H&R 1871 — .45-70 Govt

H&R 1871 Buffalo Classic .45-70 Government – Used Single-Shot Rifle

Manufacturer: H&R 1871
Model: Buffalo Classic
Caliber: .45-70 Government
Action: Break-Action Single Shot
Condition: Used – Good
Furniture: Checkered Wood Stock & Forend
Sights: Adjustable Rear Sight / Hooded Front Sight
Barrel Marking: BUFFALO CLASSIC
Receiver Marking: H&R 1871, Ilion, NY U.S.A.
Includes: Ammunition as pictured

The H&R 1871 Buffalo Classic is what happens when somebody looks at a perfectly reasonable hunting rifle and says, “You know what this needs? Another foot of barrel and a cartridge developed when Ulysses S. Grant was president.”

Chambered in .45-70 Government, this is a traditional break-action single-shot rifle with a long barrel, walnut-colored checkered furniture, adjustable sights, and enough old-school buffalo-rifle energy to make you briefly consider buying a hat you have absolutely no business wearing.

The barrel is clearly marked BUFFALO CLASSIC, and the rifle is marked MODEL 1871 – CAL. .45/70 GOVT.

It is not subtle.

Neither is .45-70.

Open rifle.

Insert one enormous brass cartridge.

Close rifle.

Reconsider whether whatever you're aiming at has made sufficiently poor life choices to justify what happens next.

Fire.

Repeat as necessary.

BigRed’s Take

I love .45-70 because it occupies that wonderful space between “perfectly legitimate hunting cartridge” and “what exactly are you expecting to encounter?”

Deer?

Sure.

Bear?

Absolutely.

Buffalo?

It's literally written on the barrel.

T-Rex?

If Jurassic Park opens a branch in Carbon County, I'm reaching past the 5.56 rack.

And before somebody from the internet asks whether we're going to vibe check Level IV plates with it, no.

Probably.

Maybe.

Look, we're trying to run a respectable establishment here.

The Buffalo Classic isn't tactical. There's no detachable magazine, adjustable stock, M-LOK, red dot, night vision bridge, or twelve pounds of aluminum hanging from it.

Good.

Some guns don't need batteries.

The operating system here is pretty straightforward: one substantial cartridge, one substantial rifle, and whatever four-legged, two-legged, prehistoric, or otherwise deeply inconvenient problem you have chosen to contemplate.

Preferably the lawful four-legged kind.

This thing looks like it belongs leaning against the wall of a cabin while somebody named Ezekiel explains that the railroad is bringing nothing but trouble.

And I mean that as a compliment.

I also need to make something very clear:

BigRed cannot keep this one.

I have already looked at it too long.

That is how these problems start.

First it's, “That's actually a pretty cool rifle.”

Then it's, “I'll just put it in the safe until somebody buys it.”

Then six months later Carol asks why the shop inventory says we own one less .45-70 than the physical inventory, and suddenly I'm explaining accounting terminology that I absolutely made up five minutes earlier.

So somebody please buy this before I become emotionally attached to another firearm I brought home because “this one is different.”

Igor’s Official Assessment

Naturally, Igor was asked for his professional opinion.

He looked at the barrel.

Looked at the cartridge.

Looked back at the barrel.

Then looked at me like I was personally responsible for the American ammunition industry.

His official assessment:

He then handed it back while shaking his head.

The important part is that Igor thinks the entire concept is ridiculous.

Which, coming from a man who grew up around Soviet engineering, is saying something.

And yes.

He likes it.

Condition

This H&R Buffalo Classic is being sold as a used firearm in good overall condition.

The wood furniture presents very nicely and features traditional checkering on the wrist and forend. Expect normal handling marks and signs of previous ownership.

The barrel finish appears strong overall. The receiver shows visible finish variation, discoloration, handling marks, and normal cosmetic wear that can be clearly seen in the photographs.

We're not hiding it.

Please inspect all photographs carefully.

The actual rifle pictured is the rifle you're buying.

We're selling used firearms, not creating Tinder profiles for them.

You get to see the bad angle too.

Ammunition

The rifle is photographed with .45-70 Government ammunition, including Hornady LEVERevolution and Remington Core-Lokt ammunition as pictured.

Any ammunition included with the sale is exactly what is shown in the photographs and remains subject to applicable federal, state, local, carrier, and shipping restrictions.

Looking for an H&R Buffalo Classic in Pennsylvania?

If you've been searching for an H&R Buffalo Classic for sale in Pennsylvania, H&R 1871 .45-70, used .45-70 rifle, single-shot .45-70, buffalo rifle, H&R Handi-Rifle, or a big-bore hunting rifle in Northeast Pennsylvania, this one is available at Frontiersmen Firearms in Palmerton, PA.

We're a small independent firearms dealer serving Palmerton, Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, Walnutport, Slatington, Carbon County, Northampton County, Monroe County, the Lehigh Valley, and surrounding Northeast Pennsylvania communities.

If you're local, come look at it in person.

There's something about a rifle this long chambered in a cartridge this large that photographs don't quite communicate.

You pick it up and immediately understand that nobody involved in designing this thing was concerned about fitting it into a laptop bag.

Not From Pennsylvania?

Apparently the website escaped containment again.

Maybe you're in Texas.

Maybe you're in Montana.

Maybe you're sitting 1,700 miles away searching for “H&R Buffalo Classic .45-70 for sale” at an hour when financially responsible people are asleep.

Maybe Google sent you here.

Maybe AI decided you haven't made enough questionable firearm purchases this month.

Maybe you started by researching deer rifles and somehow ended up considering a single-shot .45-70 capable of making a steel target reconsider its career choices.

However you got here, welcome.

Frontiersmen Firearms ships firearms nationwide wherever legal, to an appropriate receiving FFL and subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We're not Amazon.

This rifle isn't going to magically appear on your porch tomorrow morning next to dog food, laundry detergent, and whatever other nonsense you ordered at 2 AM.

We'll package it properly, get it shipped to your receiving dealer, keep you informed, and do our best to make the process painless.

Whether you're five minutes down the road in Carbon County or halfway across the country trying to convince yourself that you need a rifle suitable for deer, bear, buffalo, rogue dinosaurs, and the occasional entirely theoretical Level IV plate vibe check, we appreciate you finding us.

More importantly, we appreciate you supporting a small independent gun shop.

Your purchase keeps the lights on, keeps Hank spoiled, gives Carol additional gray hair, and prevents BigRed from keeping another rifle he absolutely does not need.

That last part is especially important here.

Questions?

Ask.

We'll tell you what we know.

We'll tell you what we don't know.

And if the answer is ridiculous, we'll probably tell you that too.

Painfully honest firearms sales.