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Old November 17, 2009, 10:44 AM   #1
BuckSlayer3
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the 450 marlin?

what does everyone think of the 450 marlin. my dad has one and it is a cannon. it shoots a 325 gr bullet and he is a pretty big guy and it hurts his shoulder when he shoots it.. it is the scout with the shortend barrel and is lightened.....what do u think?
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Old November 17, 2009, 10:50 AM   #2
Ricky
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Cannon

I think I don't like guns that hurt me!
Seriously, there are effecting rifles and cartridges that aren't so painful to shoot.
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Old November 17, 2009, 10:51 AM   #3
azredhawk44
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No disrespect intended to your dad, but he needs to hold it tighter to the shoulder.

I've got a .450 Marlin. I think the .45/70 is a better choice if you're a handloader, just due to the cost of the .450 brass versus the cost of .45/70 brass. In a strong gun they can each be loaded to equal power levels.

I just "lucked" into a trade for a .450 so I settled for it instead of the .45/70.

I think a 325gr bullet is a bit light, given the intended purpose of the rifle... but if it brings in the meat that your dad is aiming at, then great. I favor 405gr hardcast, gaschecked bullets for mine.
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Old November 17, 2009, 10:52 AM   #4
mapsjanhere
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I have the Browning BLR in 450 Marlin, I love it. But yes, I have a Limbsaver on order; it kicks more than my .338 WM.
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Old November 17, 2009, 11:21 AM   #5
sholling
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I've shot one and they are one of the hardest recoiling rifles I've ever shot. Right up there with Weatherby's 460 magnum or an army mule. A big part of that comes from the fact that the Marlin is so light. Anyway I have no desire to shoot one again.
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Old November 17, 2009, 12:09 PM   #6
TJH3781
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I have a Winchester in 450 Marlin. It is a light weapon & the recoil is heavy.
My hunting is in a cold climate. The extra padding helps with the recoil.
Personally, it is a little over the top for deer, but we do see bears where I hunt, so it's power is comforting.
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Old November 17, 2009, 12:46 PM   #7
Huntergirl
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The Marlin 450 is an interesting caliber. I have shot 45-70 Hammerheads through a Marlin Guide gun, have owned 2 Marlin 45-70s, shot bison and elk flat out with the 45-70. But my absolute favorite big boomer is my Marlin 444 ported guide gun. Washington Fish and Game studies ranked the 444Marlin as a very adequate grizzly stopper, above the 300Win Mag and 45-70. I'm sure the 450 is a good hunting caliber, and can be shot well, IMO with a good recoil pad. But 444Marlin is easy to reload, and works for me. Currently factory loads for 444 are cheaper than 450. Though I did see some close out prices at my gun store for the Hornady loads, that made me consider, for a moment about getting a 450Marlin.
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Old November 17, 2009, 12:51 PM   #8
olyinaz
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After not enjoying my .454 Casull lever gun yesterday I was reviewing .44/.45 cal chamberings and ballistics last night and it occurred to me that despite the Marlin gun being heavier than my Rossi 92 the .450 Marlin would still likely be more punishing than my .454. Yeesh - no thank you.

I'd look into a good muzzle break/recoil reducer. Claims of a third or more recoil reduction (at the expense of muzzle blast) seem common and I don't see any reason why a .450 Marlin couldn't benefit from such an addition.

Best,
Oly
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Old November 17, 2009, 12:54 PM   #9
Bigfatts
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What do I think of the cartridge itself? I think anything you can do with the .450 Marlin the .45-70 has already done. That being said I still like the .450, but I like big boomers.
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Old November 17, 2009, 04:43 PM   #10
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For some reason I have wanted a .450 Marlin in a bolt action similar to the 458x2" but you can buy ammunition of the shelf in .450 Marlin.

