405 gr (Original Government 45-70-405 Rifle Load test data published in 1874) [4] lead RN
1,350ft/s (410m/s)
1,638ft⋅lbf (2,221J)
500 gr (Original Government 45-70-500 RIfle Load test data published in 1887) [5] lead RN
1,315.7ft/s (401.0m/s)
1,921ft⋅lbf (2,605J)
405 gr (Original Government 45-55-405 Carbine Load test data published in 1887) [6] lead RN
1,150ft/s (350m/s)
1,189ft⋅lbf (1,612J)
300 gr (Standard) JHP
2,069ft/s (631m/s)
2,852ft⋅lbf (3,867J)
300 gr (Strong) JHP
2,275ft/s (693m/s)
3,449ft⋅lbf (4,676J)
Test barrel length: 32.6"[7] Source(s): Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
Original Ballistics of the 45-70-405 and 45-70-500 as recorded by the US Ordnance Department in 1874 and 1887
The original 45-70 loading was designated 45-70-405, referring to a 45 caliber bullet, 70 grains of black powder, and a 405 grain lead round nose bullet. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,350 feet per second (410m/s).[12] A reduced-power load of 55 grains (3.6g) of powder (Carbine Load) was manufactured for carbine use with a muzzle velocity of 1,150 feet per second (350m/s).[13]
In 1884, the US Ordnance Department increased the bullet weight of the 45-70 to new charge designed 45-70-500, or a 45 caliber bullet, 70 grains of black powder, and a 500 grain bullet.[14] The new 45-70-500 loading was recorded with a muzzle velocity of 1315.7 feet, and generated 1525ft lbs of energy at 100 yds, and 562.3ft lbs of energy at 1,000 yards, with a maximum range of 3,500 yards.[15]
Operating chamber pressure of the Springfield model 1873, firing the 45-70-400, is 19,000 psi.[16] The operating chamber pressure of the Springfield Model 1884, firing the 45-70-500, is 25,000 psi.[17]
According to the US Army Ordnance Department tests, the 45-70-405 was loaded to 19,000 psi, while the 45-70-500 was loaded to 25,000 psi
Nomenclature
The new cartridge was completely identified as the .45-70-405, but was also referred to as the ".45 Government" cartridge in commercial catalogs. The nomenclature of the time was based on three properties of the cartridge:
.45: nominal diameter of bullet, measured in decimal inches, i.e., 0.458in (11.63mm);
70: volume of black powder, measured in grains, i.e., 70 grains (4.54g);
405: weight of lead bullet, measured in grains, i.e., 405 grains (26.24g).
The minimum acceptable accuracy of the .45-70 from the 1873 Springfield was approximately 4 inches (100mm) at 100 yards (91m), however, the heavy, slow-moving bullet had a "rainbow" trajectory, the bullet dropping multiple yards (meters) at ranges greater than a few hundred yards (meters). A skilled shooter, firing at a known range, could consistently hit targets that were 6 × 6 feet (1.8m) at 600 yards (550m)—the Army standard target. It was a skill valuable mainly in mass or volley fire, since accurate aimed fire on a man-sized target was effective only to about 200–300 yards (180–270m).
After the Sandy Hook tests of 1879, a new variation of the .45-70 cartridge was produced: the .45-70-500, which fired a heavier, 500-grain (32g) bullet. The heavier bullet produced significantly superior ballistics and could reach ranges of 3,350yd (3,060m), which were beyond the maximum range of the .45-70-405. While the effective range of the .45-70 on individual targets was limited to about 1,000yd (910m) with either load, the heavier bullet produced lethal injuries at 3,500 yards (3,200m). At those ranges, the bullets struck point-first at a roughly 30-degree angle, penetrating three 1-inch (2.5cm) thick oak boards, and then traveled to a depth of eight inches (20cm) into the sand of the beach. It was hoped the longer range of the .45-70-500 would allow effective volley fire at ranges beyond those normally expected of infantry fire.[20]
Bullet diameter
While the nominal bore diameter was .450 inches (11.4mm), the groove diameter was actually closer to .458 inches (11.6mm). As was standard practice with many early commercially produced U.S. cartridges, specially-constructed bullets were often "paper patched", or wrapped in a couple of layers of thin paper. This patch served to seal the bore and keep the soft lead bullet from coming in contact with the bore, preventing leading (see internal ballistics). Like the cloth or paper patches used in muzzle-loading firearms, the paper patch fell off soon after the bullet left the bore. Paper-patched bullets were made of soft lead, .450 inches (11.4mm) in diameter. When wrapped in two layers of thin cotton paper, this produced a final size of .458 inches (11.6mm) to match the bore. Paper patched bullets are still available, and some black-powder shooters still "roll their own" paper-patched bullets for hunting and competitive shooting.[21][22] Arsenal loadings for the .45-70-405 and .45-70-500 government cartridges generally used groove diameter grease groove bullets of .458 inches (11.6mm) diameter.[23]
History
Cartridge profile and headstamp
The predecessor to the .45-70 was the .50-70-450 cartridge, adopted in 1866 and used until 1873 in a variety of rifles, many of them were percussion rifled muskets converted to trapdoor action breechloaders. The conversion consisted of milling out the rear of the barrel for the trapdoor breechblock, and placing a .50 caliber "liner" barrel inside the .58 caliber barrel. The .50-70 was popular among hunters, as the bullet was larger than the .44 caliber and also hit harder (see terminal ballistics), but the military decided as early as 1866 that a .45 caliber bullet would provide increased range, penetration and accuracy. The .50-70 was nevertheless adopted as a temporary solution until a significantly improved rifle and cartridge could be developed.
