The military version of the .45-70 is only separated by three generations of ammo. The United States went from .45-70 to .30-40 Krag, to .30-06, and then settled on 7.62 NATO, aka 7.62x51mm, aka .308 Winchester. What makes that funny, at least to me, is that between these two cartridges, we discovered the telephone, the lightbulb, the automobile, the airplane, and nuclear weapons. Yet, we only advanced three generations of cartridges.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to follow and signup for notifications!
The .45-70 and the .308 Winchester fall into this world of full-powered rifle cartridges, but both guns do it differently. The .45-70 uses a big, fat, heavy bullet propelled by a large charge of black powder. The .308 Win benefits from the advent of smokeless powder and uses a smaller, lighter cartridge at a much higher velocity.
Both rounds have a history with the military, with hunters, and with military collectors, cloners, and enthusiasts. Admittedly, the .308 Winchester is a slightly different loading than the 7.62x51mm the military uses, but one begets the other, so they are often tied to one another. One thing the cartridges have in common is a growth away from their original intention.
The .308 Winchester shouldn’t be used in firearms designed for 7.62x51mm. The .308 is loaded to a higher pressure than the military cartridge. The .45-70 has evolved as ammo evolved. A lot of modern loads wouldn’t be safe in older guns. This has led to various cartridges with subtitles. If you are shooting an antique, you want Trap Door-suitable ammo, but if you’re using a modern rifle, the Hornady Leverlution might be your go-to.
While these cartridges are very different from one another, they have a lot in common, which is why we are putting the two head to head today and figuring out which is best for you.
.45-70 Cartridge
Check Price
308 Winchester Cartridge
Check Price
.45-70 History
.45-70 Cartridge
The .45-70 is perfect for hunting big and potentially dangerous game.
Check Latest Price
The .45-70 came to be in a time when cartridge firearms were becoming the norm. It replaced the .50-70 and the military wanted a .45 caliber bullet that offered better range, penetration, and accuracy. The military adopted the .45-70 in 1873 with a single shot Springfield rifle and even Gatling guns. The round quickly gianed popularity amongst hunters and frontiersmen due its accuracy and power.
The round offered decent range, but the big, heavy bullet tended to fall fast and ahrd, which called for long range tang sights. The bullets lobbed in a raindbow like pattern, but could reach out quite far. The round remained popular even as newer cartridges used lighter bullets at higher velocities. The big, heavy projectile still offers advantages and fits niches that make it a popular round.
.308 Win History
308 Winchester Cartridge
The .308 Winchester is the old-school full-powered round.
Check Latest Price
The .308 Winchester’s development is tied to the 7.62x51mm round developed for the U.S. Military. The military was using the .30-06, a cartridge with a 63mm long case. They wanted to trim to action length which would allow for more reliable operation in automatic weapons. Winchester obtained a bit of information about the cartridge and saw a market for a civilian version of what was called the T65 at the time.
Winchester was right. The .308 Winchester uses a 7.62 projectile on a 51mm case but was loaded to higher pressures than the military cartridge. The .308 was an instant success and became a very popular round with hunters, marksmen, and competitors. It remains an extremely popular cartridge and is widely used by a diverse group of shooters.
When we talk accuracy, it’s important to distinguish between what a shooter can do and what a cartridge can do. As far as I know, they don’t make inaccurate cartridges, but they do make poor shooters. When we talk accuracy in regards to cartridges, we are discussing which is easier to shoot accurately. If I give you a target at 500 yards and a rifle in either .308 or .45-70, which is easier for you to make hits with?
If we are shooting at 500 yards, the .308 is going to be the better option all day long. It’s the easier option to shoot at that type of range. With a .45-70, you have bullets weighing hundreds of grains, rapidly losing velocity and rapidly dropping. While the .45-70 can reach out and carry that heavy projectile, you are lobbing the round. To take the .45-70 out to longer ranges, you have to have a great knowledge of windage, elevation, and bullet drop.
The .308 is going to be much flatter shooting and, therefore, easier to hit targets at 500 yards and beyond. Out to 800, you can make decent hits with the .308. It’s easier to shoot accurately by a large margin. As we get closer to our target, our margin does start to shrink, but it’s not until about 200 yards that the two rounds are comparable.
Ballistically, the two rounds are a lot different in a lot of ways. When it comes to the .45-70, the ballistics will vary a lot between different loads. For example, the .45-70’s original 405-grain load hits with around 1,600 foot-pounds of energy, but a modern 300-grain laid can hit with almost 3,500 foot-pounds of energy.
The .308 does have some variance to the loads, but it’s not as broad as the .45-70. You’re looking at 2,500 to 2,700 foot pounds. The .308 tends to be more versatile when accounting for range and use case. The .45-70 tends to excel quite well, lat being a close-range thumper.
In the modern era these two rounds ar epriamrily used for hunting. Both rounds can take the majority of North American game. The .308 might be just a bit too small for some of the larger game, but its not unheard of to use .308 for Brown bear.
The .45-70 is a proven big game killer and can be used around the world with decent effect. The big bullet does limit your range, but it’s very capable of penetrating through tough hide, fat, muscle, and breaking bones.
The .308 does do better with medium game. The round can very effectively kill whitetail deer and hogs without damaging an excessive amount of meat. Let’s be clear, a .45-70 will absolutely kill a deer or hog, but the big bullet might create excessive damage, which ruins meat, hide, and everything else.
The .308 tend to be the more versatile huntning cartridge, but the .45-70 tends to be the safer one shop stop cartridge for big game. The .45-70 allows for a little room for era due to the rounds ability to penetrate and pierce so effectively.
The recoil of the .308 tends to be somewhat sharp but controllable, especially in semi-auto platforms. It’s generally out of the more pleasant full-powered rifle rounds. Most grown adults can handle it, but it’s a poor choice for new shooters who are still getting used to the idea of kick. You cna expect anywhere from 16 to 20 foot pounds of recoil energy, there will be variances depending on rifle weight and action type.
The .45-70 on the other hand can be an entirely different animal. This was a cartridge designed when you had a good chance of dying from consumption and an army moved on its feet. People were tougher back then, and the .45-70 is a testament to that. The .45-70 hits ahrd and is a cartridge that should be utilzied by experienced shooters of the ful lgrown variety.
The .45-70 has 30 pounds of recoil on the lighter side, but up to 50 pounds with hot modern loads. With just one exception the .45-70 comes in manually fired rifles, most commonly lever actions or single shot rifles, which doesn’t help disperse recoil.
The .308 wins this category, hands down. While it’s the younger round, it’s much more common. Ammo will be cheap, easier to find, and loaded by a wider variety of manufacturers. Rifles of all types can be found in .308. You can get tactical semi-autos, sporting semi-autos, lever guns, bolt actions, single shots, and more. The .308 Win is popular in both high-end rifles and budget guns. It’s one of the most popular hunting cartridges in the United States.
The .45-70 is much more niche. While ammo and guns are available, they are much more limited. You’re likely going with a lever gun if you want a repeating rifle. The only semi-auto option was a very niche AR-10 design from Phoenix Weaponry. Ammo and firearms in .45-70 will also cost you a pretty penny. The one main logistic advantage to the .45-70 is the straight-walled design allows you to hunt in states that only allow straight-walled designs.
The .45-70 does a fantastic job at hitting hard at close ranges. If you’re brush hunting big game, or want a rifle for defense against bears and other predators the .45-70 will get it done. The cartridge throws a big fat round fairly fast. With modern ammo it will rip and tear. The .45-70 can be used in some niche competitions that involve old school rifles and cartridges and some serious long range shooting.
The .308 Winchester is a very versatile cartirdge with versatile loading options. It can reach out to 800 yards with ease and take most North American game. The cartridge comes in an array of different rifles at every price point. It’s popualrity ensures the prices remain somewhat low on ammo and guns. The .308 Win is likely the better option for the majority of shooters.
I think every shooter should experience the power of a .45-70. It really is a beast to shoot and a ton of fun, especially suppressed. It has a more limited use case and a much higher barrier to entry than the .308. The .308 is likely a better-working rifle caliber for most people. Both are all American cartridges with rich histories of stories told and forgotten.
