On the Subject of Repeating Rifles 2 parts (Western Field, 1908)

[ohland]

On the Subject of Repeating Rifles
“Lycurgus”

Western Field, vol 12, 1908

https://books.google.com/books?id=TCMPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA124&dq=25+calibre+bullet&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBGoVChMI4_W94ZHoxgIVlVyICh0-OgmZ#v=onepage&q=25%20calibre%20bullet&f=false

Part I – Vol 12, No. 1, Feb 1908 pgs 60-61

ALTHOUGH hundreds of sportsmen have exploited their prowess afield, through the medium of Western Field, they seem to be singularly backward when it comes to a discussion of the merits and deficiencies of modern firearms and accessories. .

The esteemed editor of Western Field informs me that it will be his aim to stimulate an interest in the discussion of subjects relating to the rifle, shotgun and revolver, and with this end in view will devote a special section of the magazine to matters concerning firearms, wherein the veriest novice can air his hastily-formed views, or exude wisdom that does not always develop with increased years and experience; opinionated parties (like the writer) will be afforded opportunities to express opinions that do not always jibe with those of the other fellow; the visionary and inventor may exploit schemes and devices which occasionally may prove of great benefit to sportsmen; and lastly expert riflemen who are thoroughly versed in ballistics, trajectories and the intricacies of firearm mechanism and manufacture, can give us the results of their experiments and experience, thus correcting false impressions which often arise through want of contradiction.

My own experience, especially along the line of scientific research, has not been so extended that I can lay claim to expert knowledge; neither would my marksmanship at the butts excite admiration or envy. However, like hundreds of others I take a keen interest in all that pertains to the hunting rifle.

The first repeating rifle that came into my possession was a .38-40 model 1873 Winchester, with which I did considerable shooting but very little killing. My indifferent execution was due to my inexperience and not to any faults in the rifle, for in other hands it made an enviable record for itself, both in the field and at target and turkey shoots.

This rifle when I secured it (at second hand) was fitted with an exaggerated buckhorn rear sight, while a large slice of silver coin served as front sight —and if a worse combination (outside of the standard factory sights) ever was put on an arm I would like to have a glimpse at it. I soon remedied this, however, by filing the rear sight down to a flat bar with a small notch, and replaced the front sight with a copper bead sight of my own manufacture.

If my marksmanship was not improved thereby it was not the fault of the sights. This rifle and a .22 Winchester Single Shot served me until the model 1886 Winchester came into general use. By this time I had become quite expert in the handling of rifles and never neglected an opportunity to inspect and shoot such arms as I could lay my hands on.

My first chance to make an acquaintance with the 1886 model Winchester came when my friend, Captain Fred Nelson (the Flying Dutchman) fitted out the old sealing schooner "San Diego," for a cruise to northern grounds. Fred and his associates did not have much money, and the old San Diego wasn't much to look at; but for three seasons she broke all records for pelagic sealing. This I believe was due not alone to Nelson's phenomenal luck but also to the fact that the San Diego was outfitted with thoroughly tested and accurate rifles. Three calibres of rifles were selected: the 40-65-260 and .33-56-255 model '86 Winchesters and the .38-55-255 Marlin.

Captain Nelson and the writer put in about a week testing them for accuracy, and, when the San Diego put to sea there was not one rifle aboard that would not throw its bullets inside of a 3/4-inch ring at 100 yards, which was about the limit of accuracy obtainable by us with open sights and a muzzle rest. However, I managed to make a much better showing with one of the .40-65 Winchesters, to which, no doubt, I can trace my partiality for that particular cartridge. Doubtless in the hands of an expert shot every one of the rifles would have confined its shots to a much smaller circle. Nelson also tried out a .32-40 Marlin which was very accurate but considered too light for seal and. otter hunting.

The model 1886 Winchester possesses the strongest action ever placed on a lever functioned repeating rifle; and, until the development and exploitation of high power smokeless powders for sporting rifles, the list of black powder cartridges to which the model '86 was adapted constituted the most powerful and accurate big game loads ever developed for magazine rifles.

There were three groups of these cartridges, of which the .40-82-260, the .38-70-255, the .45-90-300 and .50-110-300 represented, in a modified way, the express type. These used a comparatively light bullet in comparison to the powder charge and developed a corresponding high velocity and flat trajectory. Probably the most popular of those mentioned was the .45-90. Chambers cut for this load also took the .45-85-350, the .45-85-300 hollow point, and the .45-82-405 cartridges; so that the cranky rifleman who possessed a .45-90 had no kick coming as to a scarcity of loads adapted to his weapon.

The standard twist or rifling for the .45-90-300 Winchester was one turn in 32 inches, which would make it seem that while the heavier bullets might be shot from the same rifle with fair results a quicker twist would be required to bring out their best qualities. However, there is so much variation between the twists used by different makers for the same cartridges that it is hard to say just what does constitute the proper twist for any particular load. As an example: the Marlin people cut their .45-90 with a 20-inch twist the same as they do the barrel for the regular .45-70-405, and yet there is a tremendous, variation between these loads, to say nothing of the variation between the .45-90-300 and 45-70-500.

For those who preferred the semi-express cartridge but objected to the unpleasant recoil of the .45-90, the .40-82 and the .38-70-255 offered excellent combinations of powder and lead and the former had quite a vogue. The .50-110-300 was too powerful for ordinary hunting purposes: it was suitable only for use on large or dangerous game. I knew a party once who owned such a rifle, and the possibility that he might be called upon to shoot it seemed to worry him more than the prospect that he would not see anything to shoot at. Of course there are exceptional individuals who prefer such a weapon and can shoot accurately with it, but the average shooter would do well to keep its bullets within a 6-inch circle at 50 yards, shooting offhand.

A second group of cartridges consisted of the .40-70-330, the .45-70 with its assortment of loads, and the .50-100-450. These were all extremely powerful cartridges but the .45-70 was by far the most popular and its prestige was equal to that of the .45-90. This group carried a heavier bullet in proportion to the powder charge than the semi-express type, with a consequent higher trajectory and loss in velocity, but the .45-70 especially was a game killer and the man who carried one could take chances with anything that wore hair.

I have never had an opportunity to try either the .40-70-330 or the .50-100, but the former combination impresses me as being an excellent one for large game. The .50-100-450, like the .50-110, is too powerful for consideration except as a grizzly gun.

Of the third group was the .38-56-255 and the .40-65-260 cartridges. Both were splendid loads for deer and game of like or even larger size. I preferred the .40-65 because of the fact that it had a straight taper shell which was better adapted to reloading. There was no question as to the accuracy of either of these rifles and I would be pleased if I could duplicate some of the shooting I have done with the .40-65. However, most of the cartridges above mentioned have been superseded by the small-calibred high-pressure arms; and although it is now possible to secure high velocity, low pressure ammunition for many of them, they will never regain the place they once held in the hearts of American riflemen.

There is, however, one cartridge that will prevent the model 1886 Winchester from becoming a back number: I refer to the .33 Winchester high pressure cartridge. For all around big game shooting it is my humble opinion that the .33 Winchester is the best rifle manufactured. As I have said before, I believe that the '86 action is the strongest and surest ever placed on a magazine rifle, whether lever or bolt functioned. Instead of presenting you with two inches of useless steel the Winchester Company has cut the length of the barrel down to 24 inches and the result is that the rifle balances like a shotgun and yet is not muzzle light. The bullet is .338 in diameter, is flat ended and weighs 200 grains. With a charge of about 35 grains of high power smokeless powder it develops a velocity of 2000 feet per second and a muzzle energy of 1868 foot pounds.

Its flat point causes it to expand readily on animal tissue, while at the same time it has length enough to hold together and deliver a goodly proportion of its metal in the vitals even when shot through bullet deforming obstructions, such as tough hide, gristle and small bones. In comparison with the .35 calibre cartridge for the Remington automatic, the .33 Winchester cartridge appears rather clumsy and ill proportioned, but this extreme taper from head to mouth of shell was necessary in order to make it comply with the standard base measurement of all shells adapted to the '86 frame.

Really the only complaint which might be made against the .33 Winchester is that, as in all other tubular magazine rifles, the tips of the bullets are liable to become slightly battered or deformed. Just how much these slight deformities might influence the flight of the projectiles I don't know, but so far as I have been able to determine through tests with my own rifle, they shot just as accurately at ordinary hunting ranges, say up to 200 yards, as the perfect bullets. It remains for some expert shot, who is accustomed to cutting hairs at such ranges, to tell us just how many hundredths of an inch variation such battering is responsible for in any deviation from the dead center.

"LYCURGUS."

[ohland]

On the Subject of Repeating Rifles
“Lycurgus”

Western Field, vol 12, 1908

https://books.google.com/books?id=TCMPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA124&dq=25+calibre+bullet&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBGoVChMI4_W94ZHoxgIVlVyICh0-OgmZ#v=onepage&q=25%20calibre%20bullet&f=false

Part II – Vol 12, No. 2, Feb 1908 pgs 125-126

THE model 1892 Winchester is one of the neatest and best proportioned tubular magazine rifles on the market. In regard to action and general design it is a modification of the model 1886, which in my estimation has the best action ever placed on a lever functioned repeating rifle.

At the present time the 1892 model is confined to the following cartridges: .25-20, .32-20, .38-40, and .44-40. These are all low power cartridges adapted only to black powder or low pressure smokeless, but have proven immensely popular.

