Hunting with a vintge Winchester

[Frank V]

Those old Winchesters will still do the job.
We have an area here where rifles aren't allowed except muzzle loaders, shotguns are legal, traditional revolvers, bow & arrow.
It's pretty brushy & probably a good shotgun with sights would work well.

[TXGunNut]

Cleared off the workbench and put some moulds on the hot plate to make boolits for the 38-55, 38WCF and 32 Special. My oldest 32WS is a bit short of the 100 yr mark but it's a nice old rifle. All the boolits have big meplats and plain bases. Ordered a couple of Lyman sights last night, one is for the 38WCF. This project is coming together!

[Freischütz]

I killed several moose with a 1915 production Win M95.

[smokeywolf]

I killed several moose with a 1915 production Win M95.

Caliber?

[Frank V]

The 95 is an interesting rifle.

[TXGunNut]

The 95 is an interesting rifle.

Yes, must agree. I have an early (flat side) and a later (1915) rifle in 30US. I enjoy shooting the later gun but the sights are too tiny for me to use for hunting....at least until I get some new glasses. Will talk to my eye doc next week about making me a set of glasses for shooting my old leverguns.

[fingers284]

I started my hunting career using the most modern whizz bang cartridge's available with scopes that you could hit running shots on into next week if you tried hard enough, LOL...then I discovered "auction sales and old guns" about 15 yrs ago...haven't hunted with a modern gun since.

I have shot a few deer with the old ones, including the more memorable ones, a couple of good Alberta WT (one just under 170") with an '84 Trapdoor, a 32" wide Mule at 245 yrds with a RB ( Early # 1 action with new 45-70 barrel, 24" vintage style brass tube-scope), a decent 4x4 mule with a first year production Marlin 1895 in 38-56.

This year will be a 4 ser # 94 Win in 38-55...I hope anyways.

[Frank V]

I started my hunting career using the most modern whizz bang cartridge's available with scopes that you could hit running shots on into next week if you tried hard enough, LOL...then I discovered "auction sales and old guns" about 15 yrs ago...haven't hunted with a modern gun since.

I have shot a few deer with the old ones, including the more memorable ones, a couple of good Alberta WT (one just under 170") with an '84 Trapdoor, a 32" wide Mule at 245 yrds with a RB ( Early # 1 action with new 45-70 barrel, 24" vintage style brass tube-scope), a decent 4x4 mule with a first year production Marlin 1895 in 38-56.


This year will be a 4 ser # 94 Win in 38-55...I hope anyways.

The .38-55 has always been a pretty good ctg. it will take most game without much trouble.
The .45-70 is a great cartridge too, I used to load it very hot in a #1, but now I'm toning my loads down. It'll still pass through most anything you shoot.

[sharps4590]

This has been a very enjoyable and interesting thread. The stories are wonderful as are the "old guns", pictured and mentioned. I have smiled a great deal while reading it so thanks to all who posted and to the OP for starting it. I hope some will enjoy a few pictures. First is my Jost & Diehl in 16 X 10.5 X 47R. It has yet to be properly blooded.



Next is 3 of my drillings, from the top; A Thieme & Schlegelmilch in 16 X 9.3 X 75R Nimrod from about 1905. Middle is a Franz Jaeger "Herold" in 16 X 9 X 57R and I forget the proof date. Bottom is an Imman. Meffert in 16 X 7 X 57R from 1936, which is a little new for me.



Next, on top is my Johann Otschar in Ferlach stalking rifle in the old 9 X 57R, straight tapered, BP cartridge. Bottom is an unmarked, non-Nitro proofed drilling in 16 X "Who Knows What?" I make the case from 30-40 Krag, trimmed and fireformed to a bottleneck, 9mm cartridge. We're fairly confident it was a war trophy and re-chambered on this side of the Atlantic but, beyond that nothing is known....other than it's pretty darned accurate!!



Lastly what is probably my favorite bolt rifle. A 1929 proofed, 1903 Mannlicher/Schoenauer in the classic 6.5 X 54 MS. There's a few Mausers from before WWI and between the wars in various obsolete and largely unavailable cartridges but the above is enough.

