It was almost two years ago that I reviewed
here the Taylor's & Co. 45
Colt takedown lever-action carbine that is based upon the
legendary 1892 Winchester design. That trim little carbine was
chambered for the 45 Colt cartridge. Now, we have a larger
version of that dandy little jewel that is based upon the 1886
Winchester design, chambered for the 45-70 Government cartridge,
dubbed the Ridge Runner.
The Ridge Runner carbine is true to the
Winchester design, but with some modern additions to make it
more user-friendly in the field. The eighteen and one-half inch
half-octagon/round barrel wears an excellent Skinner
rear aperture sight that is adjustable for both windage and
elevation correction. The Skinner has several different aperture
sizes available which screw into the sight, but I prefer the
sight with no additional aperture screwed in, leaving a large
"ghost ring" type rear sight. The front sight is a
modern fiber-optic, adjustable for windage correction in its
dovetail. The Skinner rear sight is mounted in the Weaver-type
scope base, set for a forward-mounted, or "Scout" type
scope with intermediate eye relief, to clear the top-ejecting
1886 action.
The stock on the Ridge Runner is a black
synthetic rubber coating over wood. The muzzle wears an
effective muzzle brake, and a thread cap is supplied for those
who prefer to remove the brake. The muzzle is threaded 5/8x24
threads per inch. The Ridge Runner has an overall length of
thirty-seven and one-quarter inches without the brake; two
inches longer with brake attached, and weighs in on my scale at
eight pounds, fourteen ounces, unloaded. The magazine capacity
is four cartridges, for a loaded capacity of five. The magazine
loads through the port on the right side of the receiver.
The Ridge Runner, like the 45 Colt carbine
reviewed earlier, has a handy take-down feature, allowing the
carbine to be halved for transport. Taylor's offers in their
accessory line an excellent carry case to store and protect the
weapon while transporting. The padded cordura case is sturdy and
well-built. The lever loop on the Ridge Runner is larger than on
a standard 1886, to accommodate a gloved hand, but not so large
as to be obtrusive. The sample Ridge Runner shown here has an
excellent trigger pull: very crisp and releasing with three and
three-quarters pounds of resistance, as measured on my Lyman
digital gauge.
The steel receiver, barrel, lever, sights,
and brake wear a matte blued finish that matches well with the
black finish of the stock.
The butt stock wears a synthetic rubber butt pad to
attenuate the stiff recoil of the heaviest 45-70 loads, and to
stabilize the rifle on the shooter's shoulder. Ammunition for
the 45-70 has advanced greatly over its 142-year history,
particularly over the past two decades. Buffalo Bore, Double
Tap, Cor-Bon, Garrett, and others make ammunition for the 45-70
that approaches 458 Magnum power in equal-length barrels. A
heavy 45-70 load could be considered to be about nine-tenths of
a 458, and properly loaded, the 45-70 will cleanly take any
animal on earth. A handy 45-70 carbine such as this Ridge Runner
excels as a rifle to carry when in the domain of large bears,
and 45-70 leverguns have proven very effective against Cape
Buffalo in Africa.
I
fired the Ridge Runner with a variety of 45-70 ammunition to
test for velocity and accuracy. Accuracy testing was done at a
distance of fifty yards, as that is pretty much the limit of my
eyes shooting paper with mechanical sights. Velocity testing was
done with the chronograph set at twelve feet from the muzzle.
Velocity testing was done at an elevation of 541 feet above sea
level, with an air temperature of eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit
and a humidity of fifty-five percent. JSP is a jacketed
softpoint bullet. JHP is a jacketed hollowpoint bullet. HC is a
hard-cast lead bullet. Tipped is a jacked bullet with a polymer
tip inserted into the hollow nose. Barnes X is a homogenous
copper hollowpoint bullet. Velocities are listed in
feet-per-second (fps).