The .25-20 with its powder charge of 17 grs. and bullet of 86 grs. has become one of the standard cartridges for small game shooting. For geese, ducks, rabbits and game of similar or slightly larger size it is facile princeps. I have used rifles of this calibre for about twelve years and at moderate ranges, say up to 200 yards, no man could desire a better arm.

I used to enjoy some splendid sport on the plains of Merced county, where I killed hundreds of geese, ducks and rabbits, as well as a few coyotes, with the little .25-20. At times when the birds were not flying and the use of a shotgun was out of the question, the rifle was brought into requisition. Geese and ducks would resort to overflowed ground, where they would loaf by the thousands during the warm midday hours. After a bath and preening of feathers, the former especially would crawl out on the checks and lazily rest in the sunshine. At such times they were loath to move and it was not very difficult to approach within 150 to 175 yards of the nearest birds. At that distance, with the rest over a convenient check, and a total absence of wind, it did not require extraordinary marksmanship to bowl over geese with some degree of regularity.

The use of a .25-20 for deer shooting is to be condemned. Except it be in the hands of an expert who still hunts and picks only short range shots, it is entirely too light, and many deer will escape only to die a lingering death because of its lack of shocking force. What certain men have done with this weapon under favorable conditions should have no bearing when it comes to the choice of a rifle eminently adapted to deer shooting. It is the results of the general average of shots striking various parts of a deer's anatomy which reveal the suitability of a weapon for this particular kind of shooting, and it will be found that the .25-20 is not the rifle to make good under such conditions.

My experience with the .32-20 Winchester has not been very extended. So far as accuracy at short ranges is concerned it probably is the equal of any rifle, but at distances over 150 yards its low velocity and high trajectory are against it. The diameter of the .32-20 bullet is too great for satisfactory results on small game as the resulting mutilation would render much of it unfit for table use. Neither is it a, desirable big game rifle, as it develops an energy of only 352 foot pounds with the ordinary black powder cartridge, and 520 foot pounds with the high velocity cartridge against an energy of 1449 foot pounds for the .30-30 Winchester. It is my candid opinion that the Winchester company could well afford to discontinue the manufacture of the .32-20 and replace it with a .28 calibre high power cartridge of same length and base measurement, shooting a 110 grain bullet with a velocity of 1950 feet and an energy of 1000 foot pounds. Such a cartridge adapted to the model 1892 would become immensely popular for deer hunting purposes, as the model 1892 is streets ahead of the model 1894 in symmetry, lightness and balance. The energy of this cartridge would be slightly in excess of the popular .25-35, which has so many adherents on this coast, and the greater diameter of its bullet would add to its shocking force.

The .38-40 and .44-40 rifles still have many adherents, and for brushy country where shots at short range are the rule, or in closely settled districts where it is unsafe to use the high power rifles, they answer every requirement, providing one hunts nothing larger than deer. High velocity-low pressure cartridges are now manufactured for the .38-40 which give a velocity of 1700 feet and an energy of 1154 foot pounds, but in my opinion the bullet is not properly balanced in that its diameter is too great for its short length. This is the failing of most high velocity cartridges adapted to the old black powder arms, and unless I am greatly mistaken it will be found that where the velocity approximates that of the high power cartridges, such as the .30-30, .30-40, .33 Winchester and others of similar type, the short, wide bullets will mushroom and splinter to such an extent that it will be impossible to secure the penetration necessary in raking shots on large game.

The advent of the model 1894 Winchester heralded the beginning of a new era for sporting arms in that it was through this medium that the newly developed high power cartridges were brought into general use. The cartridges adapted to this model were of such proportions that a much lighter or slenderer action could be used than on the 1886 model, and as the superiority of the .30-30 high power rifle over black powder arms was not long in question, the model 1894 soon enjoyed an unprecedented popularity.

It has always been a mystery to me why the Winchester company persists in making twenty-six inches the standard length for its model 1894 rifles. A rifle with the long action applied to the model 1894 does not require a barrel over twenty-four inches in length and would balance better, would weigh less and shoot just as well as one with the longer barrel. This company has taken a step in the right direction in the development of their .33 cal. model 1866 rifle, which has a barrel twenty-four inches long; also in the new .30 U. S. Army, .35 and .405 model 1895 Winchesters, which have barrels only twenty-four inches long. Therefore, why do they persist in the use of twenty-six inch barrels on their 1894 frames and of twenty-eight inch barrels on their .30-40-s?

The Marlin company catalogues a model 1893 rifle with a twenty-four inch barrel: weight 6 3/4 pounds, but I have been unable to find one in the local market. These specifications for a .25-36, .30-30, .32 Special or .32-40 High Power rifle are ideal, and if sportsmen in general were aware of the fact that such a rifle could be had there would be a growing demand for the Marlin.

