H&R Buffalo Classic Rifle

[diverwcw]

Does anybody have any experience (good or bad) with the H&R Buffalo Classic rifle in cal 45-70?

I'm not looking for benchrest accuracy. My shooting will be in the 100 yard or less range and I'm happy about being able to hit a standard size paper plate at that range.

[Tom-ADC]

Not in 45-70 but in 38-55 well made mine was very accurate, they don't weight a bunch so I'd guess with heavy bullets you would make sure to hold it properly. Keep the breach face clean and dry, you will love it.

[Divernhunter]

I have one in 45-70 and it is very accurate.
It does kick the living sh** out of you with med level loads and 405gr jacketed bullets. It is all about the narrow curved metal recoil pad. I do not want to modify the buttstock so I will replace it with a Handi-Rifle one that has a recoil pad. I use a PAST shoulder pad to help for now. Without it you end up with a black& blue shoulder after just a few rounds.
All in all I do like the rifle. I have not scoped mine but bought the base for a scope should I decide to later.

[Tom-ADC]

I reload for three different 45-70 rifles, a 9 pound plus Sharps, a Trapdoor carbine and a Marlin 1895. It's easy to find a nice shooting load that won't beat you up too bad. As noted the buttplate can beat you up, I use a past also.

[Jarhead]

I reload for three different 45-70 rifles, a 9 pound plus Sharps, a Trapdoor carbine and a Marlin 1895. It's easy to find a nice shooting load that won't beat you up too bad. As noted the buttplate can beat you up, I use a past also.

What would you recommend for a Sharps 45/70?

100 Yard Load.

[mark501w]

slip on a cheepo butt pad makes those cresent pads tolerable ,the standard GI load was 1,300 fps.

[bill_k_lopez]

I have a buffalo classic in 45-70, and I love it.

I reload 45-70, and use the 300 - 405 grain cast bullets over 10-11 grains of Unique powder - this pushes the projectile under 1000 fps (I'm guessing around 900 fps, but haven't crono'd). This recipe creates a very (I mean shoot all day) nice target round that has absolutely no problem reaching out accurately to 300 yards if you have a scope that does BDC for you. I have a Nikon Bickmaster 3-9x40 with the BDC reticle and 300 is about as far out as the scope can take you. But you can consistently hit targets @300 yards.

I've also shot plenty of hot loads out of that rifle as well - hot enough that after 3 or 4 rounds your done for the day. I'm talking 500 grain FMJ with 50 grains of Varget (thats closer to around 1700 fps). I had serriously considered putting a brake on this rifle after I first purchased it, but decided that I didn't want to invest the money to doing all the work, then end up taking away from the classic look of the rifle.\


I also own a Marlin 1895 cowboy that I have since started shooting with the same sub sonic rounds. While it takes away from the wow factor at the range - its much more pleasant to be able to shoot it all day, rather than go home and nursing a bruised shoulder all week.

PM me if you want any more info on the H&R.

[bwiese]

Does anybody have any experience (good or bad) with the H&R Buffalo Classic rifle in cal 45-70?

I'm not looking for benchrest accuracy. My shooting will be in the 100
yard or less range and I'm happy about being able to hit a standard
size paper plate at that range.

Omigosh... this is one my favorite rifles. And it comes with a story.

It got me into 45/70 so much so that I have just ordered a Shiloh Sharps #1 (with 15 month backlog waiting time) as
its future "Big Brother".

I always thought mine had a 30" bbl but the catalog listings say 32". I will have to see if something changed or if I really
do have a 30" bbl - mine is probably somewhere around a decade old.

Sadly, I inherited this rifle from my late great & good friend, Parag Patel, who decided not to stick around in 2008. Our
mutual buddy Phil and I loved to shoot it with him, and we still shoot it in his honor at Calguns ShootN-Qs and other range
times associated with good BBQ, steaks or Mexican food afterward. When Parag had bought this used gun/on consignment
at the local shop, I told him it came with a "Bill Wiese warranty" ... if he didn't like it I'd buy it off him at the same price.

These guns are/have...

• case-hardened finish on receiver for a minor bit of 'old west' authenticity
• nicely made (for the price) - tight action lockup, good fit & finish
• have heard a rumor that someone makes 'premium furniture' for it
• a decent trigger
• accurate (ammo quality + shooter ability controlling factor!)
• great sights!
• good bbl quality/accuracy: aside from this gun, other H&R breaktop single-shot rifles have fine rep
  for accuracy (saw a dude in Reno doing same-hole groups @ 100yds with 25-06 handloads...)

This gun can bring home meat.

Using Ultramax 405gr RNFP ammo (with a "cowboy plus" loadings), for which my particular rifle is zeroed in at 100yds,
my tired ol' bifocal eyes can do a silver dollar-ish target repeatedly at 100yds with its peep sights and if the 'idiot behind
the wheel' does his job ;-)

THIS RIFLE IS A QUALITY GUN AND WILL MORE THAN MEET YOUR NEEDS. TRUST ME, YOU WILL LOVE IT.

Mine has a micrometer-style Williams peep rear sight w/ hooded/shielded Lyman front sight. Exact rear sight style may
vary over production years, I have heard.

I like this gun SO MUCH SO that I am going to order its companion 'buffalo' rifle in 45LC (think it's a 20" bbl,
similar furniture, case-hardened finish, probably different shorter-range sight).

[Note that H&R also sells a "HandiRifle" single-shot in 45-70 in 'ordinary' trim (a shorter bbl, not case hardened finish,
simpler (or no?) iron sights, and likely with a synthetic stock.]

[6mmintl]

You can always add lead and a slip on butt pad to the buttstock to lower recoil level

[Tom-ADC]

What would you recommend for a Sharps 45/70?

100 Yard Load.

For a 405 gr cast bullet IMR 3031 47.0 grains
" 405 gr cast bullet Varget 44.0 grains
405 gr cast bullet IMR 4198 31.0 grains

For a 485 gr cast bullet IMR 3031 40 grains.

I've shot all of these and also have loaded them with Swiss 1.5Fg black powder but I use heavier cast bullets 485 to 535 grain
I bought some Trail Boss for my 45 colt and I see they have loads now for the 45-70. You can check out Hodgdons website for more load data that's were I started, I do tend to load at the lower end of the scale, I start with min and work up a .5 grain at a time until I find one the rifle likes.

I've loaded with Unique as noted above, that isn't much powder in that great big case, I do tilt these up before loading in rifle, can you say zero will almost recoil. I would expect the same from the Trail Boss

[6mmintl]

I'm shooting a 350 lead flat base SPG lubed bullet behind 20 grains of Aliant 2400 for about 1280 FPS out of my sharps.

[Whiterabbit]

yep, love my handi rifle (cheap BC). The recoil can get brutal and fast. Not the gun's fault. It's light, handi (pun), and they use a terrible recoil pad.

no need for fancy recoil stuff like lead in the buttstock. Use a limbsaver and grind to fit the buttstock (you can buy a cheap palletwood buttstock for this purpose if you wish). You'll be able to shoot the heaviest loads all day long.

Turned my H&R from almost unshootable to a lovely rifle.

Don't forget to hop onto gunbroker and buy the metal fore-end spacer. That right there is the best 25 bucks you can spend on this rifle. bar none. Makes the gun feel like it cost twice as much as it did.

[Darto]

I added a 22 Hornet addon barrel to my BC: big and little all in one gun!
Or should I say the loud and the quiet?
There are shotgun addon barrels too.