What are you going to do with it? Shoot BP level loads or load up dangerous game level high pressure loads?

The G has a thick rubber butt pad and pistol grip. The CB has a hard plastic butt plate and straight grip.

If you are collecting get the one that looks the prettiest in your opinion. If you will use it then pick the one that suits your shooting scenarios. Mine is an older 26" CB because it wears an MVA long range tang sight for target shooting. And for sitting in a Missouri tree stand shooting deer at 10 to 40 yards without a scope. Both scenarios call for heavier cast lead bullets running about 1350fps. The only dangerous game we have here is the occasional cougar sighting. The four legged kind.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

Welcome to the Forum.
I have not had a guide gun, but had many of the 22" barrel, half tube, straight grip 1895's made back in the 70's and 80's.
When the 26" Cowboy .45/70 came out, I bought one right away and shot it a lot for several years ( and a 336 CB in 38-55 ) and enjoyed it at the range, but thought it a bit long for some of the hunting I did.
What I really wanted was a shorter Cowboy. I've always liked the slimmer wood, straight grip, and good old dovetail sights, turn-of-the-century good looks, and I've always been fond of octagon barrels.
I saw a CBA at a Cabela's and got it, they weren't so common 3 years ago but might become more so. Back then they were a limited run Cabela's "exclusive", but now the CBA shows up on Marlin's website along with the longer barreled CB.
I used it for 2 years, took it on a couple hunts, but thought I was going to go down to Arizona full time, and sold the "big boomer" to finance an 1894 that would get used more.
Well, I missed having a .45/70, and still a Montana resident, so I might just get a few more hunting seasons in before I get too old.
I just found another CBA, and like the first one, it is a nice shooter. Both came with triggers slightly over 4 pounds, that dropped down to 4 even after a little use. The first one had a bit smoother action, this current one has needed a bit more to smooth up.
My only gripes about the Remlins that I've seen lately are sharp edges, especially around the loading gate, and the forearm and butt stock wood not being matched well. And although they put a good polish and mirror blue on the barrel, they can't seem to do it with out rounding off the edges of the octagon flats.
I'd never pick a Henry, but that's just me.
I remember wanting to smooth up the action and make the loading gate less sharp on almost all the Marlin's I've owned, even the JM ones.
The CBA is feather light, and as BFPGW said, has a hard plastic butt plate. Not the best combo for firing thumb size bullets.
I found that staying at 350 grains is noticeably less harsh. I worked up a load for the 350 grain Hornady JFP and at 1650 fps, you for sure know when it goes off, but it's much more pleasant than shooting a 400-405 grain at 1600 +.
My plinking/range load is a 405 grain OT @ 1200, it's comfortable enough to sit and shoot 40-50 rounds no problem, as long as it's not all from the bench. When I finish up the box of 405 grainers, I'll buy 350 grain cast for range use.
If you want a rifle to have a blast at the range, get a 26" Cowboy and put a tang or a ladder sight on it. Shoot BP equivalent loads, say in the 1100-1300 range, or even real Black Powder.
If you plan to do a lot of hunting, the Guide Gun is more practical. Things that make a Guide Gun even better, like recoil pads, slings, winged sights, Scout scopes and red dots, just don't look right on a Cowboy.
And, you can get a Guide Gun in stainless, again, more practical for hunting.
Plus, the pistol grip that many of the Guide Guns have is better for recoil.
When that light CBA comes back against your shoulder, the straight grip and lever are not your friend, the knuckle on my next-to-the trigger finger gets banged by the lever when the loads get warm.
The CBA, if you dig them, can be made better for hunting and still look fairly traditional by using a leather lace-up recoil pad, Skinner sight, etc.

 

Welcome to the forum. My advice is get both.

 

Welcome to the forum from Missouri!!! I agree with Kingstrider, get both.

 

Welcome to the forum. I kind of like the std. 22" bb version.
You mentioned dangerous game & that you own some magnums already, the .45-70 can be loaded to formidable levels but DON'T try to turn it into a .458. There are some very good dangerous game loads on the market, or using a reliable manual you can work up some of your own. One of the nice things about the .45-70 is that it can be loaded from very light to very heavy & everywhere in between.
Have fun, I think you'll enjoy whichever you get.:top:

 

My personal preference is for an octagon barrel. Either one should work for what you need, and many valid points have already been mentioned. Like several of our other members, I would really suggest getting BOTH.

 

Welcome to the forum from Midcoast Maine. I would say that you handle both (somehow) and see what feels best to you. There are plenty of preferences and opinions that swing both ways here at MO. Marlins are like Lays potato chips, ya just can't stop at one.

