ASSRA Forum - 50-70 as a viable cartridge?

ASSRA Forum › General › Hunting with Single Shot Rifles › 50-70 as a viable cartridge?

(Moderator Group: Moderator)

‹ No Topic | Next Topic ›

Page Index Toggle

Pages: 1 [2]

Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies)

50-70 as a viable cartridge? (Read 5909 times)

UpNorthCountry Junior Member Offline Posts: 71 Joined: Jan 4^th, 2023	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #15 - Apr 28^th, 2024 at 10:09pm	Print Post
	[quote author=4D696B655F466167726173000 link=1713702460/14#14 date=1714078880]I elk hunt in Montana with my original sporting Roller in 50-70. Accurate at 200 yards. Use the 450 grain gg. [/quote] That’s what this is. A pristine bore NY roller I bought to turn into a project and ended up Just too nice. What’s your load ?


	IP Logged

Yellowhouse Full Member Offline Posts: 155 Location: Oklahoma Joined: Mar 31^st, 2008	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #16 - May 3^rd, 2024 at 11:46am	Print Post
	George Babits wrote on Apr 21^st, 2024 at 6:42pm: Don't berlieve the "everywhere I've looked" people. Most of them probably have never even shot a 50-70. It is a great cartridge for hunting if you just stay with its originbal loading. Lyman 515141 and about 67-70 grains of 2F. I use that load in a NY Carbine, an 1870 Remington Navy, a 50-70 Peabody carbine, a Shiloh Infantry rifle, and a Sharps Conversion carbine. It shoots just fine for hunting in all of them. Keep it simple!! That Remington will make 'm come for you. George Based on the available info I would guess that number of a couple hundred thousand is a gross understatement.


	IP Logged

SchwarzStock Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1300 Location: SchwarzWald Joined: Mar 23^rd, 2010	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #17 - May 5^th, 2024 at 7:00am	Print Post
	My 50-70 is a former 43 Spanish rebuilt by Dave Higginbotham. Does very well for me, this one was taken at 225yds.425gr lead bullet over 70grs of Swiss. The guide told me "hold center", he thought I was zeroed for 100yds. I was zeroed for 200ys and the bullet hit the spine. The animal tipped over like a paper cup literally flying one its side. I shot two others but both were good lung shots, they both walked around in a half-circle and then dropped as their lungs collapsed. All three bullets were recovered. The one was in the spine and the other two just under the skin on the far side of the animal.
	« Last Edit: May 5^th, 2024 at 7:05am by SchwarzStock »
	If your rifle is not in 7.62 and you can't hit what you are aiming at with de-linked machinegun ammo you are a pretender.
	IP Logged

JDavidA Participating Member Offline Posts: 11 Location: Wisconsin Joined: Jan 20^th, 2021	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #18 - Sep 7^th, 2024 at 10:43am	Print Post
	[quote author=4763616F554C6B6D786B790A0 link=1713702460/14#14 date=1714078880]I elk hunt in Montana with my original sporting Roller in 50-70. Accurate at 200 yards. Use the 450 grain gg. [/quote] Yes sir.


	IP Logged

rnnhntr Participating Member Offline Posts: 45 Joined: May 18^th, 2014	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #19 - Dec 17^th, 2024 at 10:45pm	Print Post
	William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Lucrezia Borgia was a trapdoor in .50-70, and he reportedly killed several thousand bison with it. I would be willing to bet that more of the big shaggies were killed with .50-70s than any other single cartridge. As has been said, there is nothing in North America you cannot competently kill with a .50-70. I have two, an 1869 Trapdoor with a pristine bore that was sporterized back in the day which had been hiding for who knows how long in the general store in Encampment, Wyoming, and a Swede rolling block that I had rebuilt into a clone of an original Remington rolling block sporting rifle.
	« Last Edit: Dec 17^th, 2024 at 10:50pm by rnnhntr »

	IP Logged

Schuetzendave Frequent Elocutionist Offline Retired Ex-Shooter Posts: 4195 Location: St. Albert, Alberta Joined: Jan 28^th, 2005	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #20 - Dec 18^th, 2024 at 2:13pm	Print Post
	Image of George Custer's elk shot with his .50-70 rolling block rifle and he had great praise for this rifle and cartridge. I put a new .50-70 barrel on a NYS Rolling Block. I also made a 477 grain bullet since the traditional 450 grain bullets were shorter than twice the diameter of the bullet. Accuracy is supposed to improve if the bullet is over twice the bullet's diameter. Image of Plains Grizzly Bear Custer shot with his .50-70 Rolling block.
	« Last Edit: Dec 18^th, 2024 at 2:38pm by Schuetzendave »

