Its ok to have shiny tools that one never uses.
I certainly have no real use for one either.
Or a bunch of other stuff that most people think of as just crap.
Hobbies do not necessarily equal necessity?

One 45-70 option I never see mentioned in threads like this is the Siamese Mauser conversions.... I've shot one, they are quite nice.

Recoil wise, if you spend a bit on some reloading equipment, you can easily load lighter loads for having fun and enjoyment as well as shoulder wreckers that are only safe in the No1 and T-Rex rated 1895gs

If you don't spend some money on reloading stuff, recoil still won't be an issue because you won't be shooting it much unless you like paying $2.50 per trigger pull (you can reload for less than half that). :)

I have noticed the deck too ... Ed and Tilly don't :D

... 'bout as practical as my big azz M29 .44 mag it would be...

I like my Henry .22 and Marlin .357 levers ... the reason I chose .357 over .44 mag ... I'm cheap and don't reload ... or shoot much really... hmmm... but I might... be ...

Just because :)

The .45-70 is extremely versatile. It can be pretty much anything you would like it to be, with one caveat: You have to reload for it. Even better if you cast your own bullets. It has to be just about the ideal cast bullet rifle round. Shooting my own cast bullets leaves essentially powder and primers as my only expenses. Brass lasts far longer than it does for any bottle necked rifle round, especially when used with low pressure "plinking" loads or, better yet, black powder. I have match prepped black powder cases with over 70 reloads on them. I neither resize nor crimp them, so they will essentially never wear out.

It's the most popular chambering for black powder cartridge rifle match shooting, for obvious reasons. Brass is readily available, suitable bullet molds abound, and it's as accurate as they come. In heavy match rifles recoil is a non-issue as well.

There is no better round for close quarters hunting of big game in North America. Properly loaded, it is sufficient for anything that lives here. Even with lower pressure factory loaded ammo, safe in Trapdoors and the like, it is absolutely reliable on game as large as elk. There are even factory loads from the likes of Buffalo Bore and others that are up in the "Marlin only" pressure range that are entirely enough for moose and brown bear. Not a lot of fun to shoot, and expensive as hell, but it's available so that those who do not hand load can utilize that level of performance.

I've long since quit shooting BPCR matches, since everyone else interested in dong so around here seems to have aged out of it. I don't hunt as much as I used to, certainly not traveling for it like I once did. But I still thoroughly enjoy shooting the .45-70, especially my black powder match rifles. They are just an awful lot of fun. And, well, they are the cheapest rifle shooting I do, what with the use of my absolutely free bullets. Can't beat that.

That's a lot! Do you put a mark on the brass or do something else to keep a record of reloads?

Jeff,
A long time ago, I bought a box of 45-70 Mabe made by Hornady.
So, over-the-counter stuff is no good?

Factory ammo is fine but limits your bullet/velocity choices, especially with a Ruger or 1895gs that can handle hotter loads

Its also expensive, $50 for 20 rounds at walmart. You can load same ammo at home for about $1/rnd less if you go with cast lead bullets

OK, thanx. !!

I keep all of my brass, for everything I reload, in 50 round MTM plastic boxes. Every time I reload a batch of 50, I tape a label o the inside of the lid with load information. Bullet used, alloy, lube, powder type and quantity, primer, OAL, brass manufacturer, how many times it has been trimmed, and how many times I have loaded it. Rule of thumb for bottle necked rifle cases is no more than three trimmings, when they grow enough to require a fourth, I discard that batch. Handgun brass gets discarded when mouths start to split from too many crimp/fire cycles.

Oh no, over the counter ammo is fantastic. We enjoy the highest quality ammo ever made. In this caliber, however, it all has to be safe in very weak old action designs, like the Trapdoor Springfield. That limits its performance which, for most hunting and just plinking, doesn't matter. It works great. In modern rifles we can up the performance significantly by hand loading. Some specialty manufacturers supply off the shelf ammo loaded to these higher performance levels, with disclaimers all over it regarding its use in Trapdoors and the like.

Thanx again jeff.