 

If you can't decide.... Get the SBL, then you have a rail and aperture sight.

Padraig

 

Welcome to THE Forum! Can’t add to the discussion above. Good luck.

BTW, there are some beautiful, unmolested JM’s out there. That would be my preference. There is a difference.

 

I can't add a thing, all good advice. Welcome to MO and thanks for joining us!

 

Get the CBA. And forget about dangerous game. I was run out of a 45-70 group on Facebook for saying I'd like to take my 45-70 for Brown Bear. Several numskulls ganged up on me and told me how irresponsible that would and that I would need at least a .338 Win Mag to be ethical. Maybe they didn't force me to leave but I have better things to do than spend my time with those kind of 45-70 fans so I moved on.

 

I wounder what those 338 guys though people shot brown bears with before the 338 was here. hmmm right load. right bullet. good shot. I will bet more have fallen to old 45 cal guns than the 338.

 

While the 45-70 can handle a fairly hefty payload, I wouldn't hunt the big toothy boys with one. Carrying a defensive rifle, just in case, is one thing but hunting a brown bear with the 45-70 just wouldn't be my thing.
However, if you read enough blogs you'll be convince that "with good shot placement" the 6.5 Creed would be just the ticket. :smile:

 

I'd shoot any animal on Earth with a 45-70 and a 500 grain hard cast.

 

I have the 2016 CBA 45-70. It's been working out just fine, as well as being accurate. I've put a lot of reloads together since last summer, and it hasn't missed a beat.

 

Welcome to the forum. I have an older JM CB in 45-70 with the long Octagonal barrel. I put a set of peep sights on mine. As heavy as it is ---this gun still kicks hard compared to others ---I think it is the nature of a straight grip stock plus it has a hard butt pad. It's very accurate as it has the Ballard rifling. Actually--it kicks more than my 338 Marlin Express in terms of felt recoil.

 

Welcome to the forum.
Either one would be nice. But, I favor the looks of a octagon barrel. So octagon would be my choice.

 

Welcome to the forum from the fourth corner. I'd agree with Kingstrider, if the finances are there; get both of them. If you find that you don't want to keep both, you should have no trouble selling one. Take them for. test ride under different conditions and see what works for you. Sometimes that can be surprising.

 

I like the Taylor/Chiappa stainless takedown Ridgerunner with the 18.5" barrel ... kinda expensive but has a faster 1:18 ROT instead of the Marlin 1:20 Rot to stabilize heavier (longer) bullets.
The Winchester 1886s especially the extra light if you can handle the lawyer safety junk (rebounding hammer, tang safety).
The Uberti 1886s & Pedersoli 86/71 don't have any lawyer safety junk.
On the cheap end there's the Rossi Rio Grande and of course the Remlin 1895s ... QCs hit & miss so you can get a good gun or a junker depending on your degree of vigilance.
Your money but I wouldn't be buying no Remlin or Rossi on the internet sight unseen ... been there done that & not a good plan.

 

And of course the quality Henry rifles in both stainless or blue but no takedown yet.
I own a Henry stainless big boy in 44 mag and a Chiappa stainless takedown Alaskan in 44 mag and can attest to the right out of the box quality of these 2 firearms.

If I was buying a Remlin I'd be inspecting & function checking it before finalizing the deal (there have been & continue to be issues with functionality and inaccurately placed/cut dovetails/sights) but its your money.

 

I have a stainless guide gun, a LTDIII(basically an 18inch cowboy), a GBL, and a standard 1895. For a first gun, hunting gun I'd go with the Guide or the GBL. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a GBL. The extra weight in the barrel and recoil pads will be a plus when shooting hunting loads. Of coure, the extra barrel length of the regular 1895 is OK, too, if you desire it. My LTDIII is a nice ,light little rifle, but i stayed with iron sights and shoot mostly mild cast loads in it.

 

I've got 2017 Remlin 1895GS & 336SS rifles.

I cherry picked them off the racks over the course of a month.
Checked fit, finish general workmanship, cycling, dovetail/sight machining & alignment, checkering, checked rifling & crown, screws & pins & function tested them with my Remlin/Rossi kit including a cycle test from all angles & positions.

They are both excellent shooters and lookers.
In the selection process I found several problematic rifles mostly to do with checkering & dovetail/sight placement and alignment.
Told the store personnel and the guns were still on the rack the next day.

Remlin is having a few problems getting it together with their dovetails & sights ... one of the biggest complaints with new Remlins.

I refuse to overlook incorrectly placed or machined dovetails and 'fix' the problem by adding a third party sight or scope.
If the dovetails aren't machined or located correctly the gun goes back.
Accepting defective products does not impart to Remington any sense of urgency to institute better QC.

