.45-70 Government for Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunt
- Hunting Calibers
- 04 Apr, 2020
Is the .45-70 Government a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for grizzly or brown bear hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .45-70 Government is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear.
As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the grizzly or brown bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the grizzly or brown bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on.
What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a grizzly or brown bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically.
Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .45-70 Government within the ideal range of suitable calibers for grizzly or brown bear hunting?” our answer is:
No, the .45-70 Government is UNDERKILL for grizzly or brown bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.
Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table.
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .45-70 Government |
| Animal Species | Grizzly Or Brown Bear |
| Muzzle Energy | 2270 foot-pounds |
| Animal Weight | 595 lbs |
| Shot Distance | 200 yards |
What is the average muzzle energy for a .45-70 Government? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .45-70 Government round is approximately 2270 foot-pounds.
What is the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear is approximately 595 lbs.
What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in grizzly or brown bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for grizzly or brown bear to be approximately 200 yards.
What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .45-70 Government. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the grizzly or brown bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.
Various calibers
A common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions.
Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .45-70 Government is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear - and to this question, the response again is no, the .45-70 Government is UNDERKILL for grizzly or brown bear hunting.
This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below.
Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting grizzly or brown bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.
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28 Comments
The meat and potatoes of this article base a conclusion on simple numbers and a perceived benchmark. That’s an easy conclusion to come to when your knowledge of stopping or killing power come from the internet.
Grizzlies don’t live in the internet, or on a sheet of paper with those arbitrary numbers. Only fantasies do.
Grizzlies live in the wild. They can be tough as hell. But if you put a 350 to 400 plus grain, 458 caliber bullet into the heart/lungs or central nervous system, it will die. If that bullet has slowed down to 1200 fps, it’s still a very large delivery truck bringing death along with it. I’ve killed a good number of huge furry beasts with the 45/70 and tried many different loads. In recent years, I have used the factory Remington 405 grain slow pokes because I had confidence (based on loads of past experiences with it) that those loads will still do the job within sensible ranges (my judgment set my limit to 150 yards or under). One big bull elk five years ago and one big bull moose quartering away at 120 yards. Both dropped within a few steps. Recovered the bullet under the hide on the moose after it had busted the far shoulder.
I wouldn’t feel under gunned for one second even on Kodiak Island even if all I had were the soft Remington 405 loads. I’d never recommend the 300 grain for anything bigger than elk.
My favorite loads though, are my hand loads of 350 grain Hornady Round Nose cruising at 2150 fps. Hornady designed those for a North American 458 WM load, so they hold up pretty good.
I hope the author of this article gets to go hunting someday and enjoy what’s really going on out there.
Total BS. 45/70 with the correct ammo will kill a grizzly all day long. At close range.
Shot many large game in Northern Canada. I will tell you unequivocally that my 45-70 with the Hornady 300 g will stop anything North America has to offer.
Well, I just got around to reading this article today. Also read all the comments. Wow, that’ll learn ya to bash somebody’s favorite cartridge. I would venture to say that readers these days take things way to serious and personal before they think about their response to a comment by someone else. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, the writer was just being cautious about giving advise to young readers with little to no experience in the woods or at a reloading bench. In this world we live in today, common sense is not a rich commodity and some folks have a hard time comprehending things others just simply know to be true by experience. In other words, if you tell some fool to jump, they just might do it without looking where they are going to land and sue you for putting them in danger. I’m betting this writer was just being cautious.
I’m betting he knew full well that all the experienced hunters out there would recognize the caution in all of his statement. With little to no mention of reloading the 45-70gov with hard cast heavies that thump on the recoil end as well and real hunting tactics (stalking in for the shot at real hunting range for the tool being used, “200yds.” That is funny. If you’re scared, get a morter and fire for effect from your safe space ).
Of course when properly loaded for a hacked off Bruin a 45-70gov will end that tussle real quick like. Within proper range, loaded with “BEAR” ammo and proper shot placement the 45-70gov will absolutely hit with the hammer of Thor on any critter roaming God’s green earth, including any bear. If you choose to do it with factory ammo, that would be your choice. It’s been done before, effectively so for years, and it will get done again. For me, I prefer the results from a handloaded, wide, flat nose, hard cast bullet freight- training along breaking shoulders and destroying vital organs and nervous system and leaving a leak hole on the off side. No compensation for drift or drop, just a real sudden STOP! That’s just me.
