See also .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 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors 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. [Click Here to Shop .45-70 Government Ammo]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 yardsWhat 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. [Click Here to Shop .45-70 Government Ammo]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 calibersA 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. [Click Here to Shop .45-70 Government Ammo]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.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. 22 Comments RJ Adkins - Jan 02, 2024Completely 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. Craig Sellier - May 23, 2024What 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. Craig Sellier - May 23, 2024What 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. JTAC - Jul 04, 2024I 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. Z - Jul 04, 2024With 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. Robert House - Jul 04, 2024With the right load the 45-70 Government can take any game on this Earth like with +P Hard cast and +P Underwood Extreme penetrator. EBob - Jul 04, 2024🤣 Have you ever actually hunted Grizzly Bear, or had to defend yourself against a Grizzly Bear dude? This article is total B.S.! LOL! Drew - Aug 10, 2024You can’t look at the most anemic factory loads and suggest a hunter might use those for a once in a lifetime brown bear hunt. Have you ever heard of Underwood, Buffalo Bore, Hornady or other +P hardcast or solid copper loads? Come on now, some approach 4000 ft/lb of energy. My own go to load throws a 300 gr Speer hotcore @ 2430fps @ 12’. Use your bullet energy calc. That’ll stop anyting on the planet except Elephant, Rhino, hippo or cape buff.. Mike - Sep 09, 2024Every article posted by foundry outdoors always states the same thing. Yall assume a lot. Never assume cause it makes an ass out of you and me. People aren’t quite as ignorant as assumed by writers and politicians. 4570 has killed bears for decades. No body armor on these critters. Shot placement is . 223/5.56 with 55gr fmj does it all the time do in reasonably sure a 45/70-430gr hard cast or a 325gr extreme hunter mono bullet will do the trick. G - Oct 18, 2024This article about .45-70 being underkill is full of blasphemy. Old time hunters were using black powder 45-70 with 405 grain bullets and they STILL stopped bears and any other critters that got in their way. Even to this day, .45-70 can be used to take down Safari game such as tigers and lions, albeit a bit light for that use but is practical. Whoever wrote this has clearly never hunted before or is trying to spread untruthful facts. 1 2 3 Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment
