Thinking about a more powerful pistol cartridge. Saw a nice 454 FA at the last gun show. Shot one before. My friend told me he had a contender barrel in 45-70 once, could that be possible? Any thoughts?

It's not only possible. It's been a reality for many years. I can't speak with much authority on the subject since I've only had mine for less than a year. I can tell you it's a handful to shoot. Takes a little getting used to. Get one with a muzzle brake.
I'm sure others on here can give you more info.

What kind of ballistics are we talking here? Lets say compared to a 44 mag.. Do you have any favorite loads youve worked up or do you shoot factory ammo?

I had a 45-70 cntender barrel for years and sold it. It was lacking in the accuracy area for me. I now own a BFR 45-70 and absolutely love it.

Rbecker,

Out of a 14" barrel, you're pushing a 350-400 grain bullet a good 200 fps (or more) faster than a 240-300 gr 44 Mag loaded pretty hot.

Thumps on both ends!

I had looked into the 45-70 in the Contender, and ended up going with a 475JDJ - it's the 45-70 cartridge blown out to a straight-walled 475. A big hammer for sure

Dur what velocities do you get from the 475JDJ? Are you shooting 400 gr bullets or heavier?

Craig - I have a bunch of 325 gr Speer GDSP's loaded up currently - can't remember the fps offhand, but they're cooking

For deer and hogs here, it's a hammer - I have a bunch of larger .475 bullets to run in it if and when I want to shoot something really big with it...anybody want to sponsor a trip to Africa? JD has some data on the 500's. Ouch.

If you want the biggest of hammers go with the Encore, there isn't anything I know of they can't be chambered in. You'll give before the gun does. I know a couple guys with 470NE's and one I built a 458 Lott for. I shoot a 458 Win Mag regularly pushing a 350gr Speer SP to 2400fps. I would say though unless your going to Africa the 454 will handle everything in North America and has handled everything in Africa up to and including Elephant.

I am actually liking the idea of the 454 casul or the 480 ruger now and revolver seems doable maybe a ruger SA or DA

I am actually liking the idea of the 454 casul or the 480 ruger now and revolver seems doable maybe a ruger SA or DA. I thought it would be good to get some experience with the heavier bullets. Both these cartridges have more than enough power for my needs.

Heavier slugs tend to be more shooter friendly coming from a larger bore, rather than a longer package. The 45LC handles 250-300 grain slugs just fine. Rather than going to a longer case (454) to shoot a heavier slug I went to a fatter one in the 480R. It is a sweetheart to shoot compared to the same bullet weight from a 454.

I would look into the BFRs as well as the rugers. I love my rugers but the BFRs are very fine handguns as well and darn accurate.

yep and you can order them in the cal you want whereas a Ruger would have to be custom built which can take up to 2 years. I've been building them but I think when I'm done with the 4 I have in the shop I'm going to get out of the heavy custom stuff do to time constraints and my health. I'm already 5 mos behind on the ones I've got.

all good points thanks everyone for the guidance.

Wow Rod. I think that is good news...

Wasn't too long ago that my .475 L was the first one you did for a client.

What I mean is that you are TOO busy! And can probably "make it" on the lighter jobs. That is good news, I think!

Id 2nd or 3rd the BFR they are great shooting guns,Ive had the oppotunity to shoot a 30-06 Encore and it was the ugliest handgun? Ive ever shot with those big wood grips,definetly not interested in one of those.

BFR 45-70 good gun and the recoil is not bad at all.very accurate gun to 100 yds and will thump about anything it hits.

depends on the load, you stoke it up to 450 Marlin pressures which you can do on the JT prefix frames and it can become a monster. 440gr@1650fps out of a 7.5", out of the ten it would have been closer to 1750fps. Handloaded the 45-70 can excede the performance of the 450.

Ouch!!!

Only hurts for a little while.

Ran mine close to that.

I still have feeling in my hands :).

If I could only keep one handgun it would be my 45-70 contender. I love it. Recoil is not that bad. I've shot a box of the leverevolutions through it in one sitting just plinking. I prefer the plain 300 grain jhp factory ammo. I pick it up when I see it on the shelf. Deer don't run off usually but if they do just follow the red trail left behind. I bought it after some so-so results with 30-30 barrel and factory ammo. I love my 45-70 barrel with iron sights only. It's my go to gun when hunting heavy cover and I'm serious about venison.

How does it compare to shooting a "normal" .44 Mag revolver? I have to admit, a .45-70 handgun seems very intimidating!

Shooting 300gr XTP's out of a 44mag in a revolver isn't as bad as shooting 300gr of whatever out of a 45-70 in a Contender IMHO. I think the 44 in a revolver resembles more of a 375 Win in a Contender.

I have shot my 44 mag and 45-70 within minutes of each other at the range. My 45-70 has a 16" barrel and the tc muzzle tamer. The recoil is more of a push than my 44 super redhawk. If you try the 45-70 I would not recommend the hornady leverevolution because it has more recoil than the plan 300 grain bullets you can buy anywhere. I prefer the Winchester and federal 300 grain jhp. I like my 45-70 without a scope and use the iron sights in heavy cover.

I got a 45-70 and wouldn't take for it. I shoot 300grn JHP and I have taken deer with it many times. I love to take it to the range and play. It is a SSK barrel. It is also ported. With the porting and Pachmayr grips it is a dream to shoot. It is a hammer.
Mike

I second that! Night and day difference between Win. Super X 300g and Hornady Leverevolution 325g. in my BFR!

Ya I ran a box of Leverevolution thru my BFR not long ago and there was a big difference between them. My hand felt it and the BFR doesn't recoil bad at all with standard 45-70 ammo.

I use to run Leverevolution thru my BFR. The recoil wasnt bad at all. Alot less than I expected.

Several years ago when we were working up the pressure data for the .450 Marlin we made a few discoveries that you might find interesting if you are going to do an Encore. The .450 Marlin would launch several bullets faster than the 45-70 when both were loaded to Marlin safe pressures.

Because of the lead in front of the case mouth on the .450 some of the bullets would actualy make a run before contacting the lands sort of like the free bore on a Weatherby chamber.

One of the best all around performers was the 400gr Barnes flat nose original. The .450 Would gain about 130fps over the 45-70 with this bullet and was an absolute tack driver.

Now if doing a 45-70 in an Encore where overall length isn't going to be an issue you have some real cool options. The Crater 2 bullets which are bore riders open up considerable case capacity. Using the 550gr C2 bullet you expect an honest 1550fps from a 14" barrel. Using the 420gr C2 you can get 1800fps from a 14" barrel in the 45-70. Both of those bullets will get it done. reflex264