45-70 knockdown power

[rocky]

I shot my 10pt buck this year with my 45-70 contender pistol and was very pleased with the performance. Has anyone else had great experiences with this caliber.

 

[Cain71]

With this post I have a question,is there not a maximum case length like there is for rifles firing a handgun cartridge? And if so where do you find this in the laws for hunting? Would be nice if I could get this info, Thanks

Congrats on your buck!

 

[rimfire_crazed]

I've never measured 45-70 so I don't know if it fits within the rules as I understand them.







The rifle must fire a cartridge that meets the following specifications
-------------------------------------------------------------

a) fire a bullet of .357 diameter or larger;
b) have a minimum case length of 1.16 inches; and
c) have a maximum case length of 1.625 inches.


-------------------------------------------------------------

..357 Magnum
..38-40 Winchester
..41 Magnum
..41 Special
..44 Magnum
..44 Special
..44-.40 Winchester
..45 Colt
..454 Casull
..480 Ruger
..475 Linebaugh
..50 Action Express
..500 S&W

 

[rocky]

it is not against the law to fire a 45-70 pistol. It has to be a length of 1.16 inches long with no maximum case length provided. It is illegal in a rifle because you have a max case length of 1.625. I know because I checked with the authorities. You can check them out in the hunting and trapping guide.

 

[haldir]

deleted in confusion

This is a good example of what a mess they have made of the rules now. THe 45-70 is specifically listed as illegal for a rifle on the Indiana website (pdf of deer equipment.) I thought it was the cartridge that determined legality. So if it is illegal in a rifle how can it be legal in a handgun?

Some illegal rifle cartridges for deer hunting are the .30-30 Winchester, .444 Marlin and .45-70 Govt.

 

[melensdad]

it is not against the law to fire a 45-70 pistol. It has to be a length of 1.16 inches long with no maximum case length provided. It is illegal in a rifle because you have a max case length of 1.625. I know because I checked with the authorities. You can check them out in the hunting and trapping guide.

The maximum case limit is one of the reasons why the 458 Socom is becoming popular here in Indiana for deer hunting. Its one of the very few factory loaded Indiana deer legal cartridges available. Ballistics are said to be similar to the 45-70.

 

[RelicHound]

45-70 vs deer...hmmmmm thats kinda like smackin an orange with an 8# sledge and saying you are pleased with the outcome...what did you expect to happen? 45-70 has been used for years for taking down game such as buffalo an bear.
and yes you can use a 45-70 in a pistol to take deer in IN...you can also use a .270 out of a pistol iffin ya wanna

 

[Kirk Freeman]

and yes you can use a 45-70 in a pistol to take deer in IN...you can also use a .270 out of a pistol iffin ya wanna

Shhhh, don't tell IDNR. They seem to think that rifle cartridges launched out of rifles at deer are equivalent to weapons of mass hysteria.

Congrats on your deer, rocky.

The only thing I've shot with a .45-70 was a water heater. And it was very effective on that target.

 

[Sailor]

Anybody try a .308 in an encore pistol? What barrel length and scope combo works?

 

[Colt]

Congratulations on your buck, rocky. And thanks for the post. I hadn't read the IDNR rules for handguns vs. rifles carefully until now. I don't find the IDNR hunting rules so burdensome. They are complicated, but pretty clear, if I would just take the time to study them better. I would much rather be studying the IDNR rules and thinking about which gun I can or cannot use for hunting than studying the IRS's tax rules and thinking about the complicated mess our government has made of our tax laws and retirement planning (IRA's, Roth IRA's, 401K's, etc., etc....). The IDNR hunting rules make a lot more sense to me than the IRS's tax rules. Staying within the spirit and the letter of the hunting rules is just part of the hunting game. My worst day of being outside hunting in the woods or fields is still better than most of the things I have to spend my time doing.

 

[disengaged]

Congratulations on the buck. I have a friend that harvested a doe with his 45-70 Contender last year. He seems to really enjoy it also. I've fired it a few times, I think I'll stick with the .357.