The result of the quest for a more accurate, flatter shooting .45 caliber cartridge and firearm was the Springfield trapdoor rifle. Like the .50-70, the .45-70 used a copper center-fire case design. A reduced power loading was also adopted for use in the Trapdoor carbine. This had a 55-grain (3.6g) powder charge.
Also issued was the .45-70 "Forager" round, which contained a thin wooden bullet filled with birdshot, intended for hunting small game to supplement the soldiers' rations.[24] This round in effect made the .45-70 rifle into a 49 gaugeshotgun.[citation needed]
The .45-caliber Springfield underwent a number of modifications over the years, the principal one being a strengthened breech starting in 1884. A new, 500-grain (32g) bullet was adopted in that year for use in the stronger arm. The M1873 and M1884 Springfield rifles were the principal small arms of the U.S. Army until 1893.
The .45-70 round was also used in several Gatling gun models from 1873 until it was superseded by the .30 Army round beginning with the M1893 Gatling gun.[25] Some .45-70 Gatling guns were used on U.S. Navy warships launched in the 1880s and 1890s.[26]
The Navy used the .45-70 caliber in several rifles: the M1873 and M1884 Springfield, the Model 1879 Lee Magazine Navy contract rifle, and the Remington-Lee, the last two being magazine-fed turnbolt repeating rifles. The Marine Corps used the M1873 and M1884 Springfield in .45-70 until 1897, when supplies of the new M1895 Lee Navy rifle in 6mm Lee Navy, adopted two years before by the Navy, were finally made available.
Realizing that single-shot black-powder rifles were rapidly becoming obsolete, the U.S. Army adopted the Norwegian-designed .30-40 Krag caliber as the Springfield Model 1892 in 1893. However, the .45-70 continued in service with the National Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps until 1897. The .45-70 was last used in quantity during the Spanish–American War (1898), and was not completely purged from the inventory until well into the 20th century. Many surplus rifles were given to reservation Indians for subsistence hunting and now carry Indian markings.
The .45-70 cartridge is still used by the U.S. military today, in the form of the "cartridge, caliber .45, line throwing, M32", a blank cartridge which is used in a number of models of line throwing guns used by the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard. Early models of these line throwing guns were made from modified Trapdoor and Sharps rifles, while later models are built on break-open single-shot rifle actions.[27][28][29]
Sporting use
Magnum Research BFR in .45/70 GovtA long-range tang sight, commonly used on black-powder cartridge riflesA graph showing the relative trajectories of the .45-70-405 and the 7.62×51mm/.308 Winchester out to 1,600 yards (1,500m)
As has become the contemporary norm with military ammunition, the .45-70 was an immediate hit among sportsmen, and the .45-70 has survived to the present day. Today, the traditional 405-grain (26.2g) load is considered adequate for any North American big game within its range limitations, including larger carnivores such as brown bear and polar bear, and it does not destroy edible meat on smaller herbivores such as pronghorn and deer, due to the bullet's low velocity. It is very good for big-game hunting in dense brush or heavy timber where the range is usually short. The .45-70, when loaded with the proper bullets at appropriate velocities, has been used to hunt the African "big-five".[30] The .45-70 thus demonstrates great versatility, being capable of hunting any four legged creatures, perhaps because its ability to maintain contemporary improvements within modern weapons capable of handling increased pressure cartridges.
