Thursday - June 30, 2011

The Tactical Cowboy

Custom built by Sweetwater Precision Weapons for a spec-ops designated marksman, this heavily-modified Marlin .45-70 lever action has been fitted with an ultra-lightweight modular rail system, a titanium-core stock with adjustable buttplate and built-in round saddle, bipod and rubber foregrip. The magazine tube has been extended, and the barrel is a specialized heavy version with integrated compensator, which can be replaced with a Tilltac threaded barrel for use of a silencer.

After extensive range (and eventually, field) testing, the owner of this rifle found that at distances of 100-500 yards, he was far more comfortable shooting his scoped civilian Guide Gun than with any government issue semi-automatic. As a key element in a classified counter-terrorism team, Sweetwater was contracted to build a modular tactical weapons system around his game rifle.

Designed for use in urban areas, the SPW Marlin Mod 0 weighs in at 12.3 lbs. The Tilltac “HBRR” bolt design allows for incredibly accurate fire, though the lever action made it necessary to install an extendable (high-rise) bipod. While awkward for most operatives, the gun’s owner, having hunted with the same weapon since childhood, has little trouble maneuvering the action, even from a prone shooting position. The powerful .45-70 Government cartridge has been re-tooled by Tillman Tactical for much higher velocity and, as a result, an increased pont-blank range (comparable to a modern 5.56mm NATO round.)

Shown here fitted with a Sweetwater night vision scope, this rifle is one of a kind- and has over a dozen confirmed kills.

Yeah, you could hang all that stuff on a Marlin. The “scout mount” Picatinny rails already exist. So you could mount a night scope. Once you’ve mated an M-16 style floating forearm to the rifle you could mount anything on it, including a bipod and an ammo sleeve. Same goes for the “tactical” stock; it’s just a matter of carving one to fit the Marlin’s tang.

And you betcha, with a stronger and thicker barrel the Marlin can handle red hot .45-70 ammo, the best of which will duplicate the classic .375 H&H load (300gr of bullet at 2600fps). And if you jack the weight up to more than 12 pounds, then that load is actually going to be fun to shoot. In a 7 pound stock rifle that kind of whack might break your shoulder bone, and it will blow up a stock Marlin (and your face and hands along with it, so don’t try this at home, or anywhere else!).

But a better point blank range than the modern 5.56? That’s debatable. The .458 Barnes copper spitzers are pretty aerodynamic bullets, but the “big” modern 5.56 has a 500fps advantage. You’d have to run the numbers or do some field work to see just how “comparable” the two loads are.

And I have my doubts about the “designated marksman”. In civvie-speaker, that’s a sniper. To me that implies a blueprinted bolt gun, regardless of cartridge. It’s fast enough, and there are so many potent cartridges that will do the job just as well at equal or longer ranges.

As much as I love the old horse killer, I have real doubts whether any incarnation of a .45-70 would cut the mustard as a real tactical rifle. But it’s fun to daydream about! Tactical cowboys, yee ha! Sure, now try putting that fug ugly stick in your saddle scabbard without the horse tipping over.

Posted by Drew458     on 06/30/2011 at 02:18 PM   
Filed Under: • Guns and Gun Control •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(1)  Permalink •  

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