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Thread: Found some unknown hand loads made from .348 winchester

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
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    Found some unknown hand loads made from .348 winchester

    Today at an old timers gun shop I found 25 unknown hand loaded cartridges made from .348 Winchester. A round shouldered cartridge with long neck. flat nosed bullet. I thought maybe a Peabody cartridge....but I am starting to think maybe 41 Swiss centerfire conversion?

    what is the best way to identify these rounds?

    Jonnytoobad

  2. #2
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    Chill Wills's Avatar
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    It is just as easy as what the round says. Winchester model 71 lever action rifle. The 1886 win with slight improvement. A .348" bullet.
    Case is larger than the 45-70 in rim and body. 50-100 or some such. I have a few M-71's but no longer. Great hunting rifles. Took my first elk with one as a much younger me!
    Chill Wills

  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
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    The bullet in the case is larger than .34 caliber more like .41-44 I will have to get out the calipers.

  4. #4
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    Sorry, I misunderstood. You are saying you found some kind of loaded round made from 348 into something else.
    Good Luck.
    Chill Wills

  5. #5
    Boolit Master

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    If there is much neck at all left, it is probably not 41 Swiss. http://www.swissrifles.com/ammo/
    NRA Benefactor Member NRA Golden Eagle

  6. #6
    Boolit Man
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    43 Spanish?

  7. #7
    Boolit Mold WouterNL's Avatar
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    I use the win.348 cases to make cartridges for my Steyr M1886 "kropatschek", an rifle wich was issued to the Portugese army at the end of the 19th century.
    The cartridge is in use as "8x60R".

    Perhaps the diameter of the bullet is usefull to determine for which rifle the loads were made for?
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  8. #8
    Boolit Master
    scb's Avatar
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    I've made 45-75 Winchester ammo out of .348s. Before they are fireformed it would be impossible to identify them. Just something to keep in mind.
    "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety".
    Benjamin Franklin

    Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions.
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  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    I have used .348 brass to fire form 11mm werndl ammo so the big base brass could be anything.

  10. #10
    Boolit Bub
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    KokomoKid
    It really looks like 11mm Werndl! I hadn't even thought of that cartridge. I wonder if someone has an 11mm Mannlicher or an 1879 Argentino Rolling block to shoot them in. Perhaps I should take some pics and take one apart for measuring purposes. I don't really need the rounds and they look like they were very well made. The brass is slightly tarnished but the lead bullets are bright.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master JHeath's Avatar
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    Totally not my area, but I got curious and found this:
    http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearm...l#.VKTGiNq9KK0
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails image.jpg  

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
    texassako's Avatar
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    Measure the length of the case(base to mouth) and diameter of the bullet. Quite a few obscure European cartridges can be made from .348 Win. I had some 10.35x47r Italian Vetterli cases so marked for a while.

  13. #13
    Boolit Bub
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    I was thinking Vetterli originally they were fairly common in Maine as a hunting rifle as recently as the 50-60's I was thinking werndl might be a bit obscure but you never know. Ill give measurements soon.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    The Werndl floppy block was a real hoot to shoot. I used 43 spainish gg bullets paper patched to groove dia and 348 formed brass and it shot ok. Traded it for an Allin 50-70 trap door.

  15. #15
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by pworley1 View Post
    If there is much neck at all left, it is probably not 41 Swiss. http://www.swissrifles.com/ammo/

    Could still be 41 swiss because modern bullet molds are too short to run through a swiss vetterli magazine, so I have lengthened the necks to make them the right length

  16. #16
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    There could be a ton of options for bottle neck of the description.....

    May I suggest a photo, set it next to a 45-70 so we have something to go off....or bring calipers, and give us measurments.....better yet do both, I will guarentee somebody on here can identify it.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    probably 43 mauser for the 1871 and 71/84 rifles. should be around .446 bullet diameter with a small shoulder.

  18. #18
    In Remembrance / Boolit Grand Master

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    Here's an 1874 French Gras from 348 win.Attachment 128111

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check