[TXGunNut]

Took my 1921 vintage 32 WS 1894 SRC to the range today, mainly to double-check some loads before loading a few for a buddy. I'd forgotten how well the old girl shoots! Just for giggles I also had an old 1873 in 38 WCF with a sewer pipe bore along. I'd pretty much given up on it but wanted to try some loads (8 grs Unique) that work well in a recently acquired 1892. I was shocked, last load wouldn't stay on the target @ 50 yds and today it printed a 2" group with only one flyer.
It's like my old Winchesters are all excited about the prospect of going hunting again and this old girl piped up and said "Me too!"
This project has gone from "whether" to "which" over the past few weeks. I cast a pretty good pile of 38-55, 38-40 and 32 Spl boolits yesterday. This is going to be fun!

[nekshot]

sharps 45-90 those are awesome. Now that's the vintage of the vintage!!

[Frank V]

sharps4590, I agree, those are beautiful.
A very nice collection, thanks for sharing.

[sharps4590]

Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate your comments. All have given me untold hours of pleasure....and more than a few hours of hair pulling while working up brass and loads. I see I left off the dates of the Jost & Diehl, it's from probably the 1880's. The Outschar stalking rifle might be as early as the 1870's or perhaps early 1880's and the unknown drilling, given its lack of proof marks at least before the 1893 proof law.

[fingers284]

Took my 1921 vintage 32 WS 1894 SRC to the range today, mainly to double-check some loads before loading a few for a buddy. I'd forgotten how well the old girl shoots! Just for giggles I also had an old 1873 in 38 WCF with a sewer pipe bore along. I'd pretty much given up on it but wanted to try some loads (8 grs Unique) that work well in a recently acquired 1892. I was shocked, last load wouldn't stay on the target @ 50 yds and today it printed a 2" group with only one flyer.
It's like my old Winchesters are all excited about the prospect of going hunting again and this old girl piped up and said "Me too!"
This project has gone from "whether" to "which" over the past few weeks. I cast a pretty good pile of 38-55, 38-40 and 32 Spl boolits yesterday. This is going to be fun!

OHHH-Ya I forgot about an 1889 Marlin in .38 WCF in the vault that needs to be taken out and make itself useful sometime this fall...Thank you for reminding me!!

[Frank V]

fingers284, most of us would probably enjoy a range report on that nice old Marlin & .38WCF! I prefer to call it a .38WCF rather than .38-40, just seems well more period I guess.
Thanks

[TXGunNut]

OHHH-Ya I forgot about an 1889 Marlin in .38 WCF in the vault that needs to be taken out and make itself useful sometime this fall...Thank you for reminding me!!

You're welcome! My shooting buddy has an 1893 (?) Marlin in 38-55 and he finally got around to shooting my pet load Sunday. Old rifle woke up and shot a nice group! IIRC correctly it's about the same age as your 38 WCF.

[TXGunNut]

I've only been collecting old Winchesters for the past few years. The humbling part of this activity is looking at the well-used specimens (all I can afford!) and realizing that a handful of these old rifles have seen several lifetimes of hunting experiences. Some have quite likely been passed thru two or more generations. I'll never know where they've been or the game they've taken but I have no doubt they could tell some wonderful stories. I can tell that they were prized possessions and saw a lot of time in the field and saddle scabbards.
Seems only right that while I'm their custodian at least a few should go hunting with me. I think it's an honor that we to get to take these pieces of history with us when we go hunting.

[fingers284]

fingers284, most of us would probably enjoy a range report on that nice old Marlin & .38WCF! I prefer to call it a .38WCF rather than .38-40, just seems well more period I guess.
Thanks

I surely hope to have that for you before freeze-up and deep snow sets in...I had a box of new factory loads with J bullets but didn't want to use those in the 1889 barrel(some disagree but I wont use J in a barrel older than 1900 or so) so have pulled them and dumped the powder...now am trying to decide if I want to go "Holly Black" or light cowboy loads with cast boolits...

[Frank V]

I surely hope to have that for you before freeze-up and deep snow sets in...I had a box of new factory loads with J bullets but didn't want to use those in the 1889 barrel(some disagree but I wont use J in a barrel older than 1900 or so) so have pulled them and dumped the powder...now am trying to decide if I want to go "Holly Black" or light cowboy loads with cast boolits...

I think you are correct about using lead in the older bbls. they were designed in a time when lead was the only thing going.
A jacketed bullet can wear them rather quickly.

[Freischütz]

35 WCF. Mostly used Hornady 250 gr round nose.