Is it legal to hunt Dangerous game in Africa with a 45/70 Lever action rifle?

[archerman]

Is it legal to hunt Dangerous game in Africa with a 45/70 Lever action rifle ? ( I have a Henry Lever Action SideGate 22" barrel )

 

[AES]

Yes, it is.

 

[Mike70560]

As far as being legal, maybe or maybe not, depends on country. If you look at Zimbabwe requirements, caliber is fine, but can it make 4000 Ft pounds of energy? I think even Garret's ammo does not make 4000 Ft pounds.

As far as reality, ask your PH, it is almost certainly going to be OK.

As far as is it a good idea, well that horse has been beat to death.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

[revturbo9967]

There is a podcast on this very topic where Kevin Robertson goes into great detail about the 45/70 and African game

 

[everett]

I may be mistaken, but I believe Tundra Tiger took a buff with one a year or so ago.

 

[Longwalker]

archerman, you do realize “Africa” is a continent and not a country, and that each country makes their own rules? Just thought it may be helpful to point that out. Minimum legal cartridges are posted under the “hunting info by country” heading on this website. Some have a caliber requirement, some an energy and caliber requirement, some neither.

 

[Green Chile]

Over 10 years ago, I hunted with a leveraction 45-70 that had been converted to 50 Alaskan. I took a tuskless elephant with it in Zim upon the request of CMS to bring it on the hunt. I brained the elephant successfully.

 

[BeeMaa]

archerman, you do realize “Africa” is a continent and not a country, and that each country makes their own rules? Just thought it may be helpful to point that out. Minimum legal cartridges are posted under the “hunting info by country” heading on this website. Some have a caliber requirement, some an energy and caliber requirement, some neither.

First sort out the legality of where you intend to hunt.

Secondly, understand every caliber has limitations, and the 45-70, although a .458 caliber bullet, it only makes around 3600 lb-ft of energy with a 300 grain bullet at 2350 fps and has a sectional density of .212. The ballistics of the commercially available ammo for the 45-70 has to be limited because of the age of the rifles that it can be fired in (cartridge introduced in 1895). Not to mention that only flat-nosed (or Hornady Flex Tip) bullets can be used.

It is considered more desirable when hunting DG to have a SD above .300 for better penetration. Example...375H&H with a 300 grain Barnes TSX at 2540 fps generates almost 4300 lb-ft of energy and has a sectional density of .357. Ballistically beating out the larger 45-70 cartridge.

So what does all of this mean? It means if you chose to hunt with a 45-70, you may have to pass on opportunities that would be available if using a cartridge with better ballistics. Either way, please speak with your PH about what type of hunt you expect and inform him of the caliber you wish to use. Typically they can accommodate just about anything as long as they are aware in advance.

 

[sgt_zim]

If you do, you will want to reload, or buy Garrison or Buffalo Bore.

5 years ago, I'd have said "Beartooth Bullets" for reloading. But they appear to have gone out of business. I'm pushing their 525 gr bullet at 1625 fps, but that's still *only* about 3K ft lbs of energy. I wouldn't take a poke at anything dangerous past 75 yards with that, and then only if I had a perfect shot - broadside or quartering away.

While you can generate a couple hundred more ft lbs of energy with a 350 gr, you're looking at an SD of around 0.24, That 525 gr bullet has an SD well north of 0.3

 

[Green Chile]

I used the Punch bullets on my levergun elephant hunt. This one is recovered from the elephant's skull and was only slightly bent afterwards. It's almost reloadable.

 

[crs]

The Punch and North Fork solids worked quite well on elephant brain shots for my 1886 .45-90 also. Both are excellent solids.

 

[BeeMaa]

Cutting Edge Bullets makes several bullets that will work in a lever action as well. Or buy a Ruger No 1 chambered in 45-70 and handload just about anything you want.

 

[Philip Glass]

There is a podcast on this very topic where Kevin Robertson goes into great detail about the 45/70 and African game

Yes it's The Big Game Hunting Podcast and was about a year ago. Kevin does a great job of explaining why a saddle gun is a bad idea for DG.
I hunted my mountain lion with a new .45/70. It was freezing cold and it jammed on me. Badly. Long story and I got the cat but I should have taken anything else But a lever gun.

