.348 Winchester with cast boolits?

[Patrick L]

I will have to give you guys more details in threads to follow, but to get right to the point, how is the .348 as a cast boolit plinker? What would be typical boolits for this round, and how easy is it to just fun shoot with it?

I don't hunt much anymore, but even if I did this gun would be way overkill on our 100 ish pound whitetails.

I have a chance to acquire a Model 71 Winchester, but am woefully ignorant of the cartridge.

[Hang Fire]

The .348 is a great cartridge and M-71 is a great lever gun. I bought one about 40 years ago, still kick my butt for letting it get away later. (ain't that the usual cry in the wilderness)

IIRC, I cast the Lyman #350447 for it, sure bowled over a lot of jackrabbits.

[44 flattop]

I absolutely LOVE my .348 with cast. I have a Saeco 250gr and an RCBS 200gr.

The 250 with 55grs of AA#3100 is very very accurate, staying within 2" at 100 yards.

The 200gr with 60grs of AA#3100 is maybe a bit more accurate. I don't shoot jacketed stuff anymore due to the performance of this rifle with cast.

I don't have a chronograph anymore but I'd guess the 250 velocity is around 2000fps and the 200 is around 2200fps. Great performance on game.

44

[runfiverun]

i always just pretended mine was a heavy boolited 0-6.
gas checks are the hard part.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The M71 in 348 is an awesome gun. I have been loading it with Lyman #350482 a long out of production 250 grain roundnose. It can be loaded up to slightly more than 2100fps for good performance or it can be loaded down to 1300-1400fps for lighter level or plinking work. Lyman #350447 and 350457 were popular choices for cast bullets as well. Problems with 348 are the price of the brass and of course the price for an M71 if you can find one. Saeco and RCBS also make molds for the 348. A wide range of powders work well in this cartridge. It is easy to load, and fun to shoot at lower velocities. Full house loadings kick somewhat more than the 30-06 and as such may not be a shoot-all-day affair for most folks, but the 71 is of sufficient weight and at lower velocities is a lot more pleasant to handle. It is also a worthwhile venture as 71's are always increasing in value. LLS

[451whitworth]

i have a few M71 Browning repro's. they have virtually no throats to speak of and like .351"-.352" diameter cast bullets. i use a LBT 250gr. LCFN with RL-15 for a little over 2100 fps. the shank of the bullet protrudes into the case so the powder is topped off with shotshell buffering which protects the exposed sides of the bullet from the powder gas. these rifles are the most accurate lever guns i have ever shot.

[BarryinIN]

I got one of the Browning versions (a 20") and after I got it, I read about the nonexistent throats in them. I was debating whether or not to order a throating reamer from Dave Manson (he supposedly keeps throaters in stock for these). I think they are around $35, which would be a cheap fix.

Then I read the RCBS special order 200 grain FN mould was designed to work in the Brownings, so I ordered a hundred from MT Bullet Works to try. They did fine.

Before I could get around to ordering an RCBS mould of my own, I ran across a used Rapine mould for the .348 (number 350235) and decided to give it a try. It was meant to make a 235 grain bullet but they ran 240 from WWs.
It has also worked fine. I used bullets from that mould testing .348 Gator Checks and the first load I tried shot two back to back 50-yd groups of 3/4". That was with 35.0 grains of IMR 3031 (1783 fps). I thought that would make a good light/practice load and never tested anything else for that. I should get back to work and find something a little heftier.

So there are a few more options, including the reamer.

[beagle]

When I was looking to get a M71 Browning, I started looking for moulds. I lucked up and got
350482
350447HP
350457
from one fellow that was getting out of casting.

Later, I got a 348-200-FN RCBS. I get very good accuracy out of all of them but the 350447HP is my regular shooter.

Since then, I've HP'd both the 482 and 457 and they shoot great.

Gas checks are pretty hard to come by so grab them when you can. I picked up about 200 rounds of once fired brass at a gun show and I mean it was old. I annealed it, trimmed to length and it's been a shooter for me.

One of these days, maybe I'll get a Kentucky elk with it.

For a plinker, it's a joy to shoot barring the logistics of GCs and brass. You'll also need a custom sizing die. Mine shoots good with a.352"./beagle