If you could build just one Big Bore for North America

17tombstone

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hunting on a Marlin 1895 or Browning 71 what round would you choose to chamber it in? Have a build I would like to get going and looking for input. Just a fun boomer that you can shoot without breaking the bank for plinking days but would be the right tool for any big game in NA.
 
hunting on a Marlin 1895 or Browning 71 what round would you choose to chamber it in? Have a build I would like to get going and looking for input. Just a fun boomer that you can shoot without breaking the bank for plinking days but would be the right tool for any big game in NA.
JM Marlin 1895 in 45-70.
You can run Springfield Trapdoors loads or we have people on here that can walk you thru some much heavier loadings.
 
That’s my take as well. Currently workIng towards acquiring a 1895 Dark series.
 
Me too on the .45-70 ... you can run puff loads plinking and smaller game to bruiser buffalo loads for the big game from bison to bear.
 
Already have a couple Marlin 45-70s that I shoot regularly and wouldn't ever let go of. Just thinking to have a custom boomer. I have been leaning towards the 50 B&M. Thinking hard on the 458 B&M as well. Don't have a JM Marlin but my RemLin SBL shoots light out
 
Sharps 50-110. Ain’t nothing walking away from a hit from the “Big Fifty”
 
Already have a couple Marlin 45-70s that I shoot regularly and wouldn't ever let go of. Just thinking to have a custom boomer. I have been leaning towards the 50 B&M. Thinking hard on the 458 B&M as well. Don't have a JM Marlin but my RemLin SBL shoots light out
Ride down for an afternoon and shoot the 50 Lever Gun.
 
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Thinking hard on the 458 B&M as well

Good Morning All....... @17tombstone ..... The 458 B&M is strictly for the bolt guns only. In a bolt gun, I think it would be my choice as the one gun however. But that is not the question. Looking at lever guns on this.

In lever guns I made my choice, 50 B&M Alaskan. Being true .500 caliber, it has a lot of advantages over anything in .510 caliber. Choice of bullets. There are literally dozens of various .500 caliber bullets available that will work in a lever gun, and only a very small handful that will work in a .510 caliber lever gun, regardless of cartridge. Extremely easy to work with as well, simply take Starline 50 Alaskan brass and size and load. 50 Alaskan brass is actually 51 Alaskan. 50 B&M< Alaskan is .500...... I actually have both here. I have a 51 in a Marlin guide gun, and Ruger #1. Of course I have well over half dozen .500 versions, including Ruger #1 and Winchester 1885.

And today we have a marvelous selection of .458 caliber lever gun bullets as well. So 45/70 can indeed serve this role without making big changes. I can tell you from experience however, that when most big bore velocities drop below 2000 fps, caliber begins to make a difference in the way larger animals react to taking hits. This also happens above 2000 fps, but it is a bit more dramatic below 2000.
 
Thanks for all of the input sounds like the .50 is the way to go as I want a custom round. I load for a lot of "Wildcats" and enjoy that as much as shooting... just about. Thinking the 18.5-20" range with octagon barrel.
 
Thanks for all of the input sounds like the .50 is the way to go as I want a custom round. I load for a lot of "Wildcats" and enjoy that as much as shooting... just about. Thinking the 18.5-20" range with octagon barrel.

You can do either Marlin or Browning M71. If you do the Marlin, do the one with the Pistol grip stock (I forget the models and so forth) not the Guide Gun. The pistol grip stock is straighter in line with the bore, you are able to control and absorb recoil and muzzle flip much better with this gun, than the Guide Gun stock which has too much drop in the rear. I believe most of the M71s have the pistol grip stock anyway. The Marlin can handle up to 45000 PSI before it starts to get sticky in most cases. The M71 you might can push a little harder, to say 50000 PSI, but not much more. Actually best to hold both at or close to 45000PSI. I do however push the M71 a bit when I hunted with them. Concerning these big bore lever guns, the solids that are designed specifically for them are of incredible value. Use them. In both 45/70 and 50. The solids can get you out of a bind, and also increase your performance in some circumstances when penetration is needed, or you are in serious heavy brush. I do not condone shooting through brush, but the solids we designed for the lever guns can actually drive through trees and brush extremely well, better than anything I have ever seen. To the point that if needed I would most certainly take advantage of that factor.