 

I would like to thank everyone for the invaluable insight and feedback. I apologize for the delay in replying. I have been monitoring all the comments and there was been a wealth of food for thought.

From the input I was able to gleam a tremendous amount of helpful information about both the caliber and the nuances of the Cowboy and Guide Models. After weighing the advice against my intended use case, I think I am leaning more toward the Marlin 1895G Guide gun. Since childhood most of my hunting trips had been to Tennessee where I had family. However, given some changes in circumstance (chiefly the passing of my Grandfather) there is less of a draw to exclusively hunt in that region and I have been looking to branch out to other areas with thicker game numbers and larger game. My future plans are to hunt more in Wyoming, Montana and Alaska. I was looking at the 45-70 as rifle to carry trekking through bear country and intend to load very stout heavy cast bullets for that purpose. As such, the Cowboy model's hard recoil plate would be less favorable in comparison to the thick rubber butt pad of the Guide model. That was a nuance I was not aware of previously but one I need to take into account.

As for the stock profile (straight grip vs pistol grip), I can see where the grip shape can potential impact on felt recoil/recoil control. However is there a difference stock profile between the 1895G and the 1895 Cowboy action? In looking back at the variants, if looks like only the GBL/SBL have a stock with a pistol grip. Is that correct?

Do any of the referenced iron sight variations lend to one variant helping acquire the target faster over another?

I will say I am a little surprised to find myself leaning toward the Marlin 1895G Guide Gun as I was originally a bit biased toward the 18.5” Cowboy model. The allure of the Cowboy model was in part its novelty as being a less common variant. The octagon barrel is definitely another appealing characteristic. Also I liked the aesthetic of the full magazine tube that ran the entire length of the barrel (I am fan of full lugs on revolvers too) as well as it’s functional advantage of offering extra round capacity.

Has anyone ever put the longer magazine tube on the Guide Gun? Would the factory setup accommodate it?

While the lawyers may think safeties are great - they seem ill conceived for practical use on guide guns. Along those lines, has anyone with a newer Remlin installed one of the kits that eliminate the receiver mounted safety? That looked appealing to me (in theory).

As was mentioned, the 'Henry magazine loading method' was the biggest drawback I saw to that design and a main reason for my gravitating to the Marlin offerings over Henry lever action.

While I too like the idea of buying both, I have to pick one to start with. I do foresee owning more than one 45-70 in the future. My thoughts are I will likely switch up the configuration to have a little variety. Right now I am thinking new production on the 18.5” Guide Gun and then taking my time and picking up an older pre-Remington 22” Cowboy variant when opportunity presents itself.

Guns to me are about the right tool for the job. I will definitely not be trying to make the 45-70 into a .458. Also to the other comment about caliber size and DGA’s, I find you have you take voice from the ‘humane hunting’ and 'how much is enough gun' camps with a grain of salt. There are too many keyboard warriors toiling over ballistic tables to whom the concept of sufficient level of force seem foreign. With ever decade comes new ballistically superior cartridges and a chorus of voices advocating that to be ‘humane hunters’ we need to go bigger. Despite the untold number of bears downed with the 45-70 it is often relegated to 'Old Western' Tech. And while there is ‘group think’ advocating nothing less than a .338 Win Mag is suitable for Bear, its even referred to as a ‘small bore’ caliber with arguments being made that nothing less than a medium bore 375 H&H or the 416 Rigby is acceptable. Before we know it we will be employing nothing short of African Big Game Cartridges to Alaskan Hunting. Ironically enough, despite the larger and more powerful calibers, there is a complimenting camp that seems to think that hunting range should never push any further out and often that hunters are reaching out too far as it is. I more subscribe to the ideology of know your rifle, know your abilities, and ignore the white noise.

A couple comments say the GBL and SBL aren’t bad. I had read to avoid the bigger loop variants as they are all post-Remington and that the model was a cheaply made variant (despite their higher price compared to the modern 1895G). There seemed to be lots of criticism over their fit and finish; although you rarely hear praise about many most post-Remington specimens.

And I get the concerns about the online ordering of firearms sight unseen. I will admit I have to send back far too many new units (from various mainstream manufacturers) due to flaws and manufacturing defects. While I can be particular, too many brand new guns go out with deficiencies that never should have made it through the manufacturing QC process; let alone through the secondary reviews by Firearm Distributors during the receiving and shipping processes. The one saving grace there is the cost of returning bad units is someone else’s shipping expense.