 

[revturbo9967]

Yes it's The Big Game Hunting Podcast and was about a year ago. Kevin does a great job of explaining why a saddle gun is a bad idea for DG.
I hunted my mountain lion with a new .45/70. It was freezing cold and it jammed on me. Badly. Long story and I got the cat but I should have taken anything else But a lever gun.

John on the podcast is a pretty big lever guy and took one to Africa on his first trip I believe. He even pitched it to me as a good “go to gun” when I was on his podcast talking about bear hunting. That said he admits the .45/70 isn’t a good choice for DG as well. Kevin’s idea of modifying turnbulls 475 down to a .411 or .416 is a pretty neat idea though. Shooting a 400 grain bullet you will have a SD of .338 or .330 and plenty to take down any game as long as the velocity is there, but to your point a lever gun can get you into a stick situation on its own. I believe there are too many moving parts and too many risks with a lever gun on DG. There is a reason why double rifles have been used for over a hundred years.

 

[Philip Glass]

John on the podcast is a pretty big lever guy and took one to Africa on his first trip I believe. He even pitched it to me as a good “go to gun” when I was on his podcast talking about bear hunting. That said he admits the .45/70 isn’t a good choice for DG as well. Kevin’s idea of modifying turnbulls 475 down to a .411 or .416 is a pretty neat idea though. Shooting a 400 grain bullet you will have a SD of .338 or .330 and plenty to take down any game as long as the velocity is there, but to your point a lever gun can get you into a stick situation on its own. I believe there are too many moving parts and too many risks with a lever gun on DG. There is a reason why double rifles have been used for over a hundred years.

For sure.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

I may be mistaken, but I believe Tundra Tiger took a buff with one a year or so ago.

I missed this thread. Point of fact, as of now, I have taken two buffalo with my .45-70. Both were one shot kills at about 40ish yards. Thanks for the mention @everett.

 

[WebleyGreene455]

As far as being legal, maybe or maybe not, depends on country. If you look at Zimbabwe requirements, caliber is fine, but can it make 4000 Ft pounds of energy? I think even Garret's ammo does not make 4000 Ft pounds.

As far as reality, ask your PH, it is almost certainly going to be OK.

As far as is it a good idea, well that horse has been beat to death.

Good luck with your hunt.

Garret's 420gr "hammerhead +P" makes the energy requirements for lion, giraffe, and eland in Zimbabwe (unless they changed something from the last time I checked), but definitely falls short of the requirements for buffalo/elephant/hippo.

If you want to consider leopard and croc "dangerous game" (I do, because they're capable of rending me asunder with teeth and claws), then it's more than fine for those.

In any case, sure it's legal, @archerman . But it's dependent on the type of "dangerous game" you want and what country you're in, and also on whether or not your firearm is rated for the pressures you need to meet requirements.

~~W.G.455

(ETA: Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I didn't realize this thread was almost a year old haha.)

 

[OxfordTheCat]

archerman, you do realize “Africa” is a continent and not a country, and that each country makes their own rules? Just thought it may be helpful to point that out. Minimum legal cartridges are posted under the “hunting info by country” heading on this website. Some have a caliber requirement, some an energy and caliber requirement, some neither.

Echoing this a little bit, even when it comes to a country, rules can be quite diverse.

Having caught a little flak here and there in social settings for an interest in hunting and Africa in particular, I like the example of Sandhill Cranes.

Those in North America might be familiar with them from visiting Florida, where Sandhill Cranes are an endangered species, protected, and with signage rivalling those warning of alligators in number to let you know they're endangered and protected.

.... meanwhile, in Texas, ~500km west, Sandhill Cranes are sustainably hunted. Limit is three per day.

"Africa" is an awfully big place. And that elephants or lions might be critically endangered in some parts, doesn't mean they're not game animals in others - if not outright nuisance animals depending on the circumstances.

Seeing "Africa" as a monolith leads to confusion. Just as if one was comparing hunting opportunities in the Sierra Madres to that of the Rockies, or the plains, or of anywhere else on the continent.

Most people just don't know any better.

 

[OxfordTheCat]

(ETA: Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I didn't realize this thread was almost a year old haha.)

It popped up in my feed, so I embraced it as well.

something-something standing on the shoulders of necro-posting giants..

I forget how the old saying goes.