Firearms

The .45-70 Government · Deep Dive

The .45-70 Government

Every velocity on the box is a 24-inch number. In a 16.5-inch carbine that is an advantage, not a compromise.

An 1873 black-powder cartridge with a third career as a suppressed subsonic round — history, the SAAMI specification, the pressure tiers, brand by brand, and how far it actually reaches when you make it quiet.

Photo: .45-70 Government cartridge by Hmaag · CC BY-SA 3.0

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    Volumes

    1. Vol 1 Overview — A Black-Powder Cartridge With a Second Career
    2. Vol 2 1873 — The Trapdoor, the .50-70, and What the Name Means
    3. Vol 3 The Cartridge Itself — What SAAMI Actually Specifies
    4. Vol 4 The Three Pressure Tiers, and Why SAAMI Publishes One
    5. Vol 5 Barrel Length — The 24-Inch Problem
    6. Vol 6 Going Subsonic — Temperature, and Why the Short Barrel Helps
    7. Vol 7 The Expansion Floor — Where the Range Actually Ends
    8. Vol 8 Trajectory, Zero, and the Drop You Will Actually Hold For
    9. Vol 9 Supersonic Ammunition — The Brand Survey
    10. Vol 10 Subsonic Ammunition — The Suppressed Shortlist
    11. Vol 11 Bullet Weight, Twist, and the Tube Magazine
    12. Vol 12 Terminal Performance by Species
    13. Vol 13 Optics, and What I Would Actually Buy