 

enjoy a 45-70 with various configurations, Marlin 1895G to the 1895CB, Henry 45-70 brass and the Winchester 85 and 86. All killer options for the 45-70

 

NoProb, I think you are doing right choosing the Guide Gun if hunting is going to be the main use.
I chose the Cowboy as at 60 years, I'm doing a lot less hunting and more range shooting. But I can still do well with the short Cowboy on that once in a while hunting trip.
You mentioned the difference between the hard butt plate and the Guide Guns recoil pad. If you are out hunting and have to fire at an animal, you aren't going to care about firing a shot or two. You won't even notice the recoil. No one is going to go out and plink with their expensive Buffalo Bore, Garrett or their own heavy hand loads. You fire a few to check reliability and accuracy, then put the rest away for hunting, and break out your lighter loads for extended firing at the range.
At the range, firing a bunch of loads, especially from the bench, a pad would be nice though.

You could certainly put a longer magazine tube on a Guide Gun, all you have to do is order the new tube and spring, and have a gunsmith cut a new dove tail and move the tenon out to secure the tube.
And you can easily remove the cross bolt safety, and replace with a dummy screw, or saddle ring.
Or you can just take the butt stock off, and turn the Allen screw for the safety in all the way, and you won't have to worry about the safety inadvertently being engaged.
The ghost ring iron sight set up would be the quickest iron sight method to acquire the target.
Although not an iron sight method, mounting a red dot on the rail would be by far the quickest as you don't have to take the time to line up two sights. And a dot would be way better in low light.
Not sure the Cowboy was made in a 22" variant. 26" and 18.5" is all I've seen. Maybe one of the LTD models was like that ?
You could always find a JM Cowboy and have the barrel and tube shortened to 22".

 

Today I am buying a really nice ported 1999 JM 1895G for much less than any new rifle ($450). The quality of this rifle is much better than what is currently being produced. The deals are out there if you look.....

 

I am about to buy my first 45/70 and I have settle on getting a 18" or 18.5" but I was hoping for a little input from there.

What I really was hoping to find was a comparison between the Marlin:
- Marlin 1895G Guide Gun .45-70 Government in 18.5" Barrel, Walnut Stock, Blued Finish, 4+1 -- SKU# 70462
and the
- Marlin 1895 Cowboy Action Rifle (CBA) .45-70 Government in 18.5" Octagon Barrel, Walnut Stock, Blued Finish, 6+1 -- SKU# 70458

The trouble with researching the Marlin 1895 Cowboy Action Rifle (CBA) in the 18-18.5" Octagon Barrel is it seems uncommon and there aren’t many discussions about it. Any input on why one style would be more preferential over the other?

What I have put together is:
1895G in 45/70 is good.
Stay away from the 1895GBL’s :dontknow:
The palm swell on the CBA is slimmer.
The Guide has more checkering on the stock and forend
The tube on the CBA at 6+1 has a capacity advantage over the standard 1895G Guide.

I want one to fill a Dangerous Game Rifle void in my collection however it will likely see more action a range toy. I will also admit I have not fired a 45/70. I get it kicks but I already own and shoot a RRA .458 SOCOM AR-15, S&W 629 44MAG revolver, Remington 700’s in 7mm Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag so I am not afraid of recoil. Also, while I am pretty set on adding a lever action 45/70 rifle to my collection but I would be open to guidance discerning the strengths of available offerings.

Without the topic devolving, how bad are these new productions Marlin 1895’s in 45/70 in 2018 now that Remington has had a few years to work out issues? If you were buying a new current production Lever Action 45/70, would you pick an 1895 (with Remington warts and all) or be a philistine and go with the Henry H010AW All-Weather (Black Hardwood Stock and Chrome) Lever Action Rifle in 45-70 Government in with 18" barrel and 4+1 ?

I say new as I am a private collector that is a Class 01 FFL holder. Opposed to going to a shop and looking over options (where’d I’d have opportunity to check fit and finish); I will likely be ordering a new rifle online and having FedEx bring it to my door 2 days later. And while I get the older 1895 JM’s are better, I live in Florida where very few 45/70’s come up. Also I tend to be particular about condition and try to avoid buying used guns as I am not big on flaws, wear, and handling marks.

Regards,
NoProblemAtoll

Why is that ?

 

I'm quite satisfied with my 1895 GBL 45-70! No pb, no worries. Accurate : 110 yds all in 8" diameter red dot Bushnell TRS25, better with my "little scope" (Hawke",see pics somewhere in the forum)
Ammo Hornady 325grs. It's a very good bush rifle or even a "survival" rifle.
I don't understand why few guys say Marlin 1895 GBL is out?