If interested in 50 B&M contact Brian Alberts at SSK Firearms. He can sort you out easy, and unless you want a longer barrel for aesthetic reasons, you max out at 18 inches, 20 on the outside depending on some powders.

There are also a lot of really great conventional bullets designed for the 500 S&W that work extremely well in the lever guns. One of the best examples is the 500 Hornady Flat Soft. Its a very good bullet, and works extremely well from 1200 even up to 2000 fps. The 50 B&M runs this one at 1850 fps and under 45000 PSI. It is very suitable for anything in NA, and then combine it with one of the solids, you are in pretty good shape. And there are many more good ones as well........
 
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It may not mean anything but I have shot a 45/70 hard cast bullet into an oak log with good penetration and I could have reloaded it and shot it again. No deformation at all.

Pretty sure you could shoot a bear in the ass-tro-fear and it would come out his nose.
 
I'm partial to Winchesters, so if I'm doing the 1895, it would be chambered in the historic .405 Winchester, as Theodore Roosevelt carried. That said, I prefer the 1886 design over the 1895, as it has more practical (can be loaded faster) options over the below box mag. I personally own the 1886 Winchester Short Rifle in .45-70, because the ammo is widely available, and there's not a lot that would need more than a single .45-70 to put it down, but the 1886 is capable of holding 9 (brutal) rounds.
 
@Tailhunter ............... I don't like Cast Bullets to be honest. Back in my early hunting days especially with 45/70, there just was not much available then. Cast bullets was a big part of my inventory and I used them in the field quite a bit. If they were slightly soft, then the nose would deform, limiting straight line penetration. To hard, and the meplat would shear off. Hit bone, the meplat would shear as well. If treated as a "Soft" or expanding, then in that capacity they were ok. But if you thought for a second to treat them as a solid, or depend on deep penetration, or expect to crunch and munch bone material, then you would run into issues. I had one glance off the shoulder of a cape buffalo once, and damn near caused a problem.


We did a lot of cast bullet tests over the years, and in every single case, they came up short on performance. Good Enough? Probably yes in most cases, but given a choice, I would for sure go with the better bullet these days........

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A few years ago I had a guy that was determined to hunt Cape Buffalo with a Marlin Guide Gun. After much pondering on what he should use, I finally suggested he use the CEB 400 gr Solids we had designed for 45/70. I actually loaded the ammo for him. I had the load running at 1850 fps. He was very successful in his hunt. At or around 35 yards he fired one round through the heart, buffalo runs 25 yards and piles up stone cold. Bullet exited far side of course and was not recovered.

For this sort of work for all the lever guns, I would only go with this type Solid. While I did use a Raptor in my 50 B&M Alaskan as first shot, I followed up with all solids after that. If I were to do that again, I would forget the Raptor, and go with all solids for any dangerous game, and would probably do so on the big bears as well..........

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I prefer the 1886 design over the 1895,

I love a 1886. I have had a few in my day. The one I have used the most I had some work done to it, shorten the barrel to 18" and added a Ghost ring that sits on a mount over the rear of the action. The big problem with the 1886s and the M71s is mounting a scope if you wanted to. The only practical thing you can do is mount a forward mount scope, like the Leupold 2X. Which is a great scope, but its field of view is horrendous and not a good option for any close range work, 10 yds and under.

As good as I like the 1886, there are some issues with converting 1886s to larger caliber. While it can be done, it is a challenge to get there and not worth the effort, if you have a M71 that is easy to convert. I had Brian at SSK look hard at converting a 1886 to 50 B&M AK and he says its just not practical to do........

This is where the Marlin has a big advantage with its side ejection. Both designs have advantages and disadvantages. Since I could not choose one over the other, I just get them all.........................

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I have a high grade 71 that has been used so it will make the perfect donor rifle. I am just going to use open sights at least that is my initial plan. Getting excited to get this one off the ground finally. Thanks for the guidance and opinions.
 
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