Africanizing the 45/70 Guide Gun

When I started shooting the Marlin 1895 Guide Gun I naturally overlooked some obvious off the shelf “factory faults” which only became apparent and were confirmed by reading other Marlin owners gripes and experiences with the new version of the famous Marlin brand aptly named Remlins,

My first goal was to use and test the 45/70 guide gun for use in the field in Africa and I went through a good number of optimum bullet set ups for the 45/70 in Guide Gun form which proved suitable to use in Africa on Dangerous game as well as general everyday plains animals.

Both the Hardcast lead bullets over 430 grains proved formidable for penetration on thick skinned dangerous game as well as the modern machined monolithic solids from NorthFork Technologies and the Hydrostatically stabilised solids from Woodleigh – but you can read about them elsewhere on this blog as I have dedicated separate pages to this quest.

After hunting with my Marlin levergun for 3 seasons in Mozambique and Zambia, the next objective was setting up an off the shelf 1895 Guide Gun (remlin version) – the GBL’s and SBL’s for the African bush. Don’t get the wrong idea, I’d already walked and stalked the African wilderness with the standard off the shelf unmodified Marlin GBL and my current SBL, yet because I am a firm believer in this rifle as a great carrying gun for Africa, I decided to look at the “fixes and set up’s” I could do to make the much talked about ‘Remlins’ the perfect PH gun for the African field.

Now don’t start the argument about this being unsuitable for Africa – I already proved a Cape Buffalo is no match for this rifle – this then makes it suitable as a compliment and versatile addition to the arsenal of any African PH or African safari goer for that matter and NO I would not recommend you chase after angry wounded pachyderms with it either. Given the price to punch ratio, the 1895 GBL & SBL is in my opinion an excellent carrying rifle for the general field work most of us PH’s endure each season and deserves a new look from us sceptical know it all African PH’s.

ALSO,PLEASE gents, lets put Taylors definitive book into context – it was written beyond 30 years ago by a fellow that preferred the expensive British cartridges, not the cowboy classic, shooting an array of ammunition manufactured at that time, of which Kynoch was probably the best, which is not saying much. The world has moved on since then, we have moved on gents and as technology has moved at light speed, so too has bullet quality, design and loading techniques as well as powder and primer design.

Since bringing this gun to Africa, I have continued to be impressed by both the caliber and the complete package – especially the fact that I can get roughly 1600 fps shooting a 525gr Hardcast lead bullet – without a doubt that is and does give anything trying to get at you, a serious punch and penetrates more than necessary.

The Remlins

I entered the levergun market post the Remington / Marlin buyout that I soon discovered everyone was talking and complaining about – I had bought an off the shelf Marlin GBL and yes it was slightly rough and yes, the front sights were off center and the trigger was way too hard and the rear buckhorn sights flew off after a couple of bouts at the range – I’m still looking for it at each target change!

Yet one thing that I liked about the GBL was the robust feel and ‘big gun’ temperament it gave you while holding and shooting it, clearly capable of serious things, one simply had to overlook the initial quality gremlins that many seem to come with. For the price – $595 at that time, I thought it not a big deal to simply fix up the various so called problems. The Marlins have a reputation for accuracy, and while the classic Winchester actions are more robust and usually always much smoother from the start, the Marlins certainly are a popular choice.

Thankfully, as a first time Marlin Levergun owner I had plenty of literature, advice and encouragement to draw from while visiting the popular Marlin Owners Forum. Here I gained much of the necessary information and home fixes that helped iron out – over a period of time – the Remlin gremlins.

NOTE: there have been a number of complaints about cracks in the metal where the barrel and receiver meet which is not visible to the naked eye unless you take the rifle apart and remove the magazine tube. This issue seems to be apparent in the 1895’s chambered in 45-70 caliber and can be a very serious and dangerous fault. I highly recommend you join the Marlin owners website and learn how to ‘take down’ and re assemble your 1895 and regularly check for any faults or visible defects.

