very different rounds no doubt.

im going with one of the two though for my hunting rifle for this season. either one i go with will sport a 18'' barrel or so and hopefully weigh in at around 7-8lbs. (with the edge probably going to the lever gun) will be used for whitetail and possibly black bear.  i will mount a low power scope or red dot on either (around here you mostly get under 200 yrd shots anyhow, rarely are there long shots)

what do you all think? im really on the
fence here...

i reload, if it makes a difference...

well... fi you want an 18 inch barrel.. .go with the .308.

the .45-70 is a great stopper, but with an 18 inch barrel it'll kick like a mule.

think so?  the marlin guide guns are 18.5'' and come unported (mostly)  ive heard (but not yet shot one) that they arent too bad on the shoulder...no more than a 12 guage and i dont mind those...

308 makes me a little nervous with a black bear, but the 18" barrel would be hell with a 45-70.  

I'd take the 308 and some heavy loads with you in case you sight a bear.  The 45-70 is nice, but not that barrel length!  

308 accuracy is MUCH better than the 45-70 also.

inside 100 i would go with the 45-70
150-200 my 308 get's the edge.
200+ only the 308.

if you didn't reload i would suggest a 450 marlin.

I got to shoot a ported .444 Marlin last weekend.  Light recoil out of a short barrel, with plenty of punch.

308 makes me a little nervous with a black bear

Are there mutant black bear in your area?  I feel myself fairly well-armed against a black bear with a stick and loud voice.  I've hunted black bear with a .308 Winchester, it kills them just as dead as a .45-70 does.

funny you should mention this... when funds permit, the next new Caliber I'm planing on checking out is the 45/70  

just the nostalgia of it would be pretty cool.

Well, I've got a .45-70 lever gun and a Quigley Sharps Rifle on order from Shiloh (about 4 more months). I think against bear there really is no better round. And Recoil is really not bad. keep in mind this is a dated cartridge, so ignition isn't "instant" so the recoil is more up, but slow. Hope that makes sense. Or you could buy a blaser in .300 WSM. THATS SWEET. But .45-70 gets my vote when bear is involved.

...as posted on TheFiringLine by "BusGunner007":
(gee, I wonder who THAT could be?)
----------------------------------------------

A good friend of mine said we could hunt everything in North America with .308 & a .45-70.

I believe he is right, so, I went and bought a Remington 700 Police in .308 and a Marlin 1895 in .45-70 in his honor!

Of course, if you've got a .308 already, the choice is clear: Get the .45-70!

The full size 1895 is the 'cat$ a$$' for me.
I like the 22" bbl. and the pistol grip stock and NO PORTS.
I also like the way it sets me back with those slow and heavy 405-gr. bullets being launched!
You can shoot some super-stoked stuff outta these rifles, too.
Yeah, baby!


Sound it out on a couple of Board Forums; I did.
Good Luck on your choice, SkaerE.


__________________
"...if you're not havin' fun, you're workin'..."

Please allow me to be the voice of uncertainity. >gg<  Is that short a barrel capable of getting the 45/70 up to speed like it should be? Seems like a 20" minimum barrel, if not 22", would be a much much better for ballistics?

Quoted: Please allow me to be the voice of uncertainity. >gg<  Is that short a barrel capable of getting the 45/70 up to speed like it should be? Seems like a 20" minimum barrel, if not 22", would be a much much better for ballistics?

I could be very, very wrong about this...
If I read this right, on MarlinTalk, the .45-70 seems to be immune to velocity/energy level changes in the 18-22" bbl. length range, or, something to that effect.
I got 'weirded out' reading that.  How could THAT be, I wondered.
I guess the comment was meant to mean that the .45-70 just isn't affected much by the length of bbl., kinda like if you get hit by a freight train, it doesn't matter how many cars are behind the engine, it's still a freight train!!!
OR, the .308 isn't affected much by the bbl. length being 20" or 26", until the range becomes extreme.
Something about these two calibers/cartridges is very weird indeed.

444....or 450 marlin.....

I have an 1895M .450 Marlin & I love that little gun. Kinda like a little cannon. I would think 200 yards would be no problem.

If you're hunting I wouldn't be concerned with recoil.  It's not like you're gonna put 100 rounds a day through it.

I'd go with hot loads, .45/70