	IP Logged

Drydock Participating Member Offline Posts: 24 Joined: May 20^th, 2025	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #21 - May 25^th, 2025 at 10:06pm	Print Post
	Mike Venturino took a one ton bull at 145 yards using a 50-70-450, and it only needed one shot. You need to find some different folks to converse with.


	IP Logged

Good Cheer Newbie Offline Posts: 2 Joined: Oct 2^nd, 2025	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #22 - Oct 8^th, 2025 at 10:46pm	Print Post
	About that slow twist... Muzzleloading a paper patched bullet will allow you to use even more powder. Muzzleloading a bullet with a hollow base will allow you to increase the bullet weight and keep the bullet stabilized as can using a lube groove bullet as opposed to slick sided, depending of course where the center of gravity is versus where the lube grooves are. Just more fun ways to skin that cat.


	IP Logged

sharps4590 Full Member Offline Posts: 107 Joined: Mar 24^th, 2016	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #23 - Oct 23^rd, 2025 at 2:18pm	Print Post
	They're only original once. That and the 50-70 will kill all out of proportion to its paper ballistics.


	IP Logged

jhm Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1941 Location: georgia Joined: Sep 4^th, 2011	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #24 - Oct 23^rd, 2025 at 4:39pm	Print Post
	I built a 74 Sharps from a "Tools International" kit several years ago using a Douglas premium barrel with 1 in 22 twist. With 4198 and a 450gr bullet it does very well. I hope to take a deer with it this year. JMH


	IP Logged

rkba2nd Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2071 Location: earth Joined: Feb 16^th, 2009	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #25 - Nov 8^th, 2025 at 11:57pm	Print Post
	My favorite Custer artifact was a bumper sticker that read "Custer wore Arrow shirts"

	rkba2nd
	IP Logged

bullshop Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 268 Joined: Sep 14^th, 2017	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #26 - Jan 27^th, 2026 at 11:49pm	Print Post
	If a 44 magnum with a 250gn bullet at about 1300 fps is considered big medicine for deer then why would a 50-70 with a 200 grain heavier bullet at the same speed be considered barely adequate ?


	IP Logged

John in PA Oldtimer Offline Posts: 589 Location: Hollidaysburg, PA Joined: Nov 3^rd, 2009	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #27 - Jan 29^th, 2026 at 2:23pm	Print Post
	Schuetzendave wrote on Dec 18^th, 2024 at 2:13pm: Image of George Custer's elk shot with his .50-70 rolling block rifle and he had great praise for this rifle and cartridge. I put a new .50-70 barrel on a NYS Rolling Block. I also made a 477 grain bullet since the traditional 450 grain bullets were shorter than twice the diameter of the bullet. Accuracy is supposed to improve if the bullet is over twice the bullet's diameter. Image of Plains Grizzly Bear Custer shot with his .50-70 Rolling block. I like that mold. The deep square lube grooves remind me of the 1881 .45 Springfield bullet. Tom at Accurate Molds cut that one, or someone else?

	John Wells Hollidaysburg, PA Peabody and Peabody-Martini's Wanted!
	IP Logged

bullshop Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 268 Joined: Sep 14^th, 2017	Re: 50-70 as a viable cartridge? Reply #28 - yesterday at 1:24pm	Print Post
	In the 50-70 Gov having a fairly slow twist and generally shooting fairly soft bullets it is not so much the bullet length that may improve accuracy but the bullet bearing length. Not only the length but also the width of the full caliber drive bands. More total bullet contact with interior barrel surface has the greatest chance of positively holding the grooves especially when there is some BP fouling to deal with.


	IP Logged

Page Index Toggle

Pages: 1 [2]

‹ No Topic | Next Topic ›

« Board Index ‹ Board Top

Top

ASSRA Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.6.12!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2026. All Rights Reserved.

Valid XHTML

Valid CSS

Powered by Perl

Source Forge

Page completed in 0.6089 seconds.