Like the title says. My uncle has one I could borrow, or would I need to buy a rifle in another caliber?

I read an article in a gun rag a month or two ago about a Big Game Guide who carried a Marlin in 45-70 as his 'fail safe' for Cape buffalo. I know it was somethng on a Boddington trip.

What are you going to be hunting? For plains game I should think it doesn't have the trajectory, if it's for dangerous game... well the standard there is .458 or .450 and they put a 480-500gr bullet at 2100 or so feet a second. They have 500 feet a second on the .45/70.

For a modern rifle, the .45-70 can be loaded to impressive specs. If you are content with a costly double rifle, it will serve for short ranges.

Using a single-shot for dangerous game is not a good idea, no matter how good your guide and staff may be. If the game is not dangerous, then the .45-70 will do nicely. Please consult the regs of your destination about importing/exporting your rifle and ammo before going further.

Since the .45-70 case is rimmed, use in a bolt-action mag-fed rifle is problematic .

I'm no pro but I do know in some places for dangerous game there are minimum calibers by law, I think .375 H&H is that minimum very often.

Do yourself and your PH a favor and leave the 45-70 home. It is not adequate for dangerous (big 5) game and will force you to pass up a large percentage of shots at plains game due to its short range.

I saw a poll of PH's recently. They recommended a .375 H&H or .416 for the big five and a .300 mag or .30-06 for plains game.

the .375 & .30-06 will be much easier to re-supply if you and your ammo get separated in Africa, but the .416 and .300 mag have better reputations for getting the job done.

The PMP plant in South Africa produces .30-06, .300 Win Mag, and .375 H&H. Generally you can also find .300 H&H, but not as easily as .300 Win Mag. I wouldn't recommend any other .300 mags as you probably won't find ammo if yours gets separated. The .338 WIn Mag is probably an ideal choice for larger plains game and is available there, but not as common as .300 Win Mag.

.416 Rem Mag can be found, but not as easily as .375 H&H. I think you can find .416 Rigby too, but it might not be easy.

Thanks for all the replies.

It's marginal on the big five.

I would certainly disagree. A .45-70 is not good enough for the big 5? millions of buffalo were wiped from the plains with the big 50 and 45's and the buffalo didn't seem to know that they weren't shot with a uber giant, gotta have it, super duper .30 caliber bullet, and I would guarantee every big game animal on the planet has fallen to a .45-70, .45-110 (.450 BP Express was basically the english version of the .45-110 used in her majesties colonies). . A .50 or .45 caliber bullet doesn't need velocity to expand like a .30 - it is already larger than an expanded .30 cal bullet to begin with! I know an individual who just got back from an African safari recently and took kudu, wildebeast (black and blue), gemsbok, oryx, springbok, impala, water buffalo all with a .45-110 Black Powder Sharps - not even smokeless (which smokeless offers even more punch!). All shots were complete pass throughs and the PH's commented that they had never seen critters go down so fast - they had a TON of respect for the cartridge after that, and actually ordered one of their own. The .375 H&H looks bad on paper, but if you calculate using a real measurement of power (like the Taylor Knockout Value which adequately accounts for larger and heavier bullets), it is a 25% step down compared to a 500gr buffalo bore load out of the .45-70 (which is also only 6" low at 200yrds and plenty of power out even further). .45-70 is FINE for African game, and ANY game on the planet for that matter. Other guns may indeed have flatter shooting out past 200, but don't think for a minute that the .45-70 can't leave an almost half inch hole in both sides of any animal in the world.

My elephant will be just as dead with a hole in its forehead and out the back of its head, and I'll be able to hold up a beer later while you are busy nursing your bruises :) Besides, everyone knows a .45-70 in the right gun can almost be loaded to .458 levels.

Modern loading for the .45-70 (ruger #1 etc), you can load to almost 3,000 fps with a 540gr. bullet - PLENTY capable of killing any animal on the planet or stopping a charge as well as the .458, and still shoot lighter rounds capable of hunting everything else in the world thats not 3000-4000lbs. These rounds are NOT always levergun friendly, although some of the Garret cartridges are, and they document one big 5 hutn on their website using these in a .45-70 Marlin levergun :) check your reloading manuals or buy from a reputable online custom ammunition manufacturer like garret or buffalo bore.

3000 fps with a 540 grain bullet out of a 45-70? Garrett lists their 540 at 1550 fps. Buffalo Bore lists a 500 grain at 1625 fps. Please, show me a reloading manual or vendor who has 500+ grain bullets going 3000 fps out of a 45-70.

Try here..... these were taken with a .45-70 using Garrett cartridges.....

.45-70 African kills......