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(EDIT: Well, It's only been a few days, and it's revealing to see the poll results thus far. IMHO, something like this tells us much about ourselves, collectively, and trends/"particulars".
What's especially surprising (to me), is the low numbers (relatively) on some reportedly superior cartridges. Vetty Interestink !)
Impressive list of calibers, but when I go to do serious work, I take my .348. Course it's not listed here, so the 45-70 I'll make king from this list.
To hell with them fellas, buzzards gotta eat same as the worms.
Outlaw Josey Wales
The 30-30 is the yeoman archer of lever gun cartridges.
The 45-70 is the King.
I say that in part because I don't own any of the others.
P.S. Why didn't you include the .250 and .300 Savage? They are certainly part of the levergun cartridge nobility. Also, I like the 30-06 in the Winchester '95, but that is really not a lever-gun cartridge.
Since you don't have any criteria for "king" I'm going to have to go with the round most likely to plow THROUGH timber to get to what needs killing.
.45-70.
C2N14... because life is not energetic enough. מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976 Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
If I lived in Elk or bear country I might go with a .45-70. Since I don't I'll vote for the .30-30. Not to say loads of elk and bear haven't been taken with the .30-30.
If you're gonna be stupid ya gotta be tough-
Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
Gotta go with the 348WCF. Top of the food chain in lever guns!
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a Vet! COMNAVFORV, Vietnam 68-70
NRA Life, SASS Life, Banjo picking done cheap!
well, if the question is "your choice" we arent talking about best selling, most used, or even most capable. I voted 375 win and here is why.
It is easy to reload (even custom ammo makers load it for about $22 a box)
It shoots heavy bullets well
It comes chambered in the gun I prefer (Marlin)
Recoil is not bad
It is very effective on game
I actually traded a 450 Marlin for my 375 (win) Marlin. The 450 was a great gun but the barrel was ported and I worried about hearing loss. Since I dont hunt in griz country the 375 is a great compromise.
definately the 348
the next 4 on the list are just re-hashes to save the company some money.
i have 2 of them and they cannot do anything the 348 wont.
There are quite a number in that list that I like, several of which I don't own. I think "King" changes depending on just what woods you're talking about. Packaging is as important as the cartridge, I cannot separate the two.
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession! AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
A leapord is a mighty killer in the jungle, but he is not the king. In the woods the 30-30 and others are good killers, but bigger and more powerfull is indeed better, and when the chips are down a 500+gr bullet doing 1500fps+ from a 45-70 is king. I dont know anyone with a lick of sense who would go into the MT,WY or AK woods after elk, moose or bear and given a choice between a 30-30 and a Marlin in 45-70, would choose the 30-30.
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance." Declaration of Independance, July 4, 1776 11B30
.444 everything from squirrels to elephants...but best because it comes packaged in '94 Timber Carbine! Handiest package around for toting through timber.
.444 cause its chambered in the 94 flm 20" barrel. i like the.356wcf. better myself, but the .444 is more versatile in factory loadings. i limited my self to full length 94 chmberings, caues it's the ulimate timber gun.
I went back and forth between the .348W and the 45/70G. I finally marked the .348W. Except grizzlies (in whatever form) it can handle everything the 45/70G can. In addition, it can shoot a darn sight flatter and just may come in handy on that elk standing 275 yards out across an apsen infested canyon in the waning lights of a last day hunt.
And although it may not do as good a job as 45/70G convincing a coastal grizzly that you're not for dinner, with the 250 grain controlled expansion bullet it would certainly not be ignored. Besides, I'll likely never see a grizzly except on TV.
By timber, I assume you mean tight nasty stuff. Shots will be short and you don't want to have to try and follow a wounded animal in that. Especially the kind that bite back. Voted for the 45-70. It will hit hard and put critters down fast. We're not looking for cross canyon shots, so a big, heavy, slow bullet will work best.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
I voted for the 45/70. It can be a real bruiser,(at both ends,) and with the correct bullets can take anything down, including the Grizzilies, which I will never see. I have had several 45/70s and it can kill the shoulder quicker than my .338 Win. Mag can. Art
Rimfire McNutjob wrote:.348 Win. which I believe was also O'Connors pick in his brush busting tests.
Hey, wasn't he the fella that thought you could kill anything deader with a .270. Like to see him try that on an irate rhino. Silly goof, thinking a .27 is better than .30. Naturally he'd thing a .34 is better than a .45. The boy coulda' used some math lessons.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
I dont know how nobody mentioned 12 ga slugs.
