Taylor’s & Co. 1886 Journey LC1/210317 45-70 Gov’t

The 45-70 Government cartridge has been in constant use since 1873. The U.S. military adopted the round and used it until 1892, while the cartridge’s sporting use for hunting and competition has been uninterrupted to this day. That says a lot about the performance and reliability of the 45-70. There are better cartridges that are flatter shooting and have more downrange power at long distances, but with a modern lever-action rifle, the 45-70’s sweet spot is close to 100 yards. Depending on the ammo, if your rifle is equipped with an optic, and your shooting ability allows, you might be able to squeeze out effective shots to 200 yards. Lever-action rifles chambered in the round are popular with hunters in states that require a straight-wall cartridge and for hunters who want a lot bang to get the buck. Or wild boar or black bear. Large game is in the 45-70’s portfolio at the right distance.

The Marlin 1881 was the first successful lever-action to be chambered in the 45-70, but many more are available today. We tested four, starting with a slightly used new manufacture Winchester Model 1886 Extra Light, a Taylor’s 1886 Journey made by Pedersoli, and a Taylor’s 1886 Ridge Runner Takedown made by Chiappa. While these three lever actions are based on the Model 1886, they all have distinct differences. We also tested a Marlin clone, a Rossi R95. 

The obvious common denominators with these rifles are the chamberings, action types, and tubular magazines. All rifles were loaded via a loading gate on the side of the receiver, and we could top off the magazines on all of these rifles as shots were fired by pushing rounds into the magazine tube as we went. Barrel lengths varied from 18.5 inches to 22 inches. Weight across the board was slightly more than 7 pounds. All came equipped with iron sights. The Rossi is drilled and tapped for mounting an optic, and the Pedersoli and Chiappa remakes feature open sights and a section of rail for a forward-mounted optic. The Winchester is drilled and tapped for a side-mounted peep sight. 

We tested all four rifles with open sights at 50 yards, with a range bag for support. For ammunition, we selected Hornady LEVERevolution rounds with 250-grain FTX bullets, Winchester Super-X 300-grain jacketed hollow points, and Federal Fusion 300-grain soft points. The Winchester and Federal cartridges are more traditional 45-70 loads, with muzzle velocities in these rifles that ranged from 1737 fps to 1953 fps. The Hornady round is made specifically for tubular-magazine lever-action rifles. The 250-grain FTX bullet uses a more tapered bullet profile with an elastomer Flex Tip, so the cartridges play nice together in the magazine tube. When touching the primer of the cartridge in front of it, the Flex Tip ensures the rounds won’t go off under recoil. And there is some recoil with these rifles. Extra weight is a good thing when touching off these big bores. Muzzle velocities with the Hornady round ranged from 1935 fps to 2100 fps. 

We also fired the rifles off hand to judge the smoothness of their actions and their ability to provide a fast follow-up shot. In our opinion, any of these rifles would work as a hunting rifle, and after we collected the empty brass, we found a real bargain, a safe queen, an odd duck, and a pricey nice-to-have rifle. Here are the specifics. 

Taylor’s & Co. 1886 Journey LC1/210317 45-70 Gov’t

$1953

Gun Tests grade: B

Another modern take on the 1886. The sight rail was odd, but the adjustable stock allowed better use of an optic. For the cost, we would want a muzzle brake, too.

The Taylor’s 1886 Journey rifle is made to Taylor’s specs by Pedersoli and is a modern rendition of the Model 1886. The new features include a threaded muzzle, Cerakote finish, a comb-adjustable polymer stock, and an integrated Picatinny rail rear sight with fiber-optic front. The stock is polymer with a camo finish. Both the fore end and pistol grip are serrated for a sure grip. The comb was adjustable via a screw that we turned with the rim from a brass casing. We liked the ability to adjust the comb for a better cheek weld, especially when an optic is mounted. The butt was a thick rubber pad with a big radius along the edge for snag-free shouldering. The Cerakote finish was nicely applied.

There were a few things we found odd about the Journey. The rear sight was toward the front or muzzle end of the rail, which reduced the sight radius to 8.5 inches when you could easily get 16 inches with a different rail and mounting the sight in a more traditional and useful spot. Why would you place the rear sight so close to the front sight? It didn’t make much sense to us. The sights were fiber optic in contrasting colors — red front, green rear — and they were easier to aim with than the traditional buckhorn sights. If we owned this rifle, we’d mount a low-power scope or red dot.

Another oddity was the tang safety, which only worked with the hammer fully forward. It locked the hammer and the lever. With the hammer cocked, the shooter can not operate the safety. This was the complete opposite of how the Winchester Extra Light tang safety worked. This Taylor’s safety was counter intuitive to anyone who is familiar with lever-action rifles, in our opinion.

Elsewhere, the action was slick and smooth on the Journey, and even with the 14.5-inch LOP, the lever was comfortable to cycle. There was no issue with short stroking the Journey. We could not get it to jam by slowly levering the action. The trigger pull was better at 4.5 pounds. Cartridges slide smoothly into the magazine tube, and the loading gate did not try to bite our fingernail on the last round loaded.

The best group measured was 0.78 inch with Winchester Super-X ammo; average was 1.04 inches. Other best groups were 1.46 inches with Hornady and 1.40 inches with Federal. Averages with these two brands were 1.98 inches with Leverevolution and 1.60 inches with Fusion. Recoil was tolerable due to the stock shape and 7.7 pounds of heft. We would add a compensator to help with recoil if we owned this rifle.

Our Team Said: We did not enjoy our journey with the Journey. The sight system could be much better, and the tang safety was peculiar. Accuracy was okay, and we know it could be better with an optic mounted. We liked the modern stock, the slick action, and the threaded muzzle. For the price, we would expect a compensator or brake would be standard equipment.

To collect accuracy data, we fired three-shot groups from a bench using a rest. Distance: 50 yards with open sights. We recorded velocities and energy using a Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph. 

Written and photographed by Robert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT