New Ohio Deer Gun Marlin 1895 45-70 vs Ruger American Gen 2 350 Legend

[Kyguy]

Good Lord, the right 45-70 is a pussycat. Don't give up on effectiveness for basically a 30-30 punk rifle.
1895 gbl is the answer. Heavier factory laminate furniture and factory Pachmeyr recoil pad. 350L is a decent kids and small lady's rifle.

Recoil is subjective for everyone. What one thinks is easy to shoot, another may think is a killer. The FACT is, that lower recoil equals better shooting. That can't be disputed. .350 ammo is cheaper, easier to find at this point, with a much better selection, which means more shooting.

As for the kids and lady's comment..... Really? According to some folks, that 45/70 you're shooting is a good kids and lady's gun too. It's really a stupid statement.

I never said the Marlin was a bad rifle or that the 45/70 wasn't a good round.

 

[KenLee]

Recoil is subjective for everyone. What one thinks is easy to shoot, another may think is a killer. The FACT is, that lower recoil equals better shooting. That can't be disputed. .350 ammo is cheaper, easier to find at this point, with a much better selection, which means more shooting.

As for the kids and lady's comment..... Really? According to some folks, that 45/70 you're shooting is a good kids and lady's gun too. It's really a stupid statement.

I never said the Marlin was a bad rifle or that the 45/70 wasn't a good round.

Yep, I'm stupid in many ways, but every deer season, I sit with over a dozen new hunters that kill deer. Done that for the last 20 years, while buying at least 5 kids a year rifles to hunt with. I know a little about what works for who. I have a few 30-30s I'd hand the newbies before I bought a 350L. In states where a straight wall isn't mandatory, a 223, 243, or creedmoor would be a much better choice than 350L.

 

[Nine Banger]

Pretty sure these are around $530 at Eurooptic right now.

My buddy lives in Ohio but comes down here for the winter to work.

I put this together for him as a gift.

That shot on steel is 300 yards.

Not sure why you would choose a lever gun or ruger over this.

 

[Jack321]

I was in the same boat as the OP.

I actually went with the 400 Legend!

Better ballistics than the 350, same as 450 Bushy, but less recoil.

I too bought my first Ruger American Gen 2 and I love it!

I know there's only 2-3 ammo manufacturers, but mine loved the XP bullet & shoots 3 shot clover leafs all day.

In one of my stands, I can go 275 yds, so i wanted something with a little more distance & umph to get the job done if I got a big one cruising thru.

If i was in the woods & 100 yds max, id probably would've gone 350L, but my stands over look crop fields, I wanted/needed the distance.

 

[Rich M]

I've had a 350 Legend for about 5 years now. Ruger American. Contemplating a can for it. Less recoil than a 243.

Reload and shoot 165s at about 2350 fps. Fury bullets work real nice too.

It is reasonably a 225-250 yard gun setting the scope point blank style. I found sighting it at 175 yds allowed me to shoot out to 250 but haven't shot any deer at that range. The deer I've shot have been inside 50-60 yards so far.

Deer will likely run and need to bleed out. I'm 50/50 with DRT vs running at the shot.

Also like that it can shoot any 350 L, 9mm bullets and resize any 357 or 358 bullets to fit. So, it can shoot like 95 gr - 250+ gr bullets. Then you get a wide variety of velocities too. All with 1 powder and since i use Winchester brass, small pistol primers.

It's a fun gun that favors reloading.

 

[Sinistram]

I vote 45-70 GBL because the rifle is nicer and more fun to shoot. The manual of arms for a lever action is not hard to master, in spite of what you hear. Also, recoil is no more than your average heavy 30-06 or 7mag, especially with most factory ammo. It had to be designed to be shot out of weak trapdoor actions, so it's a powder poof out of a modern, heavier rifle.

It's really fun chasing whitetails with a big bore lever. Feels right!

 

[TaperPin]

The Marlin gets my vote. One of the funniest things that ever happened at the range was a buddy with his Marlin and 1.5x5 scope and one bench over was a couple dudes sighting in a new varmint barreled 25-06 with a big scope the size of a wiener dog. We were getting 5 shot groups in the 1-1/4” range and their groups were larger. I suggested maybe they need a bigger scope and they took it well, so we became friends. Granted his rifle was extra accurate, but it’s not the only one I’ve run across that shoots like that. A good match between cartridge and gun.

 

[mitchellmountain]

350 legend for sure, I've owned a couple 45-70's and mostly deer hunt. I don't own them anymore. It's kind of like owning a humvee for your daily commute, fun for a bit but overall unnecessary for the job at hand. What I would have would be a 358win, and I do, but thst is not one of the choices in this thread

 

[01Foreman400]

If I’m stuck shooting a straight wall cartridge the CVA Scouts you can really maximize performance. Longer barrels yet relatively short OAL since there’s no action. They will also take full power loads instead of the watered down lever action loads. I’m pushing a 250 gr. Hammer bullet 2,954 fps in my 45-70 and shooting under an inch at 100 yards. Recoil isn’t that bad with the suppressor either.

 

[rookieforever33]

Im in a shotgun state that went to straightwall a few years ago. Bought a 350L and have been happy with it, but I still want to step up to the 400L. If you have been using an AR 450BM and thats not enough recoil the 45-70 is your only choice. Honestly though a bolt action in 350L, 360 BH, 400L, or 450 BM are better for hunting in my opinion. ARs and lever guns are great, but I'll take a bolt action over both anyday.

 

[rookieforever33]

If I’m stuck shooting a straight wall cartridge the CVA Scouts you can really maximize performance. Longer barrels yet relatively short OAL since there’s no action. They will also take full power loads instead of the watered down lever action loads. I’m pushing a 250 gr. Hammer bullet 2,954 fps in my 45-70 and shooting under an inch at 100 yards. Recoil isn’t that bad with the suppressor either.View attachment 908863

I have to use single shots in straightwalls also. I love the break action. Carrying and handling the short rifle is sweet. I'm amazed it weighs almost 8lbs scoped because it feels so light and balanced. So much smoother than single feeding a bolt action too.

 

[xrangerx]

I'd say split the difference and get a henry in 360 buckhammer. The cartridge is the same profile as the 45-70 but it shoots .358 cal bullets. 160-220gr bullet options. Moving 22-2600fps. I'm very happy with how well mine has performed. View attachment 904631

That’s an abomination but I want one lol

 

[rarmitage915]

For no other reason than coolness (subjective) and nostalgia, I vote the Marlin in 45-70. I love mine.

 

[Traindriver]

I’d suggest maybe deciding on the rifle for these factors.
How far are you going to need to shoot, and how quickly?
Personally I have both. The 350 is just a little tack driver out to 300 yards.
The SBL with a holosun is a bush whacking, deer stacking cannon that’s a point and shoot under 200 yards.
I run an ambush46 suppressor on my 45-70 and am not exactly sure why… lol.
Either are great and can shine better than the other depending on the situation.
Maybe it’s worth looking into the 400legend. I’ve heard great things, but have no personal experience.