PLEASE CLOSE

[DavidMc116]

Has anyone put a muzzle brake or magna ported a 45-70 Ruger #3? I saw a magna ported 45-70 for sale on one of the gun sites but the seller didn't have any useful info.

 

[mcknight77]

I had one back in the day. Reduced the muzzle climb, but it still kicked..... hard.

 

[rugerjunkie]

I had one back in the day. Reduced the muzzle climb, but it still kicked..... hard.

"had one"...might be the important words there! Still kicked hard and now it's even louder!! What's not to like about that??

I personally see a magna ported rifle for sale and lose absolutely any interest I had for it. Rarity,caliber,been wanting "x" or "y" rifle forever and finally found one...ported...deal breaker. I feel if you need it ported to be able to shoot it , it's too much rifle for you.

Jeff

 

[DavidMc116]

Not at all, I was just curious if a muzzle brake or magna porting would reduce the recoil. I love my 45-70, shoot very manageable cast bullet loads.

 

[rugerjunkie]

Then you don't fall into the catagory of needing to port. Besides wrecking the value I don't see how people can hunt with a ported rifle. At the range is one thing but out hunting...no thanks. I shot a buds contender in 30-30 that was ported and will never use another!!

One other point. If it it intended to help reduce muzzle climb for a faster follow up shot , is that even an issue for a single shot? I don't leave my No.1 on my shoulder when reloading. Muzzle climb would actually help point the gun up for ya to help eject that empty even faster!! :)

Jeff

 

[DavidMc116]

Odd that you should mention a Contender. I've seen quite a few Contenders and XP-100's with muzzle brakes. This probably contributed to my curiosity about them after seeing the 45-70 magna ported. I don't know if it's a frequency thing or what, but the 220 Swift and 22-250 seem loudest to me. Painfully loud.

 

[Mike Armstrong]

I think the only real solutions to the recoil of the .45-70 #3 (other than selling it or re-barreling it to a lighter-kicking caliber!) are the one you wisely chose (reloading with lighter loads) or re-stocking it with a #1 stock with a proper recoil pad, or both.

If you do that, you can hang onto the old stock to retail the originality; you won't have to alter the #3 metal to fit the #1 stock, just open up the pistol grip's inside curve a tiny bit to clear the #3 lever. Factory #1 stocks are pretty hard to find, but a semi-finished one from a replacement stock dealer should be easy. And you can easily fit a thick recoil-absorbing pad to it, unlike the #3 stock.

Until I did this, I found that my #3 was extremely accurate but that I would begin to flinch after about 8-10 rounds and could never get comfortable enough shooting it to practice properly for hunting season. After the new stock and pad, I could get serious with factory 300 gr. ammo and then go hunting with confidence.

And it DO kill stuff!

 

[DavidMc116]

Mike Armstrong

Happy 3 year anniversay with this forum!!!!

 

[Yosemite Sam]

A 350gr cast slug on top of 14gr of Trail Boss will give you a load you can shoot all day without pain or developing a flinch. I just shot up a bunch of these this past weekend, and my arm still works. :)

I'm not sure how many of the 405gr Remington commercial loads I could shoot before the pain set in. I was using a recoil shield for those (first time with my .45-70).

Now the 325gr LeverRevolution rounds are another story entirely. If I ever have to shoot a rampaging T-Rex I know what I'll use. I shot two of them and that was enough for me. They're strong enough to unlock the lever, cause severe knuckle-busting, and wrench your shoulder violently. I have never shot a heavier round, and I've shot plenty of 12 gauge, slugs, magnum, what-have-you.

-- Sam

 

[rusty77]

I had a Ruger #3 in 45.70. It should did kick. Gunsmith found a barrel in .223 and fit it to the action.

Then I put a Harris bi-pod and nice scope on the rifle. Sure did make some groundhogs life unhappy.

Now I have a Siamese-Mauser converted to 45.70 with a great stock with pad. Still kicks, but much nicer to shoot and very accurate. 300 g JHP about 2150 fps.

 

[mcknight77]

I had one back in the day. Reduced the muzzle climb, but it still kicked..... hard.

"had one"...might be the important words there! Still kicked hard and now it's even louder!! What's not to like about that??

I personally see a magna ported rifle for sale and lose absolutely any interest I had for it. Rarity,caliber,been wanting "x" or "y" rifle forever and finally found one...ported...deal breaker. I feel if you need it ported to be able to shoot it , it's too much rifle for you.

Jeff

I know that's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but....

I'm not a fan of muzzle-brakes. Look ugly and, as you said, they are loud.

However, Magna-port in my experience isn't much louder than a plain barrel. And, yes they do work. Particularly on single action handguns that suffer from muzzle climb. I've had several Magna-ported rifles and handguns. They were not ugly (usually most folks don't even notice the slots) and they do help without a significant increase in noise directed sideways or rearward. Just my experience with them.

The reason the No.3 is so brutal is that it is a 6lb rifle and 400gr of bullet, not to mention that non-recoil-friendly buttstock. I've owned three or four of them. I've also owned a couple 1S in .45-70. They are much milder to shoot. I sold them all because I didn't have any use for them, not because I can't handle recoil. Ditto for my No1H in .375H&H. Everything I need in a rifle for bigger big game I can get done with my Zytel stocked .338WinMag.

YMMV

 

[DavidMc116]

I attended a gun show the other day and picked up a Leupold Ultra Light scope. I was amazed at how light it was. When I got home I looked them up online and found they were advertised as 17% lighter than their non-alloy counterparts. I was surprised that the Ultra Light only shaved 17% from a standard because it felt like half the weight.
I guess there's a fine line in the percentage game. If magna porting reduced recoil, not just muzzle climb by some percentage, then weighing the results by cost could be a worthwhile investment.
That's why I was asking for experienced help here. Thus far the answers other than asthetics and increased noise, the general consensus is that muzzle brakes and magna porting are a waste of money as recoil reducers.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

I think it comes down to the fact that there's a lot more to do with perceived/felt recoil than a couple of slots or holes in the barrel will overcome.

I have a ported Winchester O/U shotgun that kicks like an absolute mule. It has to do with weight, stock fit, the butt pad, a bunch of stuff. The porting is not branded "Magna-Porting", but a factory job, a bunch of backward-facing holes meant to direct the gases backwards and reduce recoil. It really doesn't do much, as far as I can tell.

-- Sam

 

[gunners]

Now the 325gr LeverRevolution rounds are another story entirely. If I ever have to shoot a rampaging T-Rex I know what I'll use. I shot two of them and that was enough for me. They're strong enough to unlock the lever, cause severe knuckle-busting, and wrench your shoulder violently. I have never shot a heavier round, and I've shot plenty of 12 gauge, slugs, magnum, what-have-you.

I think the LVR's are stout no doubt, but not that bad I think it comes down to individual perception. My wife shot them a couple of weeks ago in a Marlin XLR (cut the 9 ring with her first shot factory irons), she said they hurt a bit but not enough to stop her having 2 more shots. However her father had a go and nearly @#$% himself couldn't get him to have another shot for love or money. But then my wife could only shoot 1 of the 7mm mag it was just to much for her.
Just keep shooting those" manageable cast bullet loads" cause nobody likes brakes at the range anyway

 

[DavidMc116]

Thx all, let's close this thread.