Originally Posted by
bae
My Springfield Model 1873 Army rifle firing the 45-70 cartridge will go through 2.5” of seasoned oak planks, and about 6” into the wet sand backing behind the planks. At 2500 yards. The Army’s test report of the trials in 1879 contain the supporting data. Of course, that was with the low-pressure cartridge that the metallurgy of the time required. The same cartridge today can be loaded to a considerably higher level of power.
The 45-70 projectile is ~8x-10x the weight of the typical projectile fired by the evil AR-15, and will stop a charging grizzly bear (even if it is hiding behind a rhinoceros…), whereas the “high powered” projectile of the AR-15 is not legal to use for deer hunting in many states because it is considered to not be powerful enough for that purpose…
I use the 45-70 as my preferred utility cartridge, in a 1895-vintage lever action firearm. The rate of aimed fire is quite decent, the limiting factor is really your shoulder’s ability to not fall off.