Up to Speed
The obvious issues I encountered with the GBL as well as other suggested ‘fixes’ were:

– front sight off centre & generally shoddy iron sights set up
– rough and stiff action when pumping the lever
– sharp edges on loading gate and action parts
– hard firm trigger
– two piece ejector prone to breaking
– screws keep working loose under heavy fire

All of these are pretty easy fixes if you have a basic understanding of how to follow instructions and use a screwdriver!  Seriously, there is no rocket science when it comes to taking the levergun apart and reassembly especially with the instructions on the Marlin Owners Forum. Instead of buying one of the customized Marlins from Wild West or Grizzly Custom ( these are magnificent guns and I wish I could afford them ALL) there are a few inexpensive and easy to DIY fixes and additions you can dress your Marlin GBL up with.

As I have tested the Marlin 1895 in the field in Africa, these are the suggested fixes and changes I made to my levergun before I departed for the dark continent.
Marlin Sights

OK, the new Remlins have a shoddy iron sights system, the back sight flies off if you shoot heavy loads and the front sight on many does tend to lean to one side although if you remove the front sight hood then it is not that apparent and the gun still shoots straight. However the solace is this: if you are a proud Marlin owner, you’re going to replace the iron sights anyway, be it with a scope or one of the red dot or holographic offerings OR better still open or iron sights So don’t stress too much about the sights unless you’re a PH like me who makes his living off shooting with an open iron sight at fast biting creatures!

Us African PH’s are used to those very wide flat rear express sights, the kind they used to put on the fancy English doubles when rifles were a luxury and we have grown up to snap shoot with those since knee high. Yet most of the American folks tend to think Peep sights when you mention iron sights and this is what I started out trying – namely the offerings from the folks at Skinner Sights – an excellent line up of levergun as well as other rifle peep sights. What I liked about Skinner was the genuine hand made feel of their machined sights and each one felt perfectly balanced. At first I opted for a sight mounted on the 2 rear receiver screw holes sitting closer to your eye when aiming – I left the front sight the same.

This is where the next problem arose! Shooting the heavier bullets (400 plus grains) I kept hitting the target extremely low and could not adjust the sights any further to reach a higher level. Solution was to lower the front sight – and this turned out a little testy and required me buying a whole set of different front sights to try out – most of which did not work out.

Skinner sell sight sets with the front sight being adjustable by filing it down to suit your rifles particular needs and that is what I suggest. Having a recent look at the Skinner website I noticed a new front winged sight offering for the 1895 which is meant to be combined with a rear winged site as well – this looks like the correct set up and I have one on order.

On my next Marlin, a shiny stainless SBL, I tried Skinners barrel mounted peep sight which worked extremely well, yet still I had the issue with the front sight being too high. From my past experience I tried a new approach, a new stainless front sight ramp which I manually drilled and fixed with a smaller sized shotgun bead and this turned out to be perfect – the ramp itself was slightly lower then the original and this made the difference. What I learned here was that it was very much a scenario of self judgement and trial and error to get the iron sights into synch and it will differ from shooter to shooter.

The best bet here is to buy your peep sights as a complete set rather than trying to save with just the rear aperture sets. Skinner and XS Sights make excellent systems and although a little expensive they do stand a breed apart. If you buy the complete set, these manufacturers have usually taken the various height and sighting issue into account so it is a simple install.

Cape Buffalo taken with one shot from 45/70 Marlin 1895

Looking at the variations of rails (piccatinny style) available to mount on top of the receiver and barrel, something which I have only recently had a close look at, I would suggest this route with a solid Red dot or holographic sight OR a nice scope mounted either to the rail or with stand alone scope mounts. I chose the Game Reaper mounts from DNZ Products with a wide angle Leupold 1.5 – 20 scope mounted on my Wild West Guns co pilot. This is the rifle that incidentally took down the Cape Buffalo in Mozambique in 2012!

For Africa, the short Marlin GBL and SBL leverguns still remain a Point Blank Range performer and this to me is the reason I prefer to stick with those very wide express sights.  HOWEVER you have to remember that my job is to protect my clients and that usually means from animals that get too close with an intent on harm.

For the regular Safari client, I suggest a decent wide angle scope, the 1895 handles very well with a scope and remember, just because I am talking about the short guide guns, it does not mean you have to follow suit. Marlin have the 1895XLR series and the 1895 classics which have barrels from 22 – 24 inches making them feel more like a regular bolt action rifle. It is these guns, mounted with prudent optics that are already a perfect choice for Africa – without a doubt and I find it hard to believe that nobody has had the sense to see this.