Ammunition |
Bullet Weight |
Velocity |
Remington JHP |
300 |
1539 |
Remington JSP |
405 |
1133 |
Garrett HC |
420 |
1278 |
Buffalo Bore JSP |
300 |
2308 |
Buffalo Bore JSP |
405 |
1929 |
Hornady Tipped |
325 |
1702 |
Handload Barnes X |
300 |
1520 |
The Ridge Runner shot very well, with good
accuracy. Accuracy varied between just over half an inch for
three shots, to just under two inches at fifty yards, again
limited by my vision. I just do not see mechanical sights as
well as I once did. However, for the purpose for which this
carbine is designed, I would feel very comfortable taking it
afield for either hunting or defense against large animals,
without adding a scope sight; but with the Weaver rail, adding a
scope is always an easy option.
The Garrett cartridge listed above is safe
for use even in weaker actions like the Springfield trapdoor,
but Garret also loads the same bullet to higher power levels,
for use in rifles such as this Ridge Runner. I had none of the
higher-powered Garrett cartridges available for testing at this
time. Ashley Emerson is a friend of mine, and he has been
running Garrett Cartridge for almost three years now, adding
additional cartridges and also other 45-70 loads to the Garrett
line, continuing with the same commitment to quality that
established the Garrett reputation for premium ammunition many
years ago. My favorite bullet for use on whitetail, hogs, and
such is the Barnes 300 grain X bullet. This bullet expends
quickly, and always penetrates deeply. It is a homogenous copper
bullet with a large hollowpoint, and is very effective. I load
it over 38 grains of H322 powder for a reliable load with mild
recoil. Hogs and deer do not require the bone-smashing power of
the 45-70 Magnum or Plus P type loads. A very good factory load
that is inexpensive and reliable for deer and hogs is the
Remington 300 grain jacketed hollowpoint. It does the job with
minimal recoil and blast, and can be found at any decent gun
shop or online at ammo sellers.
Reliability was excellent with every load
tested except for one: the Buffalo Bore 405 grain load did not
fire a few times with the first blow of the hammer, and required
a second try to fire the cartridges. This happened about fifty
percent of the time with that load. That load has proven one
hundred percent reliable in other rifles, and this just
reinforces the advice to always prove a type of ammo in your own
gun before relying upon it. Every other brand and type of
cartridge, including the 300 grain Buffalo Bore load, fired one
hundred percent of the time. Cycling and feeding from the
magazine, every other cartridge fed, fired and ejected as
expected.
The take-down feature works very well, and is
easily accomplished in a few seconds, without tools. The mag
tube threads out easily, and the rifle can then be twisted into
its two halves. Separated, the rifle measures 21.25 inches in
length with the brake attached, and about two inches less
without the brake. Another advantage of the take-down feature is
in the event of a cartridge jammed under the lifter, which does
occur at times. I have never had this to happen on an 1886
action, but have experienced that frustrating jam on a 357
Winchester 94 and on a 357 Marlin 1894, and being able to
quickly remove the mag tube would have been a welcome feature.
The muzzle brake does a very good job of
softening the felt recoil of the heaviest loads. Even the stout
Buffalo Bore loads inflict no pain at all. Cycling the action is
easy and smooth, as the 1886 is known to be a smooth-running
design, and Chiappa executed the design well for Taylor's &
Co.
The Taylor's & Co. Ridge Runner is a
dandy take-down 1886 lever-action carbine. It is rugged and
reliable, and does not hurt the shooter's shoulder, even with
the heaviest loads. The suggested retail price of the Ridge
Runner as of the date of this review is $1481.00 US ($1534.00 US
in matte chrome finish), which isn't cheap, but compared to
having an 1886 converted to this configuration by a custom
gunsmith, the Taylor's is a real bargain. It is a lot of rifle
for the money; suitable for taking any game on Earth, and
effective protection from things with teeth and claws. Besides
all that, it is a fun rifle to shoot!
Check out the Ridge Runner and other firearms
and accessories online at www.taylorsfirearms.com.
To
order quality 45-70 ammunition online, go to www.midsouthshooterssupply.com,
www.luckygunner.com, www.doubletapammo.com,
www.buffalobore.com,
and www.garrettcartridges.com.
Jeff Quinn
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