.45-70 or .30-06

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01-07-2006, 12:34 PM

#11

eldeguello

Giant Nontypical

Join Date: Feb 2003

Location: Texas - BUT NOW in Madison County, NY

Posts: 6,270

RE: .45-70 or .30-06

Quote:

ORIGINAL: Nanook85

I'm turning 21 next summer and I have decided to buy myself a birthday present. My question is: the Marlin .45-70 or a left hand .30-06 bolt? I live in Indiana which is shotgun only so it would be for varmint and just plain shooting for now. Supposedly there's a rumor going around that the Indiana DNR is thinking about opening up firearms season for the .45-70 and eventually I would like to go west for elk, etc. Being the poor college student that I am (taking donations, by the way...[&:]) my usual answer of "buy both" is not an option at this time. Suggestions as to which to buy first?

If it comes to pass that Indiana legalizes the .45/70 for deer hunting, then get a .45/70. If you plan to go out west for larger game, get a .30/'06. While the .45/70 is a great elk round, it is a SHORT-RANGE proposition. In the west, you often willget shooting opportunities beyond 200 yards, and the .45/70 is a bit handicapped under such circumastances, particularly if using non-pointed bullets in it at speeds under 2000 FPS.

The .30/'06 is much more versatile of these two, but it is, as mentioned above, not the best choice for varmint shooting. IMO, about maximum for serious varminting is the .270 Winchester, but it CAN be used for elk with premium bullets.