Marlin 1895 finished in Sniper Green

One of the problems I encountered with the Guide Guns (and most of my other guns that I use religiously) is that the bluing wears off after a season, especially on the lever itself and then also around the front end of the receiver as this is the most comfortable place to hold the rifle. Typically I do not baby a gun while hunting, it is a tool I use and made for the purpose of protection.

Recently I discovered DuraCoat firearm finishes from Lauer Weaponry and must admit that I have been suitably impressed at the way this coating is easily applied and transforms the look of the guide guns. Their service is fast, they have a multitude of colors and application is very simple and inexpensive – believe me, if a PH from Africa can do it, then anyone can!

xs lever scout rail

What I found easier was the relative simplicity of the Marlin GBL levergun design and its dis-assembly making the application of DuraCoat straight forward and easy for the novice to do. With a $120 airbrush kit from Harbor Freight, I transformed my tired and fading 1895 into a weapon of great beauty and versatility!

OK so if you’re not going to use your levergun to the extent that I do, then keep it holed up in a soft case and clean it each night and forget about DuraCoat, but if you’re going to pull it through the brush and dirt as I do, then this is a great way to renew your old beat up Levergun.

45-70 takes on Cape Buffalo

Most of the hard core African hunters will laugh in your face and say you’re lying, or look at you with sad pathetic eyes when you reveal that you’re going to try and shoot that deadly foe, the Tyrant of the African veldt with an 18 inch barrel 45/70 cowboy gun out of the United States!

Cape buffalo are dreaded beasts, they are big and cunning, they are extremely fast, have horns that pierce and gore, iron hooves that trample and mangle and eyes that blaze red and shoot fire into your heart. You cannot kill them unless you have the tyrannosaurus rex of guns, great heavy bullets and a keen eye over the sights.

Cape Buffalo taken with one shot from 45/70 Marlin 1895

Well this year of our lord 2012, around about noontime, I successfully led a client on a buffalo hunt in Mozambique where she took a fine and healthy beast of the savanna with the lowly 45/70 Marlin Guide Gun shooting a hardcast lead bullet that I had forged from plain old wheel weights!

The Bullet, a 475 grain hardcast of my own design, passed right through the buffalo, as a solid should, exactly as any of the so called buffalo calibers should do – with one exception – it made a somewhat ear pleasing whack as it hit the bull, standing about 100 yards off. Of course the beast took off and kept me busy for at least an hour tracking in the slow cautionary manner through heavy grass and brush – before I found it stone dead and stiff!

Carmen had decided not to travel to Africa with firearms, something that made her trip easier and less worrisome, no officials to deal with, no lost baggage and no customary bribes at the airport in Tete, Mozambique.

On offer to her and husband Rod for their 16 day safari, were 2 genuine work guns – a .416 Rigby that was first fired by Noah to clear the animals off his boat and then a .458 Express – both belonging to the attending PH’s on the hunt, myself and Willie Vermaak. THEN there were the guide guns – 2 Marlin 45/70 lever actions which proved to fit and shoot better than the  bigger looking relics owned by the PH’s.

Massive Elephant bull – Mozambique 2012

Rod took a very fine Elephant bull on the 6th day of the Safari BUT he did use the .458 Express (which is no different to the newer .458 Lott) while I carried my faithful .416 Rigby loaded with Northfork Cup Nosed Solids. Rod’s Elephant proved both guns and bullets worked well and is another story for another blog although a picture of this great creature is called for. The unbroken tusk weighed in at 62lbs.

This Elephant carcass proved to be a great testing ground for the various bullets I had loaded for my annual hunting season in Africa and I have posted pages for each of the bullets and loads I tested. Without a doubt, the 45/70 in modern form, be it a levergun, a single shot action or a double rifle, will take any and all of Africa’s game – period!

Below is a picture of the 45/70 – 475 grain hardcast lead bullet as used on the buffalo, the one that entered low on the left shoulder and exited without much deformation judging from the small exit wound, on the right shoulder, breaking through bone and flesh without deflection or breaking up!The recovered bullets are all from tests done on Elephant bones – the skull, the heavy thigh bones and the massive femurs.

