450 Marlin

[buglebull]

Anyone own a 450 Marlin? I’ve been researching this caliber along with 45-70. Any insights / comments appreciated. 45-70 is much more common but I’m drawn to a particular rifle . . the Winchester Model 94 trails end edition which is a take down rifle offered in 450 Marlin.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by buglebull

Anyone own a 450 Marlin? I’ve been researching this calibre along with 45-70. Any insights / comments appreciated. 45-70 is much more common but I’m drawn to a particular rifle . . the Winchester Model 94 trails end edition which is a take down rifle offered in 450 Marlin.

In a lever with flat or RN bullets it performs almost exactly the same as 45-70 loads at modern lever pressures. The 450 Marlin does gain an advantage in the BLR or a bolt gun where you can use pointed bullets and the Rimless design works much better in a bolt. The 450 Marlin is effectively a 458 Win Mag shortened to 2 inches or the 458x2 Wildcat, but with a slightly larger diameter belt to keep it from chambering in a 300 WM or 7 Rem, 338 etc.


In the gun you are buying the 45-70 and 450 Marlin are pretty much the same performance wise and if it were me i would buy the 45-70 as brass is proprietary and not that easy to find, let alone the low availability of factory ammo. The 45-70 brass and factory loads are cheap easier to come by and the 45-70 resells easier, unless you go with a bolt gun or the BLR.

[fps plus]

If you want top velocity 45 cal loads factory ammo the 450 marlin . However I am not sure the availability of 450 factory ammo . 45-70 factory ammo is loaded at lower pressure levels to be compatible with weaker action firearms ie trap door Springfields . If you are a reloader that point is mute.
When 450 marlin first came out I built myself one based on a bolt action Ruger M-77. A fellow from the Yukon talked me out of it , kinda wish I kept it