The trajectory of the bullets is very steep, which makes for a very short point-blank range. This was not a significant problem at the time of introduction, as the .45-70 was a fairly flat-shooting cartridge for its time. Shooters of these early cartridges had to be keen judges of distance, wind and trajectory to make long shots; the Sharps rifle, in larger calibers such as .50-110 Winchester, was used at ranges of 1,000 yards (910m).[31] Most modern shooters use much higher velocity cartridges, relying on the long point-blank range, and rarely using telescopic sights' elevation adjustments, calibrated iron sights, or hold-overs. Sights found on early cartridge hunting rifles were quite sophisticated, with a long sighting radius, wide range of elevation, and vernier adjustments to allow precise calibration of the sights for a given range.[32] Even the military "creedmoor"-type rifle sights were calibrated and designed to handle extended ranges, flipping up to provide several degrees of elevation adjustment if needed.[33] The .45-70 is a popular choice for black-powder cartridge shooting events,[citation needed] and replicas of most of the early rifles, including Trapdoor, Sharps, and Remington single-shot rifles, are often available.
The .45-70 is a long-range caliber, and accurate use requires knowledge of windage and elevation by minute of angle and a sense for estimating distance in these calculations. The .45-70 retains great popularity among American hunters, and is still offered by several commercial ammunition manufacturers. Even when loaded with modern smokeless powders, pressures are usually kept low for safety in antique rifles and their replicas. Various modern sporting rifles are chambered for the .45-70, and some of these benefit from judicious handloading of homemade ammunition with markedly higher pressure and ballistic performance. Others, which reproduce the original designs still take the original load, but are not strong enough for anything with higher pressures. In a rifle such as the Siamese Mauser (commonly converted to fire .45-70 due to it being the only Mauser 98 derivative designed to feed rimmed cartridges, and the limited availability of ammunition for its original 8×50mmR chambering) or a RugerNo. 1 single-shot rifle, it can be handloaded to deliver good performance even on big African game. The .45-70 has also been used in double rifles since the development of the Colt 1878 rifle and the more modern replicas, like the Kodiak Mark IV.
In addition to its traditional use in rifles, Thompson Center Arms has offered a .45-70 barrel in both pistol and rifle lengths for their "Contender" single-shot pistol, one of the most potent calibers offered in the Contender frame. Even the shortest barrel, 14 inches (36cm), is capable of producing well over 2,500 foot-pounds force (3,400J) of energy, double the power of most .44 Magnum loadings, and a Taylor KO Factor as high as 40 with some loads. Recent .45-70 barrels are available with efficient muzzle brakes that significantly reduce muzzle rise and also help attenuate the recoil. The Magnum Research BFR is a heavier gun at approximately 4.5 pounds (2.0kg), helping it have much more manageable recoil.[34]
Only with the recent introduction of large caliber revolver cartridges, such as the .460 S&W Magnum and the .500 S&W Magnum, have production handguns begun to eclipse the .45-70 Contender in the field of big-game-capable handguns.[citation needed]
In firearm designs, the term single-shot refers to guns that can hold only a single round of ammunition inside and thus must be reloaded manually after every shot. Compared to multi-shot repeating firearms ("repeaters"), single-shot designs have no moving parts other than the trigger, hammer/firing pin or frizzen, and therefore do not need a sizable receiver behind the barrel to accommodate a moving action, making them far less complex and more robust than revolvers or magazine/belt-fed firearms, but also with much slower rates of fire.
The M1903 Springfield, officially the U. S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903, is an American five-round magazine-fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century.
The Colt Single Action Army is a single-action revolver handgun. It was designed for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and was adopted as the standard-issued pistol of the U.S. Army from 1873 until 1892.
The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1873 and served as an official US military handgun cartridge for 19 years, before being replaced by the .38 Long Colt in 1892.
The .38 Long Colt, also known as .38 LC, is a black powder cartridge introduced by Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1875. In 1892, it was adopted as a standard military pistol cartridge by the United States Army for the Colt M1892 revolver. The metric designation for the .38 Long Colt is 9.1×26mm. It is slightly more powerful than the .38 Short Colt, also known as .38 SC. The original .38 SC and .38 LC differ in case length, bullet diameter, weight, and design and are not interchangeable; however, modern production .38 SC ammunition is now loaded with a smaller, internally-lubricated bullet which can be fired from firearms chambered in .38 LC or .38 Special. The modern .38 LC can be fired from a .38 Special firearm, but not from a firearm designed for the .38 SC, since the case length is too long.
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge, 7.62×63mm in metric notation, and called the .30 Gov't '06 by Winchester, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and later standardized; it remained in military use until the late 1970s. In the cartridge's name, ".30" refers to the nominal caliber of the bullet in inches; "06" refers to the year the cartridge was adopted, 1906. It replaced the .30-03 Springfield, 6mm Lee Navy, and .30-40 Krag cartridges. The .30-06 remained the U.S. Army's primary rifle and machine gun cartridge for nearly 50 years before being replaced by the 7.62×51mm NATO and 5.56×45mm NATO, both of which remain in current U.S. and NATO service. The cartridge remains a very popular sporting round, with ammunition produced by all major manufacturers.