475 gr Kakuli Bullets

The 45/70 LeverGun in Africa

Taking the 45/70 Government levergun to Africa – things to consider!

Male Lion Track

As an African Hunter I have seen and been around a great number of rifles and calibers, some being variations of older perfectly good hunting calibers while others being pumped up speed demons delivering massive impact and distance capabilities. It seems we went through a period where the standard good old boy calibers like the .270, 30-06, .375 H & H Magnum and .458 magnum were simply not good enough anymore and we had to tamper with them and come up with a new faster speedier version with more powder and speed. Then once we had worn out necking down and blowing out these older calibers, we had to move on, forever  to find another caliber that would blast better and more effectively, a new name, another wildcat with one goal – the relentless pursuit of SPEED.

Last year I was witness to a new supposedly perfect caliber for the African heavy game – a .375 Tejhas which essentially looked like a .416 rigby cartridge necked down to a .375 caliber shooting a 300 grain bullet in excess of 3000 fps. Sure the rifle was signatured by a guy called Colorado Buck and it sure looked impressive and shiny but at the end of the day it turned out to be yet another of those mighty kicking beasts that did not do much except break up on impact, knock the animal off its feet and not deliver a fatal penetrating blow. Of course people will say this defies logic BUT I have a long line of African PH’s who will attest to the fact that speed is not the answer for our game in Africa. To be sure, there are some magnificent fast flat shooting rifles that make a perfect choice for some of Africa’s game, but when we start talking about the creatures that most of go to Africa for, the thick skinned dangerous denizens, then speed is not a factor.

Are you sure? is the reply I would get if I said to prospective African Safari hunters – YES you can bring your 45/70 Lever Gun to African as a serious dangerous game caliber. It has been so ingrained into our minds that the 45/70 Government in it’s standard off the shelf form is never a rifle you’d consider bringing on an African Safari. Too slow and under powered is the most obvious argument and then you’re likely to hear something about Taylors knock down effect – yet here I am, most blatantly and confidently saying YES IT IS a suitable rifle for an African Safari despite some obvious limitations and despite the naysayers and non believers.

The 45/70 Government in standard Lever Gun form is most certainly a rifle / caliber that would be suitable for a safari to Africa and is capable of killing the largest of the game we have to pursue.

My stainless marlin SBL

Understanding the 45/70’s limitations in Africa are simple and a common problem for this caliber – reach and distance, yes that magnificent arched trajectory that it is famous for. Yet these are easily overcome with prudent optics options as well as loading the correct bullet weight with the newer powders and simply knowing your rifle and how it shoots. Ask any 45/70 levergun regular if they can comfortably shoot their scoped lever gun accurately at 150 to 200 yards? yes they will say, in fact many of the cowboy action shooters are extremely proficient with open iron sights at 100 yards and more – you just need to consider a few factors and practice with your rifle before you arrive on the dark continent!

Being relatively new to the caliber I am not professing to be an authority on the rifle and it’s specific ballistics, coefficients and trajectories – what I know and write of is how the 45/70 Marlin Guide Gun has performed for me over the last 4 seasons hunting in the real Africa – the Africa where there are no fences, where there are dangerous beasts of wild and pure heart, where you need a handy big bore caliber that you can carry all day long without requiring a new limb! Yes, since acquiring this handy little big bore, I have carried this rifle with confidence, more and more while out in the field with clients.

Your strongest 45/70 actions are considered to be the single shot Ruger falling block rifles and out of these it is said you can replicate the ballistics of the .458 magnum. While this may be the case I have to point out that the 45/70 government in Levergun form, be it a Marlin, Winchester, Browning or any of the newer brands, does NOT need to live up to any of the ballistics produced by the rifles many have touted as ideal for Africa.

What these Leverguns offer – and I’m leaning more towards the likes of the short Marlin Guide guns or Winchester Trappers – is big bore versatility and power in a small and very handy package. If you take the time to become proficient in rapid fire with your lever action, and make sure your bullets are loaded properly for fail safe feeding then you will realise why I am such a fan of this gun – there is no way you will ever get 6 rounds fired out of a bolt action in the time you can unload this from a Levergun. In addition, the short handy build of the rifle makes for easy and quick operation in heavy cover, like when you are crawling on hands and knees after wounded Lion or Leopard!