From my perspective, I respectfully disagree with the writer’s conclusions on the 45-70gov ‘s viability as a bear cartridge. I just don’t hunt that way.
Thanks.
Completely disagree with article. The 4570 is the caliber of choice for many bear hunting guides. With correct bullets and charges it’s great for penetrating through bones in big bears. Also, I n a short lever action, it gets on target quickly with capability of fast follow up shots. Also quoted energy in the article is about half of the cartridge capability.
What I don’t understand is it’s been said by many that while fishing, camping, hiking or any other activity in Alaska or places where there big Grizzly bear 🐻. That a 44 magnum or a 454 casull is sufficient enough to carry for bear 🐻 protection for handguns.
Yet for long guns they saying that the 45-70 and the S&W 500 magnum rifle’s are not suitable for hunting Grizzly bear. 🤔 Well, that 45-70 and that 500 Magnum 50 caliber shooting from 500 to 700 grain bullets is serious medicine.
It’s been said many times that the 45-70 will kill the big 5 along with the 500 S&W also. I’d really like to get a real truthful answer so I’d know if I’d be safe are am I just going out there to feed the bear 🐻 me. I really need to know. I believe that 45-70 with 405 hard cast Barnes bullets would break shoulder bones and come out the other side. The 500 S&W magnum lever action rifle is capable of shooting through and through a car engine the 45-70 as well but they are not powerful enough to hunt Grizzly bears. I do realize some Grizzly bear 🐻 🐻❄ will go over 1000 lbs. And stand 10 feet tall. That’s a serious Animal and there’s no room for errors.
What I don’t understand is it’s been said by many that while fishing, camping, hiking or any other activity in Alaska or places where there big Grizzly bear 🐻. That a 44 magnum or a 454 casull is sufficient enough to carry for bear 🐻 protection for handguns.
Yet for long guns they saying that the 45-70 and the S&W 500 magnum rifle’s are not suitable for hunting Grizzly bear. 🤔 Well, that 45-70 and that 500 Magnum 50 caliber shooting from 500 to 700 grain bullets is serious medicine.
It’s been said many times that the 45-70 will kill the big 5 along with the 500 S&W also. I’d really like to get a real truthful answer so I’d know if I’d be safe are am I just going out there to feed the bear 🐻 me. I really need to know. I believe that 45-70 with 405 hard cast Barnes bullets would break shoulder bones and come out the other side. The 500 S&W magnum lever action rifle is capable of shooting through and through a car engine the 45-70 as well but they are not powerful enough to hunt Grizzly bears. I do realize some Grizzly bear 🐻 🐻❄ will go over 1000 lbs. And stand 10 feet tall. That’s a serious Animal and there’s no room for errors.
I am confused by this article… rated as “Underkill”. I got charged by an 800 lb male grizzly that surprised me after I stumbled upon a fresh kill. I had just enough time to pull my rifle up and get 2 shots off. The first round was so rushed I barely grazed the animal. The second round I tighten up my mechanics and took my shot for its chest. Right as I squeezed the trigger the bear dropped its head and that 45-70 405 round blew its skull cap off and dropped that bear about 18 yards from me. A lot closer than I ever want to be to any Grizzly in a full speed charge. I would suffice to say it was very effective. I get ethics of hunting shot placement and everything else when hunting. But, most of the time you do not normally get a 200 yard shot, depending on your location. I know if I hunt using my 45-70 for bear I am trying to take my shot between 100 to 125 yards away. Big hard flat tipped rounds work great.
With the custom loads I have for my vintage JM Marlin 1895, I am confident 45-70 would be prevalent over any mammal indigenous to this planet. (Maybe not in one shot, because placement is a big factor…)
I stand strong on this statement.
With the right load the 45-70 Government can take any game on this Earth like with +P Hard cast and +P Underwood Extreme penetrator.