The .30 Carbine (7.62×33mm) is a rimless carbine/rifle cartridge used in the M1 carbine introduced in the 1940s. It is a light rifle round designed to be fired from the M1 carbine's 18-inch (458 mm) barrel.
The .30-40 Krag, also known as the .30 U.S. and .30 Army, was a rifle cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1892 small arm trials. Since the cartridge it was replacing was the .45-70 Government, the new cartridge was considered small-bore at the time. The rifle ultimately selected for use by the Army was the Krag–Jørgensen, formally adopted as the M1892 Springfield. The cartridge was also used in the M1893, M1895, M1897, and M1900 Gatling guns.
The .30-03 Springfield (7.62×65mm) was a short-lived cartridge developed by the United States in 1903, to replace the .30-40 Krag in the new Springfield 1903 rifle. The .30-03 was also called the .30-45, since it used a 45 grain powder charge; the name was changed to .30-03 to indicate the year of adoption. It used a 220 grain roundnose bullet. It was replaced after only three years of service by the .30-06, firing a spitzer bullet giving better ballistic performance.
The Springfield Model 1873 was the first standard-issue breech-loading rifle adopted by the United States Army. The rifle, in both full-length and carbine versions, was widely used in subsequent battles against Native Americans.
The Springfield Model 1865 was an early breech-loading rifle manufactured by U.S. Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was a modification of the Springfield Model 1861. It was later replaced with the Springfield Model 1866.
The Springfield Model 1866 was the second iteration of the Allin-designed trapdoor breech-loading mechanism. Originally developed as a means of converting rifle muskets to breechloaders, the Allin modification ultimately became the basis for the definitive Springfield Model 1873, the first breech-loading rifle adopted by the United States War Department for manufacture and widespread issue to U.S. troops.
The Springfield Model 1868 was one of the rifles which used the trapdoor breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin.
The Springfield Model 1892–99 Krag–Jørgensen rifle is a Norwegian-designed bolt-action rifle that was adopted in 1892 as the standard United States Army military longarm, chambered for U.S. caliber .30-40 Krag cartridges. All versions and variants were manufactured under license by the Springfield Armory between 1892 and 1903 and famously served as the longarm during the Spanish–American War.
The .50-70 Government, also known as the .50-70 Musket, .50-70 Springfield, and .50-1+3⁄4" Sharps) is a black powder cartridge adopted in 1866 for the Springfield Model 1866 trapdoor rifle.
During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield. Though the muzzleloader percussion cap rifled musket was the most numerous weapon, being standard issue for the Union and Confederate armies, many other firearms, ranging from the single-shot breech-loading Sharps and Burnside rifles to the Spencer and the Henry rifles - two of the world's first repeating rifles - were issued by the hundreds of thousands, mostly by the Union. The Civil War brought many advances in firearms technology, most notably the widespread use of rifled barrels.
The 6mm Lee Navy (6×60mmSR), also known as the 6mm U.S.N. or .236 Navy, is an obsolete American rifle cartridge. It was the service cartridge of the United States Navy and Marine Corps from 1895 to 1899, when it was then itself replaced by the more modern .30-40 Krag rifle cartridge.
The Winchester Hotchkiss was a bolt-action repeating rifle patented by Benjamin B. Hotchkiss in 1876 and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Springfield Armory from 1878. The Hotchkiss, like most early bolt-actions, had a single rear locking lug integral with the bolt handle, but was unique in feeding multiple rounds from a tubular buttstock magazine similar to the Spencer rifle. The .45-70 Hotchkiss was acquired in limited numbers by the US Navy as the M1879, and by the US Army and several state militias as the M1883, making it the first center-fire bolt-action repeater to be adopted by any major military.
The term Joslyn Rifle refers to a series of rifles produced in the mid-19th century. The term is often used to refer specifically to the Joslyn Model 1861/1862, which was the first mass-produced breech-loading rifle produced at the Springfield Armory.
In firearms, a trapdoor is a form of breech-loading mechanism for rifles in which a hinged breechblock rotates up and forward, resembling the movement of a trapdoor. The Springfield models 1865 and 1873 were best known for first employing this type of action.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1874). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ Springfield Armory (U.S.) (1887). Description and Rules for the Management of the Springfield Rifle, Carbine, and Army Revolvers, Caliber 45. U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑ HogdonArchived 2008-10-20 at the Wayback Machine publishes load data for the .45-70 in pistols; one listed load shows a 300-grain (19g) bullet at 2,076ft/s (633m/s), generating over 2,800ft⋅lbf (3,800J) and a Taylor KO factor of just over 40.
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