[Jeff Higgins]

When you do get around to reloading the .45-70, here is my all time favorite go-to load:

RCBS .45-400 GC bullet, a 400 grain gas check design specifically designed for feeding in Marlin 1895's, cast from straight wheel weights. Lubed with SPG. Seated over 50 grains of H322 and lit by a standard CCI 200 large rifle primer. This load just touches 1900 fps from my standard (22" barreled) 1895. It shoots as close to honest minute of angle as any heavy .45-70 load has any right to do. It shoots through any animal in North America, from any angle at which you care to hit it. Zeroed at 150 yards, the Marlin is an honest 200 yard hunting rifle.

Recoil is pretty darn stout, even from my full size Marlin. Guide Guns are going to be worse. The load can actually increase by up to five grains, and darn near reach 2100 fps, but recoil is darn near unmanagable and accuracy starts to suffer. At that level, felt recoil exceeds my Ruger #1 in .458 mag. At 50 grains and 1900 fps, it's a bit more stout than my #1 or Model 70 in .375 H&H, but not bad. Make no mistake, though, a heavily loaded .45-70 lever gun will flat back you out from under your hat.

If you don't want to cast bullets, the Remington is the toughest 400 grain bullet available, until you get into the really spendy Woodleighs, or some of the Barns monolithic stuff. The 400 grain Speer is meant for standard velocity .45-70 loads, and will come apart if you drive it to full throttle in the Marlins. The Speer 350 grain, meant for lighter recoil elk and moose and bear loads in the .458 mag, is the the one to use in their lineup. You can spit them out at over 2,000 fps with wonderfull accuracy, albeit a good deal of recoil.