[DOGMAN]

Why has no mfg come out with a short barrel bolt action 45/70? Is there anyway to take a ruger M77 and make it into a 45/70 bolt action? Would I use a 458 Win Mag or 458 LOTT -M77 African model and still be able to use the barrel? What's the least expensive route?Not a mauser.... I'm looking to do this on a Ruger 77 action or a Remington.

 

[preacher]

Not sure, only 2 bolt action 45-70s I have ever heard of was a Gibbs built on the Enfield action and a Siamese Mauser. I had a .220 Swift barrel put on a Model 7 and it worked OK (semi-rimmed case) but I had to make sure I loaded it with each "semi-rim" in front of the next or it would jam.
The .458 American ( .458x2" case)was a wildcat made up years ago to do what you are asking.

 

[moofy07]

One guy here in Oz built a 458 American (458x2") on Tikka action, it was in an Aussie mag, I will try to look it up if you wish.

 

[Woodup]

My first post....I have a .458WM and several 45-70s. The problem is not the barrel, it is opening up the bolt face and extractor about .07. Gunsmith work if possible with the choosen brand of rifle! The barrel would need some threads cut off (gunsmith work) to get past the belt recess in the chamber and reach proper case length on your go gauge. Cartridge feeding will be iffy with the shorter 45.70 case. My CZ WM will not feed properly with 300 grain bullets. OAL must be atleast 3.25" for semi reliable feeding. These are just the problems off the top of my head and should not even be considered all inclusive.

Possible solution...I shoot heavy 45.70 loads in my .458 for practice on a regular basis.

 

[Vic in Va]

A rifle originally chambered in one of the Winchester short-mags is easily converted to .450 Marlin. A barrel change and possibly some slight work to get the blunt bullets to feed, and you will have an equivalent of the .45-70, though I don't know if you were open to the possibility of considering this cartridge.

I've been giving a project such as this a thought for quite a while now, and to justify it, I recently came into possession of a Leupold FX-II Ultralight 2X20 that needs a home....

 

[Brian in FL]

Why don't you want a Mauser? I have one of the converted Siamese Mausers, and it's a terrific rifle, extremely accurate with stout handloads.

 

[David_4]

This link talks about the Gibbs/Navy Arms conversion.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2005/kingandcountry/index.asp

 

[wreckhog]

I saw a Gibbs in newish shape at a gun show last weekend. Personally, I would just buy a 458WM and load it down.

 

[Dr. A]

The design limitation of that big rim is what is keeping the bolt guys from designing a bolt action 45-70. It can be done, but its efficiency is pretty low. I've seen the Gibbs rifle in action and was not impressed. I'm sure I can work my single shots faster than that. Incidentally, the 45-70 is still good in the rifles that have perfected ideal use for a 45-70 cartridge. Here is a good example of what works...

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=9935_13987_14246_14277

Incidentally, I have two Marlin 45-70's, but still love my Ruger #1, and my Buffalo Classic. They are both top notch and very accurate.

 

[eing9911]

Here is a swedish guy the has built a 458x2" American on a Ruger M77 mkII.

http://forum.robsoft.nu/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=53667&hilit=american

It´s for sale now...

http://forum.robsoft.nu/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=116648&p=1308496&hilit=458+ruger#p1308496

It looks nice.

 

[chopaz]

Yes it does look really nice and if my calculations are right he wants around $3200 (ouch)

 

[DOGMAN]

ok. I'm back on this bolt action 45/70 build again. I see savage bolt guns can switch barrels pretty easy and working on their bolt faces is pretty easy.
So- can a Savage Alaskan guide gun be made into a 45/70?
Is there a barrel maker out there selling savage barrels in .458?

Why has no mfg come out with a short barrel bolt action 45/70? Is there anyway to take a ruger M77 and make it into a 45/70 bolt action? Would I use a 458 Win Mag or 458 LOTT -M77 African model and still be able to use the barrel? What's the least expensive route?Not a mauser.... I'm looking to do this on a Ruger 77 action or a Remington.

 

[336ER]

I would also recommend, as mentioned earlier, that you use a .450 Marlin as it's rim is about the same as most magnums/SMs and a lot of such rifles can be rebarreled with little else needed. You might also consider the BLR in .450. If you are going to reload and want to shoot heavy loads, the BLR is an action used for up to 65,000 PSI. Just a thought. Good luck in whatever direction you go! :biggrin:

 

[slamfire]

A bolt action .45-70 would be pretty cool. But you could save yourself a lot of time, trouble and expense to just get a readily available bolt action .458 Win. mag., (get the barrel shortened if you must) and load it down to .45-70 ballistics. I have a Remington 798 .458 Win. mag. and a custom Sako .458 Lott (shown below, with a Burris Timberline 4x scope) that are both great fun to plink with using reduced loads (or to hunt with using full power loads). :biggrin:

 

[Warboar_21]

Winchester made the Hotchkiss which looks identical to the Mosin action. I have seen the Gibbs rifles which are Enfields as someone mentioned earlier. If you wanted to go cheap then you could buy a Mosin and have it converted pretty easily. If you do a little searching online there is a few guys who made one and showed pics and descriptions of their progress. It's doable for sure. I have a Mosin and have been slowly getting things ready to convert it to .458x2" American which is for all intents and purposes the 450 Marlin. Fred Barnes (Barnes bullets) is the one who came up with the cartridge many years ago. It's a simple cut down any magnum brass to 2" and ream out a little and then load and shoot. Will do anything the 45/70 will do and then some.

 

[gunscrewguy]

The problem lies with the big fat rim on a big fat cartridge. The Siamese Mauser action's magazine rear surface slants rearward and downward to accommodate the rim. A Mosin Nagant's magazine is way too thin. The old Remington Lee bolt action 45-70 used a single stack magazine that protrudes below the stock. I recently sold a such a magazine online for $100. It would be the most reliable feeding mechanism and may be able to be fitted to a Mosin. Hmm... $100 gun + $100 magazine + $300 barrel.... you'd have a Yugo with $4000 worth of rims. I like the idea of a rimless belted 45-70 (.450 Marlin?) in whatever your favorite action would be. Much more doable and might even be worth it. IMHO AC

 

[g5m]

IIRC the SMLE was converted to 45-70. I guess Gibbs did it but I read an article many years ago written by a Canadian gentleman about doing the conversion.
There was a bit to do besides a new barrel but it looked pretty straight forward. Magazine was a bit of an issue.

 

[Doc Fillem]

I have a Gibbs 45-70 rifle, I think they called it the "Summit". It seems well-made and shoots real well. I picked it up several years ago at a local gun show for $250 with 4 boxes of Remington ammo. I don't shoot it very often but I think it's pretty cool.

 

[RHOUSER]

Might take a look at the 450 Marlin for a bolt action instead. I believe it is rimless. Thanks rch

 

[g5m]

Might take a look at the 450 Marlin for a bolt action instead. I believe it is rimless. Thanks rch

I wonder if a short magnum action would work for the 450 Marlin. From cartridge and case length sizes it looks like it would. Feeding might or might not be an issue but you could certainly make a short, light 450 Marlin (I think).