Black Powder. It might not be as hard as you think to find one if you can find a retiring BPCR shooter or one with an extra rifle. They are tending towards the smaller calibers and might be willing to sell the larger ones. They would have dope worked up to at least 500meters for you.
I personally preferred the 45-90 to 45-70 but most would go with 45-70 for it's commonality. Recoil while hunting is a near zero issue with a heavy rifle like these loaded with black powder. 70+ rounds on match day with a 45-90 wasn't a big issue for me and several others. A 45-70 loaded with smokeless powder in a 7lb lever gun is a different beast altogether recoil wise!

In the end there's quite a number of guns you can cleanly kill a bison with. If I were you I'd be thinking of exactly how I wanted to hunt the Bison. Full traditional vs more modern vs modern for example and choose the type of firearm and hunt would provide you with the most fun and lasting memories on a rare hunt. :-)

Depending on your shooting distance, a 45-70 can be adequate, or atrocious. With a 100 yard zero and a 400 grain jacketed bullet, it will drop 6.7" at 150 yards, and be 25.4" below at 200 yards. Another words, the mid range trajectory is that of a snowball. That 150-200 yard range and even out to 250 is not unheard-of if you are shooting from a rise to stay concealed. I'd suggest a CZ or Tikka in 375 H&H or the 9.3mm.

FN is on point, you need more info on the type of hunt you are buying. More than one fella I know showed up to discover they were shooting inside of corrals. Another group of geezers bought what they thought was a fenced enclosed group shoot, only to discover the shots were out to 250 yds and a bit of a hike. The cost is often a reflection of the situation, but do ask a lot of questions. Some the outfits require traditional rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
I’d certainly take my 1895 Marlin. Load up some Swift A Frames to about 1950fps and let it eat. 45/70 has been getting it done for over a century one more buffler won’t break the bank.

It makes a surprisingly good deer gun as well. For the woods I hunt I’ve quit bringing my .300WM

I'm going to assume that the OP doesn't reload so I'd say to him, get the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and buy some Hornady LEVERevolution 325gr cartridges with 2050 ft/sec of velocity and 3032 ft/lbs of energy and he's good to go. Don't forget that native Americans killed a bezillion of them with arrows and spears.

Jim

Leverevolution rounds have been known to explode in whitetail just after breaking the skin. If I were hunting 1 ton or larger critters, I would be using something with some serious deep punch. Buffalo Bore has some stout loads made for thick game where overpeneteation is highly preferable to adequate penetration. Grizzly ammunition also makes good big dangerous game loads

The 325gr LEVERevolution round is getting very good reviews. I looked at various sites to see if I could find anything on your claims but can't find anything to verify your statement. Could you lead me to a source?

Jim

No thanks. I want to poke holes all the way through.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
I’d certainly take my 1895 Marlin. Load up some Swift A Frames to about 1950fps and let it eat. 45/70 has been getting it done for over a century one more buffler won’t break the bank.

It makes a surprisingly good deer gun as well. For the woods I hunt I’ve quit bringing my .300WM

I'm going to assume that the OP doesn't reload so I'd say to him, get the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and buy some Hornady LEVERevolution 325gr cartridges with 2050 ft/sec of velocity and 3032 ft/lbs of energy and he's good to go. Don't forget that native Americans killed a bezillion of them with arrows and spears.

Jim

Leverevolution rounds have been known to explode in whitetail just after breaking the skin. If I were hunting 1 ton or larger critters, I would be using something with some serious deep punch. Buffalo Bore has some stout loads made for thick game where overpeneteation is highly preferable to adequate penetration. Grizzly ammunition also makes good big dangerous game loads

The 325gr LEVERevolution round is getting very good reviews. I looked at various sites to see if I could find anything on your claims but can't find anything to verify your statement. Could you lead me to a source?

Jim

Nothing official; much as you find at SF, my information comes from word of mouth from people that have first hand experience. As here, people whose word I believe and opinions I trust.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:

quote:

Originally posted by reflex/deflex 64:
I’d certainly take my 1895 Marlin. Load up some Swift A Frames to about 1950fps and let it eat. 45/70 has been getting it done for over a century one more buffler won’t break the bank.

It makes a surprisingly good deer gun as well. For the woods I hunt I’ve quit bringing my .300WM

I'm going to assume that the OP doesn't reload so I'd say to him, get the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and buy some Hornady LEVERevolution 325gr cartridges with 2050 ft/sec of velocity and 3032 ft/lbs of energy and he's good to go. Don't forget that native Americans killed a bezillion of them with arrows and spears.

Jim

Leverevolution rounds have been known to explode in whitetail just after breaking the skin. If I were hunting 1 ton or larger critters, I would be using something with some serious deep punch. Buffalo Bore has some stout loads made for thick game where overpeneteation is highly preferable to adequate penetration. Grizzly ammunition also makes good big dangerous game loads

The 325gr LEVERevolution round is getting very good reviews. I looked at various sites to see if I could find anything on your claims but can't find anything to verify your statement. Could you lead me to a source?

Jim

Nothing official; much as you find at SF, my information comes from word of mouth from people that have first hand experience. As here, people whose word I believe and opinions I trust.

I’ve taken 2 black bears and a decent bull elk with the Leverevolution bullets. That is why I suggested the A-Frames. They worked but are a bit fragile in my opinion for such a heavily constructed animal. For some reason I was under the impression the Swift bullets were in a factory loading. I’m my opinion the Hornady rounds are very good but not for something like the bison.

I follow a poster in the Marlinowners forum that had one positively explode just under the hide of a big elk, doing tremendous meat damage and allowing the elk to travel hundreds of yards before succumbing to blood loss. Most folks have been indoctrinated with the need for a rapidly expanding projectile that expends all of its energy in the target animal. Large, dangerous game needs a solidly constructed bullet that can penetrate deeply, and even over penetrate creating two holes that ventilate the thoracic cavity and destroy lung and heart tissue on the way through.

I hunt whitetail exclusively with .44 magnum using 240 gr jfp’s. With a clean broadside, I have never had one go more than 50 yards. Before I switched from .308, I had personally experienced bullets like Ballistic Silvertips remain in the body, fragment and pollute the meat with lead, and allow the animal to go just as far, if not farther. I am a true believer in big fat bullets that retain their mass while deforming and going clean through. Leverevolution 45-70 bullets will do the job well on animals up to deer/black bear/hogs, but I believe a bonded non-fragmenting bullet will do it better. I wouldn’t use them for bison, elk, or similarly sized game.

I have a Marlin SBL in 45-70. Great gun and obviously has the history. Get some hard cast rounds from Garret, HSM, or the Grizzle Punch bullets. For a more modern rifle, I’d go with the 375 or 416 Ruger with a dangerous game round. Sounds fun.

Edited to add that your 45-70 is not a long-distance round.

I work with a few guys who have hunted the delta and copper river beards. One of them uses a 338win mag and the other used a 30-06.

If you want some insight into the buffalo and hunting them in Alaska get the book “American Buffalo” by Steven rinella.