450 marlin

[MountainWalk]

Has anyone here had any real practical exp. with the 450 marlin? What do you think?

[BigGoonTuna]

all i know is that it's essentially a hot .45-70 with a belt on the case to keep it from chambering in the old weaker .45-70 rifles(like trapdoor springfields).

probably not a bad choice if you don't reload, but if you reload there's no reason to own one over a .45-70.

[carpsniperg2]

i have a friend that is a big lever gun nut and he has a 444 and a 450 i think they are making the flex tip loads for both now and should be a great load for those guns. but as far as me i have not ever used one to hunt with just shot his a few times

[Bigshooter]

all i know is that it's essentially a hot .45-70 with a belt on the case to keep it from chambering in the old weaker .45-70 rifles(like trapdoor springfields).

probably not a bad choice if you don't reload, but if you reload there's no reason to own one over a .45-70.

+1

If you are going to reload get a 45-70.  The 450 has a thicker side wall that reduces powder capacity.

[loaderboy]

I love mine I had a leupold scout mounted on some wild west mounts and quick release warne rings with fiber optic ghost ring sights as backups. Sure did a number on my Idaho black bear. Very fun to shoot.

[MikeWalking]

all i know is that it's essentially a hot .45-70 with a belt on the case to keep it from chambering in the old weaker .45-70 rifles(like trapdoor springfields).

probably not a bad choice if you don't reload, but if you reload there's no reason to own one over a .45-70.

There are claims Marlin stole it from/based it on the .457 Wild West Magnum made by Wild West guns in Anchorage. I found some in a cabin years back they're a good bit longer than the 45-70 about 3/16th. I don't remember the complete reason for the belt. There is an old Winchester cal. they will chamber in  .348? .358? been a few years since I read about the development. As much as anything I think Marlin wanted to distance themselves from the copycat charges.

A hot 45-70, Buffalo Bore or Garretts ammo will do anything a 450 Marlin will.

Interesting to note. The guns chambered for the WW .457 mag will shoot 45-70, .457 and .410

[BigGoonTuna]

the belt comes from the parent case being a wildcat of the .458 win mag.

[Bigshooter]

And they made the belt wider so it wouldn't chamber in any of the 458's offspring.

[yorketransport]

I really liked the 450 Marlin. I had one in a Guide Gun for a few years. Loaded with 400gr bullets, I would have put it up against any animal on this continent and not felt under gunned. I also felt like it cycled through the action better than the 45-70 (or 444 Marlin for that matter). The 45-70 is a great round, and I still have a BFR chambered for it. But a rimmed round is a better fit to single shots and revolvers.

People like to compare factory 450 Marlin loads to hot rodded 45-70 reloads, or +p factroy ammo.  I don't think that's completely fair. The 450 can be handloaded with heavier bullets to improve performance. I'd say that if 450 ballistics aren't enough for you out of a lever gun, it's time to move up to the 50 Alaskan.

One of these days I'll put together a bolt action in 450 Marlin. It should make a great 18" carbine.

Andrew

[Bigshooter]

I really liked the 450 Marlin. I had one in a Guide Gun for a few years. Loaded with 400gr bullets, I would have put it up against any animal on this continent and not felt under gunned. I also felt like it cycled through the action better than the 45-70 (or 444 Marlin for that matter). The 45-70 is a great round, and I still have a BFR chambered for it. But a rimmed round is a better fit to single shots and revolvers.

People like to compare factory 450 Marlin loads to hot rodded 45-70 reloads, or +p factroy ammo.  I don't think that's completely fair. The 450 can be handloaded with heavier bullets to improve performance. I'd say that if 450 ballistics aren't enough for you out of a lever gun, it's time to move up to the 50 Alaskan.

One of these days I'll put together a bolt action in 450 Marlin. It should make a great 18" carbine.

Andrew

Its obvious that hot 45-70 reloads can't be compared to factory 450 stuff.  All I am saying is if you reload go with the 45-70.  You get a little more out of the 45-70 because it has larger powder capacity.  Because the 450 has thicker side walls.  But if you don't reload go with the 450. 

[MountainWalk]

Mr. Yorke, thats kind of the direction I'm wanting to go. A 45 cal bolt rifle. I think the simplist would be a 458, but I'm not sure how far down it can be loaded. I know of Siam mausers and lee enfields being converted to 4570, but I'm not sure the m-98 can do that. I've also read that the 4570 can be a finicky feeder in a bolt gun. I do plan on loading my own, but only elk rounds. Most every round to be shot from it, not elk hunting, will be a factory load.

[superdown]

here's a couple.  http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=170641507         http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=171357487

[Bigshooter]

Mr. Yorke, thats kind of the direction I'm wanting to go. A 45 cal bolt rifle. I think the simplist would be a 458, but I'm not sure how far down it can be loaded. I know of Siam mausers and lee enfields being converted to 4570, but I'm not sure the m-98 can do that. I've also read that the 4570 can be a finicky feeder in a bolt gun. I do plan on loading my own, but only elk rounds. Most every round to be shot from it, not elk hunting, will be a factory load.

Feeding straight walled cases are a always a problem in a bolt action.  Had always planned on building a .411 hawk until I read about all of the feeding problems that they have.  But it would be cool to have a bolt action 45cal.  You can load a 458 way down.  My dad had a m70 that he loaded a 405gr cast bullet at around 1300fps.

[yorketransport]

The 450 makes more sense in a short barreled bolt gun than the full size 458 Win Mag. I had a 458 WM for a while, but I just didn't see the need for that much gun. If I was going to down load it to 450 or 45-70 ballistics it made more sense to get one of those calibers. Besides, the 458 was an Interarms Mk X, and I just don't care for Mauser actions. So I sold it and bought the Guide Gun in 450. I liked the Guide Gun and the caliber, it just got traded off to somebody who liked the combo better than I did.

The 450 has the advantage of working more efficiently out of a shorter action, with a shorter barrel than the full sized 458 Win Mag. The Marlin just makes a better carbine round. I plan on having an 18" Savage barrel made. It would be an easy swap to convert any short action into take the Marlin case. I'm just waiting to find a good deal on a short mag donor rifle. The barrel would cost under $300 bucks, depending on the brand. But this barrel is just one of the many projects that I'll get to "some day". The bolt action 450 Marlin and a 358 Winchester have been on my list of must have barrels for a few years now, but they just keep getting bumped by other projects.

Andrew

[superdown]

what are the advantages of the short mag action over the standard short action for this conversion? all this talk of a 450 carbine is getting me really interested in one.