May not be my favorite but 546 grains of .73 caliber
at 1600 fps out of a pump shotgun with red dot
or ghost sights is a formidable tool no body can
argue with. I even believe Saiga has a lever action
repeating 12 guage. Kind of redefines big bore
doesnt it.
preventec47 wrote:I dont know how nobody mentioned 12 ga slugs.
May not be my favorite but 546 grains of .73 caliber
at 1600 fps out of a pump shotgun with red dot
or ghost sights is a formidable tool no body can
argue with. I even believe Saiga has a lever action
repeating 12 guage. Kind of redefines big bore
doesnt it.
How can the old 12 gauge get such velocity from such heavy slugs with a plastic hulled 'cartridge' when we're always scratching our heads trying to see if our .45 and .50 caliber loads are overpressured with our reloads...?
It's 2025 - "Cutesy Time is OVER....!" [Dan Bongino]
Of the offered choices my vote would be for the 45-70.
However I've taken many deer with the good old .30-06! Half of those with an '06 lever gun. All in heavy cover thick timber areas where a thirty yard shot is a long one.
jasonB " Another Dirty Yankee"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
preventec47 wrote:I dont know how nobody mentioned 12 ga slugs.
May not be my favorite but 546 grains of .73 caliber
at 1600 fps out of a pump shotgun with red dot
or ghost sights is a formidable tool no body can
argue with. I even believe Saiga has a lever action
repeating 12 guage. Kind of redefines big bore
doesnt it.
How can the old 12 gauge get such velocity from such heavy slugs with a plastic hulled 'cartridge' when we're always scratching our heads trying to see if our .45 and .50 caliber loads are overpressured with our reloads...?
Because it does it at lower pressure, around 20,000psi. Large diameter vs long length.
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance." Declaration of Independance, July 4, 1776 11B30
I love my 45/70 "Smelly Nelly" but since 1976 have been hunting pigs in the rain forests of Hawaii with with my 1894 Marlin 44 mag with 100% successful 1 shot drops using 240 grain JSPs on pigs up to over 300 pounds. I'm sure the 45/70 is theoretically superior but the 44 mag is more than enough gun for pigs. Now when (not if) I go hunting for Vancouver Bulls in the rain forests of Waiakea I'm carrying mt "Smelly Nelly" loaded with hard cast 405 grain flat-points at 1400 fps.
[quote="sobenk"]I read somewhere that a hunter took a pig, then when he was dressing it he found a 12 gauge slug in its side.
If it's not going to kill a pig then it's not the king.
Of course, "Box o' Truth" has the 12 gauge slug down as a great penetrator.[/quote]
.
That would mean someone was a hell of a good shot as he would have
shot that pig from 400 yards away for the slug to barely bury itsself in
pig. My ammo box says 1600 fps and 546 grains. At .73 caliber,
expansion not necessary ! !
My vote is for the 45-70 also. I do not own one, but it has to be more of a King than my 2nd, and 3rd choices. The 30-30, and 32 special. My answer would be different had you asked what the "BEST" cartridge was in timber!
Pathfinder09 wrote:Although I voted for the .45-70, I think that the history of the .30-30 makes it the real king!
Just my $.02
I voted for the 30/30, because I consider it the king, not because it's the biggest and baddest, but because it's probably been carried and used in the timber more then all of the other rounds combined, and all in all it does a pretty good job, enough power for normal timber ranges, chambered in light rifles with mild recoil, and fast shooting leveractions.
However, my personal favorite for timber, and about anywhere else is the older Browning BLR in .308, although I love messing around with other guns, like the 45/70, 348win, 44mag, 350 Rem. Mag, etc.
Right now, I have three 45-70 rifles, and have owned three others. Guess how I voted?
Kirk: An old geezer who loves the smell of freshly turned earth, old cedar rail fences, wood smoke, a crackling fireplace on a snowy evening, pristine wilderness lakes, the scent of
cedars and a magnificent Whitetail buck framed in the semi-buckhorn sights of a 120-year old Winchester. Blog: https://www.kirkdurston.com/
Just to be contrary, I voted for the black sheep of the 45-70 family.....450 Marlin. I have a 450 M which will be turned into a 16" Trapper on steroids. I just bought a Marlin Cowboy and I'm partial to both. I would like to scope the Cowboy with one of those modern period correct scopes 17" long by 3/4" in diameter with adjustments in the mounts. Should make a good Cowboy LR (Long Range), but not exactly a woods rifle. By the way does anyone else cringe when you hear of a cartridge described as a "good brush busting round"? If you are going to shoot at an animal through vegetation, may I suggest an RPG?