If I had to pick in a Marlin Guide I would go with the 45/70. Ammunition seems easier to find. Plus the verity of loaded ammunition you can purchase. You can get loads safe for a trapdoor or all the way up to loads with hammers heads and punch bullets good for anything that walks the earth.
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Old November 17, 2009, 05:23 PM   #11
Slopemeno
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I'm surprised someone hasn't come out with a bolt action chambered in the .450 Marlin. The hot setup would be to get a Ruger 77 Ultralight (the tang safety ones from a few years ago), alter the bolt face, and re-barrel it.
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Old November 17, 2009, 05:33 PM   #12
mapsjanhere
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The words ultralight and 450 Marlin in the same sentence make my shoulder hurt just from reading.
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Old November 17, 2009, 07:18 PM   #13
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I have one and I don't find the recoil that bad with factory ammo . the 450 marlin is for those that don't reload . If you reload get a 4570 . big bores are not for the recoil shy .
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Old November 17, 2009, 08:18 PM   #14
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45-70! For the better selection of factory ammo. The .450 was an answer to a nonexistant problem
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Old November 17, 2009, 09:26 PM   #15
Slopemeno
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Once you have the brass (and I already have the dies) does it matter?

Yes, the .450 gives slightly less performance than a .45-70. Does it give enough?
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Old November 17, 2009, 11:15 PM   #16
mapsjanhere
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The 450 Marlin gives better performance than all but probably 1% of 45/70 loads from very few select rifles. And you don't have to worry that one of those 458 WM level loads will blow up someones rifle by mistake. For any but the most serious reloader the 450 Marlin is the better choice for top 45/70 performance, especially if you take the prices of 45/70 custom loads that outperform the 450 Marlin.
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Old November 18, 2009, 12:45 AM   #17
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If you're limited to factory ammo from your local Dick's, Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop, or Gander Mountain then I suppose that the .450 would be a good cartridge. However, if you handload or don't mind ordering your ammo, the .450 can't really do anything that the .45-70 can with more common and less expensive brass.
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Old November 18, 2009, 12:55 AM   #18
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If a person did not plan to reload ammo the 450 Marlin would be a great gun. Heck, it is a great gun. But I reload and shoot a Marlin 1895G chambered for 45-70. I can shoot loads that are quite comfortable to loads that will punish you each time you touch off a round. I also shoot a Pedersoli Rolling Block chambered for 45-70 but I keep the loads light for it.
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Old November 18, 2009, 08:28 AM   #19
Magnum Wheel Man
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love the 45-70 cartridge... I have 4 guns chambered in it... a 14" Contender pistol, a newer Remington double rifle, a custom old Martini single shot safari rifle, & a newer stainless ported guide gun... I greatly enjoy shooting them all... the Contender is by far the lighytest weight, however it has a "hunter" barrel, which is ported, & takes some of the sting out of it, but it's defintely a boomer... the Martini probably hurts the most, because the straighter stock style directs more recoil directly into the shooters shoulder, coupled with a light weight octogon barrel... the double rifle, while being pretty light for a double, still has more weight there than some of these other guns... my newer guide gun has a short ported barrel, which I didn't think I'd like, but I'm doing some very heavy reloads ( African safari hot loads... ) for the Guide Gun... these loads are at least as hot as the 450 Marlin, & some are hotter... I fired some test loads in the gun with 3 purposes in mind, make sure the big old bullets would cycle through the gun, check cases for pressure signs, & see if I could handle shooting them in the 1st place... I was actually pleasently suprised... I found them pretty easy to shoot... between the ported barrel, the factory recoil pad, covered with a nice leather butt cuff, the gun was pleasent to shoot, even with the hottest of loads...

so without arguing 450 Marlin, vrs the 45-70... if the gun kicks too much, & he wants to keep it, look into having the barrel magna ported or equivelent... maybe add a better more obsorbent recoil pad...

45-70 puts a big on my face... always has, ever since I 1st touched off the trigger on my 1st one 20 or more years ago...
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Last edited by Magnum Wheel Man; November 18, 2009 at 08:33 AM.
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