475gr KAKULI Hardcast lead bullet

45/70 bullets for African Big Game

My first look at the brass and bullets available to the 45/70 Government revealed an obvious perceived disadvantage – that of case capacity and the associated pressure problems. This of course leads the American obsessed speed genre to poopoo the caliber and not give it a second thought – citing examples of the standard .458 Magnum having problems in Africa and wounding Buffalo and Elephant.

Despite being country bumpkins from the dark continent there are a few things we have learned about rifles and guns in Africa – perhaps passed down from our grandfathers and looking at their Martini Henry single shots with those massive dollops of paper patched lead – the ones that they used against the British in the Anglo Boer war. You don’t need speed to make a bullet kill something effectively, you need a good heavy bullet, you need a good pair of sights and you need to learn how to hunt properly – like getting out of a truck and stalking an animal to within the reaches of your particular firearm.

My grandfathers knew more about the trajectory of a 500 grain lead bullet than I would ever know and they took game out to 200 yards – with poorly loaded bullets, old pre war powder and open sights – they remained fat and happy on venison their whole life through! This is what many hunters and PH’s in Africa know – a heavy bullet does not need to travel at light speed to be effective, in fact faster is often a disadvantage – it kicks like a mule and it bites like a crocodile – and makes you flinch and miss (true! ask any PH about clients who hunt with Weatherby rifles!) In addition, big dangerous game like to frequent heavy cover and often you’re going to want to shoot through thick grass and brush, often in a split second. In times like this there is nothing that beats a sluggish 400 to  500 grain bullet.

This is good news for the 45/70 Government of course yet you’d ask the question, do I need to go that heavy – really 500 grain bullets? As far as I understand it, the 45/70 was first designed with a 405 grain bullet in mind yet it was changed a few years later to a 500 grain bullet which proved to be more accurate over long distance than the 405 grain version. Of course when it comes to dangerous thick skinned game, you’re not going to lob 500 grain lead projectiles at the beast from way yonder, you’re hopefully with a PH who will get you into the 30 to 50 yard range. You’ll also take into account that you’re shooting with a rifle that has some limitations and take your time and make sure of your shot. Without a doubt, projectiles weighing between 400 and 500 grains, loaded properly and credibly are suitable for the kind of penetration you need for the dangerous beasts of Africa and this includes the thick skinned heavy game.

Although I have fired bonded 405 grain soft points into bull Hippo most effectively, I would not focus on soft nose bullets for the thick skinned game unless you’re looking at the cats – if this is the case, Lion and Leopard that is, then 350 – 405 grain premium soft points designed for the 45/70 (such as Woodleigh, NorthFork or Kodiaks) are optimum and will perform exactly as desired if loaded to just below maximum.

As for the bigger more fearful thundering beasts, there are many choices available in the heavier line of bullets, yet one will always be faced with .458 caliber jacketed bullets which fit the 45/70 Government, but are designed for other rifles such as the .458 Magnums and Lotts. Yes many of the jacketed bullets will work in the 45/70 Lever Gun with some tweaking and you can work up loads which will get you shooting reasonably well. I tried this with various offerings from the jacketed bullet manufacturers, some worked pretty well, while others turned into expensive lab tests. As a rule, the heavy jacketed bullets are too long for the 45/70 Lever Guns and this has led to most jacketed or monolithic solids being in the 350 to 405 grain range when specifically designed for the 45/70 Lever Gun due to the short nose requirement for reliable feeding and throat clearance. Make no mistake, 350 grains is by no means a lite bullet and one can get close to the proverbial 2000 fps mark with this weight in a 45/70 Levergun.

