Terminal Ballistics Research
Few cartridges have retained such long lived popularity as the .45-70 U.S Government. The .45-70 started life as a military cartridge and now, 135 years later remains an ever popular hunting cartridge.
From about 1836 arms designers of the world experimented with breech loading firearms and self-contained cartridges. Although many inventors arrived at successful designs, the muzzle loading percussion rifle reigned supreme throughout the world until the early 1860’s. When civil war broke out in North America during 1861, soldiers of both armies adopted muzzle loading rifles. As both the United States and the Confederacy were ill prepared for such a war, soldiers utilized whatever rifles came to hand and well over a dozen brands of rifle found their way into battle. Interestingly, most of these rifles were .58 caliber, a popular bore diameter at that time.
Of the many advantages that the United States of the North had over the South, one great advantage was superior wealth. At the beginning of the war, the U.S army was able to afford the Springfield .58 caliber muzzle loading rifle firing the Springfield minie ball projectile, a conical bullet which was far superior in accuracy and range to the round ball of the day. By 1863 the greater financial strength of the North also enabled units of their Union Army to adopt the new Spencer .44 rimfire caliber 7 shot repeating rifle. The adoption of this rifle, even in limited quantities has been cited numerous times as being paramount in the defeat of the south. Also at this time the Henry Rifle Company produced repeating rifles in .44 rimfire caliber; some were purchased by soldiers of the North but only a few were adopted by the U.S Army itself.
When the war ended in 1865 the U.S military continued to seek improvements to the infantry and cavalry rifle but with an exhausted budget. The following year, in 1866, the U.S Army adopted the Springfield breech loading single shot rifle chambered for the .50-70 cartridge. The new rifle involved recalling and refurbishing Springfield muzzle loaders which were converted to breech load design. This move confused more than a few soldiers who had come to respect the effectiveness of repeating rifles. Winchester had in the same year (1866) designed a slick .44 rimfire repeater but the army had already decided that repeaters were economically wasteful.
In 1873 the U.S army once again upgraded its rifle and cartridge design. The 1873 Springfield rifle saw minor improvements over the 1868 factory new breech loader. At this time, a new cartridge was adopted, the .45-70 U.S Government. The .45-70 fired a .45 caliber 405 grain projectile over 70 grains of black powder for a muzzle velocity of roughly 1200fps. The official military designation of the new cartridge was the .45-70-405. Caliber was .458†(11.6mm) and rifling consisted of 1 turn in 20â€. The M1873 Springfield rifle, dubbed “the Trap Door†had to be capable of producing a 4†group at 100 yards for military service. The rifle was generally considered as being effective to about 300 yards but was also used in volley fire out to 600 yards. A later and more ballistically efficient load was adopted in 1879, designated the .45-70-500 (500 grain bullet).
While the .45-70 was a very effective cartridge when it arrived at its target many soldiers still yearned for repeating rifles. In the same year that the .45-70 had been introduced, Winchester had put forwards their new 1873 lever action rifle in .44-40 for military evaluation. Although the Winchester was rejected for its wasteful use of ammunition, many soldiers used their own wages to obtain Winchester 73 rifles regardless of protocol.
Problems with the Springfield .45-70 caliber rifle were compounded dramatically during the Spanish American war of 1898. The U.S had by this time adopted the Krag Jorgenson .30-40 caliber rifle (1892) but not in great numbers. With a great many soldiers still armed with the Springfield .45-70 caliber rifle, these men had a horrendous task of facing an enemy armed with 7x57 caliber Mauser bolt action repeating rifles. This war was the final chapter in the history of the .45-70 as a military cartridge. The .45-70 was completely phased out following the end of the Spanish American war and as finances allowed, replaced by the .30-40 Krag which was in turn replaced by the .30-03 Springfield in 1903.
As a hunting cartridge the .45-70 was well received, without complaint of either the cartridge or breech loading single shot rifles. The Commercial designation of the cartridge was .45 Government but later came to be known as the .45-70 U.S Government, more recently abbreviated as either the .45-70 Government or simply the .45-70Govt.
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