The short version
The big-bore lever gun is the .45-70, and the .45-70 is a cartridge that changes character with the load you feed it. The rifle you want depends on whether you're hunting timber, walking bear country, or just want the most fun you can have with a tube magazine — and 2026 is the best year to buy one in a generation.
Why the .45-70 is the whole category
The .444 Marlin had a moment. The .450 Marlin was a good idea that arrived a decade too late. The .348 Winchester belongs in the forgotten cartridges piece. What survived is a rimmed black-powder cartridge designed in 1873 for the Springfield trapdoor, and it survived because it does one thing better than any modern design: it pushes a very heavy, very wide bullet at moderate speed, which is exactly what a lever action is built to feed.
The .45-70 also has a quirk no other common cartridge shares. SAAMI pressure is set low for the old rifles, so factory ammunition comes in tiers. Standard loads are safe in anything. "Lever-gun" loads are marked for modern Marlin, Henry and S&W actions. And the heaviest bear loads are rated for those same rifles but hit hard enough that some makers publish them with a warning. One rifle, three different guns depending on the box you open — read our modern .45-70 loads piece before you buy ammunition.
The rifles, sorted by what you'll do with them
Marlin 1895 — the reference
For: the classic .45-70, in every trim from walnut to Dark Series
Ruger's Marlin is the 1895 that the 2010s couldn't deliver. The receiver, lever and trigger plate are machined from forgings, the barrel is cold hammer-forged, and the fit is what Marlin owners remember from the JM-stamped years. The standard 1895 wears a 22-inch barrel; the SBL is the stainless 19-inch guide gun with a rail; the Trapper is the 16-inch big-loop version; and the Dark Series adds a threaded barrel, a synthetic stock and M-Lok. In .45-70 there's a variant for every taste — see our Marlin comeback piece for the full lineup.
Henry Side Gate and X Model .45-70
For: the American-made traditionalist, or the black-synthetic pragmatist
Henry's .45-70 comes two ways. The Side Gate .45-70 is the walnut-and-steel rifle with the loading gate Henry finally added in 2019, and it's the one to buy if you want a .45-70 that looks like a .45-70. The X Model .45-70 is the same action in a black synthetic stock with a threaded barrel, M-Lok forend and fiber-optic sights — the "tactical lever" done Henry's way, at a friendlier price than a Marlin Dark. Both use Henry's slick action and both come with a lifetime warranty that the company actually honors.
Smith & Wesson 1854 .45-70
For: the person who wants the most modern big-bore lever gun made
The 1854 expanded from pistol calibers into .45-70 in 2025 and it's the most contemporary rifle in this list: forged stainless receiver, threaded 20-inch barrel, a Picatinny rail with an XS ghost-ring rear and gold-bead front, a flat-face trigger and a large loop lever, 6+1 in the tube. The Stealth Hunter version shortens the barrel and blacks everything out. It's a lever gun designed by people who assumed you'd put a red dot and a can on it. Full breakdown in our 1854 explainer.
Rossi R95 .45-70
For: the budget .45-70 that isn't a compromise on the cartridge
Rossi's R95 is a Marlin-pattern rifle — side eject, solid top, drilled and tapped — built in Brazil and sold for meaningfully less than the American guns. Fit and finish are what the price implies; the action smooths with use. It was the budget .30-30 answer first, and the .45-70 version makes it the cheapest way into a big-bore lever gun that isn't a used single-shot. Review coming in this series.
The other big bores, honestly
- .444 Marlin — a stretched .44 Magnum case from 1964, a fine deer and hog round that lost the argument to the .45-70's bullet weight and ammunition selection. Buy one used; don't wait for a new one.
- .450 Marlin — a belted .45-70 built to safely carry high-pressure loads without the trapdoor-safety problem. Sound engineering, dead commercially; ammunition is scarce and expensive.
- .45-90, .50 Alaskan, .50-110 — custom and Winchester 1886-class territory. Serious rifles for serious bear guides, and beyond the scope of a buyer's guide.
Feeding it
This is the part that decides whether you love the rifle. Buy a box of standard 300- or 405-grain loads and a box of lever-gun loads before you buy a case of anything. Shoot both from field positions, not a bench. The load that lets you shoot fifty rounds and still want to shoot fifty more is your practice load; the heavy stuff is for the twenty rounds you fire the week before a hunt. Our sister site BuyMoreAmmo covers the load-by-load picture; the retailer's .45-70 ammunition page is where the stock actually is.
Questions we get about this
What counts as a big-bore lever gun?
Anything above the .35-caliber class: .45-70 Government is the standard, with .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin and the .45-90 and .50 Alaskan wildcats above it. The .44 Magnum and .45 Colt pistol-caliber levers are big bullets but not big-bore rifles — they run at a fraction of the pressure and energy.
Is .45-70 recoil bad?
It depends entirely on the load. Trapdoor-level loads at around 1,300 fps with a 405-grain bullet feel like a heavy 12-gauge. Modern lever-gun loads and the top-tier bear loads from Buffalo Bore or Garrett will move a seven-pound rifle hard. Most people who say .45-70 hurts have only shot the hot stuff.
Which .45-70 lever gun is best for a first one?
A 20-inch Marlin 1895 or Henry Side Gate .45-70 if you want the traditional rifle; the Marlin 1895 Trapper or S&W 1854 .45-70 if you want it threaded and short. Rossi's R95 in .45-70 is the budget entry. The cartridge is the same in all of them.
Can a .45-70 lever gun take elk or moose?
Yes, inside the range where you can place the shot — 150 yards is a fair working limit for most shooters with irons or a low-power optic. A 300- to 405-grain bullet at lever-gun velocity is a proven big-game load; it's the trajectory, not the terminal performance, that limits the distance.