Both Northfork and Woodleigh, although expensive, now make monolithic solids specifically designed for the short levergun actions and I have tested these with great results on both elephant and buffalo mediums. Woodleigh’s Hydrostatically stabilised 400 grain brass solid proved unstoppable even though I had not loaded them to their full potential. You can read more about these field test HERE

However for penetration it’s heavy bullets that you want and there are numerous options of hardcast lead bullets designed specifically for the 45/70 Marlins, Brownings and Winchesters – there are some excellent commercial lead bullets of this nature available. Bullets designed specifically for the short chambers and actions of the Lever Action rifles get their best weight advantage when using lead – this of course means a heavy bullet that not only fits well into the lever actions but also allows enough powder room to get up to that effective velocity. I have found that speeds from 1400 fps through to 1800 fps are optimal for these heavier bullets – of course the heavier the bullet, the slower it is going to perform due to pressure issues in most lever guns.

Out in the field I have had perfect penetration and results on Hippo from the popular 525 grain Beartooth Pile Drivers travelling at about 1500 fps. I have shot through the skull of a bull elephant  with my own poured 475 grain hardcast lead bullets travelling at about 1600 fps.

The conclusion of the heavy bullet argument is this – a reasonable speed for a heavy bullet is good enough, and to get the bullet heavy enough to handle the 45/70 throat and pressure limitations you need to look at premium Hardcast lead bullets. They do not foul up your barrel, just clean it each day as you should anyway and the relative hardness and slow speed do not result in massive barrel build up. Once I had started loading the heavy grain 45/70 bullets, I knew there would be no turning back and the end result of this was finalizing my own bullet design, having a mold cut, pouring the lead, making and loading the bullets myself – to great effect out in the African field. This is essentially what my grandfathers used to do and many before them – this is reliving a small part of the very early days of the great Elephant hunters.

In my opinion and experience the 430 grain TrueShot bullets from Oregon Trail are possibly one of the best performing hardcast lead bullets for the 45/70 on the market providing outstanding penetration without fragmentation and break up while allowing reasonable speed. Recently I tested this bullet on a Cape Buffalo bull and achieved straight line penetration through both shoulders with the bullet coming to rest under the skin on the opposing shoulder.

While I have heaped praise on the hardcast lead bullets that are commercially available, I have noticed a common trend amongst them and that is break up or shearing off of the nose on many. The bullets have not failed – in fact far from it – they have just not held together as one would see a premium bonded soft nose or jacketed solid do. In most cases they have created massive holes through bone and flesh and left behind fragments of lead.

Where I have seen the shearing off of the nose is with those bullets designed with a deep crimp groove and possibly a high BHN which may cause a brittle bullet.

African Plains Game bullets and choices for the 45/70

To be sure, for most of the African plainsgame you can start looking at 45/70 bullets in the 250-350 grain region – seriously, take a look at the various jacketed bullets in this range – you have a great choice. With this weight bullet you can achieve very reasonable speeds which will give you enough balance of knock down as well as weight to be effective over distance. Think of it this way – the good old .375 H & H Magnum firing bullets of 300 grains has been touted as the best all round rifle for Africa – and with the 45/70 Government you can come close to reproducing these ballistics with the same bullet weight.

Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not trying to make the 45/70 ‘live up’ to any other caliber, you must work with what you have, this is simply to compare and provide an ‘apples with apples’ example. Here’s what you need to know: for plainsgame your optimum bullets are going to be those that you have experience with in your rifle, knowing how they perform over the 50, 100, 150 and 200 yard mark. Most premium bullets these days are well constructed so bullet failure is not really going to be a factor, what you want is to settle on a bullet that is going to shoot well over the distances. Personally I would look towards the premium soft nose bullets offered by Woodleigh, Northfork and Kodiak from Alaska Bullet Works in the 350 grain class in round or flat nose.

I have not tried the factory loaded Hornady Lever Evolution bullets specifically designed for the Lever Actions although my hunting partner in the US owns a Marlin 1895 Cowboy in 45/70 and swears by these factory loads for both distance shooting as well as performance on Elk and Mule Deer.

With all the above said, you’re not going to take a 45/70 on a mountain hunt for sheep, and the same goes for African game which typically require those long shots across canyons and over the vast floodplains that exist. However remember that all of Africa’s species have been taken with the likes of muzzel loader, crossbow and regular compound bow, so there are no excuses, it can be done and quite simply it is an attitude adjustment that is required when hunting with the classic 45/70 levergun!