My experience with the model 1894 Winchester has been confined to the ,30-30, .32 Special and .32-40 cartridges. The .30-30, in my estimation, is one of the best high power cartridges ever developed and is well and favorably known in every section of the country. As made by the Winchester company it has a velocity of 1960 feet per second and develops an energy of 1450 foot pounds, which equals that of the standard .45-90. It is a pleasant cartridge to shoot, having little recoil. So far as accuracy is concerned it is equal to the best of the standard big game loads, and its high velocity and low trajectory gave it a tremendous advantage over the black powder cartridges which were in use when it was exploited. For use on deer and game of like size the .30-30 is an ideal arm and I doubt whether any amount of experimental work will result in the development of a better cartridge for this class of big game.

Despite the claims that have been made for the .32 Special I cannot see wherein it has shown any superiority over the .30-30. Admitting that it has about 125 foot pounds more of energy it still falls short of the mark set for an all-around big game rifle, and its increase of energy over the .30-30 is a useless accumulation of force developed at the cost of a very high velocity. The popularity of the .25-35, which is used by hundreds of shooters in northern California and Oregon, goes to prove that in the hands of experienced hunters it is a deadly arm. The .25-35, however, develops only about 1000 foot pounds of energy as against 1449 for the .30-30, and 1585 for the .32 Special, so that the .30-30 virtually has 50 per cent more energy than the smaller cartridge. On the other hand the .32 Special must develop a velocity of 2050 feet as against 1960 feet for the .30-30 in order to generate the increased energy with which it is credited, and this increase in velocity is accompanied by a tendency toward metal fouling, especially if a number of shots are fired in rapid succession.

So far as the suitability of the .32 Special for black powder cartridges is concerned I am not qualified to speak, as I have never had the opportunity to shoot black powder cartridges in it ; neither have I heard of any exceptional results accruing from its use by other hands. For reloading purposes the shell does not appeal to me as does the old reliable straight tapered .32-40, which can be had in an endless variety o£ loads: low velocity, high velocity and high power; black powder, low pressure and high pressure smokeless.

The Winchester Co. manufactures a .32-40, model 1894 rifle, adapted to the use of the ordinary .32-40 cartridges, but it does not advise the use of .32-40 high power cartridges such as are manufactured by the Peters and U. M. C. people. These high power cartridges develop a velocity of about 2000 feet and an energy of over 1400 foot pounds, while the .32-40 Winchester high velocity cartridges are credited with a velocity of only 1700 feet and an energy of 1058 foot pounds. The barrels furnished by the Winchester Co. are of soft steel, and while excellent results are obtained with the low powered ammunition, they would soon wear out if the high powered cartridges were used. The Marlin Co., however, manufactures a model 1893 rifle with a smokeless steel barrel, which will withstand the pressure and friction of the high pressure load, and as it can be had as light as 6 3/4 pounds, it forms a splendid combination rifle wherein one can use a large variety of loads. For the rifle crank who likes to experiment and confines his operations to field shooting, a .32-40 rifle with smokeless steel barrel is the arm: he can load or secure ammunition ranging from gallery loads to the very extreme of high power loads, and the Ideal Manufacturing Co. will furnish him with moulds which cast bullets of a dozen different varieties and weights. So far as accuracy is concerned the .32-40 has a world-wide reputation, and the low pressure smokeless loads are so free from recoil that one can shoot hundreds of shots in a day without the least discomfort. The price of home-made ammunition is nominal and there is an interest accruing from the use of varied loads of home manufacture which is absent when one confines himself to factory ammunition.

There is one particularly good point about the model 1894 action that is seldom, if ever, commented upon, and that is the safety catch placed just behind the trigger, which requires pressure from the stud on the lever to effect the release of the scar. By cocking the hammer, placing the second and third fingers in the loop of the lever and forcing the little finger between the lever and the stock while the end of the index finger was pressed firmly against the front end of the lever, one can work through the heaviest brush with little if any risk of an accidental discharge and still be prepared to shoot instantaneously : all that is necessary is to slip the hand backward along the stock and you are ready for action. In a case where one jumps a buck and gets only a momentary glimpse of him before he is out of sight in heavy brush a tenth of a second is a whole lot of time.

"LYCURGUS."

[Blackwater]

Once again, ohland, THANKS! Articles like these put our "hunters" of today, who often have trouble killing deer with their 287 Geezbangs, in real perspective, don't they? An awful lot of the "young lions" coming up today sure seem to be proud of themselves, but can't seem to explain just what the source of their pride is when confronted by stories like this, and their definite reality, though many seem to want to discount this kind of info as "made up." I grew up knowing many men like this, and will always be grateful for this. They taught me much, and most of all, probably, how to THINK about what I was doing BEFORE I actually had to perform. You'll never know how envious I am of your collection of these magazines. It's as close as I can get to talking to those old timers I knew growing up, who taught me so very much valuable stuff, and whose attitudes were so exemplary. Thanks once again for your generous posting of these threads. I REALLY appreciate them.