Browning M71 in .348...a painful gun to shoot

[omgb]

A couple of months ago I came across a minty Browning M71 in a local gun shop. $500 put it my hands. Next I scrounged around and came up with 250 pieces of brass, 100 of which were virgin WW. I bought some 200 grain flex tips from Hornady and loaded them with 54.5 grains of Win 760. This is a starting load. Well, all I can say is Wow! That gun barks loud! Cases are showing no signs of pressure but the lever drops about .25 inches when the gun if fired. It does not move the bolt nor the two lugs that lock the bolt, it just drops the lever a tad. The hit to my gripping hand though is pretty painful. I'm thinking this will be a cast bullet gun for me using either 5745 or maybe even Blackhorn 209. I did buy an Accurate 220 grain bullet mold from Tom so I'll have to try it out.

[Beagle333]

I bought some 200 grain flex tips from Hornady and loaded them with 545 grains of Win 760.

Now that's gotta make a boom.


(I did look it up though and see that 56.0 was the book starting load in my references, so I do know what you meant.)

[BK7saum]

Thats what caught my eye also. 545 grains is 2 and a half times a 50BMG load. Big boom. Lol

[smkummer]

Yep, if not hunting polar bear, brown bear or Moose a cast bullet does everything and is a pleasure to shoot. I used to load for a friend's 71 Win. And either downloaded the 200 grain jacketed until I finally found Lyman's GC bullet.

[Reverend Al]

You must have a 30 foot drop tube to get 545 grains of powder into that size of case!

[omgb]

Alright guys, which of you did not know I meant 54.5 grains? A guy can't get cut any slack at all these days.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Get cut... Yes. Slack... well that is for them others out there some where.
Several items maybe I can help you with. We have a 50 Alaskan in an 86 Win (jap). With any cast over 300 grains it could get right painful fast on my 150 pound frame. So it has been "adjusted" to be user friendly even with 525 grainers over 53 grains of 4198. About 1800 fps.

That lever. Wrap it in leather if there is sufficient room. Just getting the steel off the hand makes a big felt difference. If the lever has a plunger type "lock" check the spring. May be collapsed some. I just do not remember how the 71 lever locks in.

Butt plate. Add a padded leather cover. Our's had a curved steel bone crusher. Bought a padded "curved cover". Removed the steel and on went the cover. Cover is flat on the outside and curved on the inside to match / fill the curve in the shoulder area. Now it is as hurt less as a 86 in 45-70 with a shotgun style stock with 300 grainers. Not sure which you have but the leather covers do help.

We have an 1886 in 33 Win. We routinely shoot 250 grainers GC. No issues to us with a leather cuff on. We do not shoot off a bench either. Cross sticks will give your body the chance to recoil with the rifle.
Mike in Peru

[35remington]

The lever opens due to recoil and rifle movement. It does not mean anything in regard to the loading.

[OverMax]

Considering the loading of win 760 can be measured up to 62 grains with a 200 gr jacketed bullet seated. 54.7 grs is a lower middle range loading. Yep! I'm surprised to read your 348 cartridge can hustle a 200 gr out past its muzzle near 2600 fps. That's a polar bear harvester you got there OMGB.

[tim338]

My Dad has one and yes its a handful. I was surprised too.

[pietro]

The lever opens due to recoil and rifle movement. It does not mean anything in regard to the loading.

+1

The heavy recoil is most likely causing your hand to contact the lever loop in a way that makes it drop that little bit.

If the rubber bumper doesn't work to reduce felt recoil enough to suit you, drill a 1/2" diameter hole a few inches deep into the thick part of the buttstock, under the BP/recoil pad - then insert some lead in there.


.

[corbinace]

Off topic a tiny bit but...Do mercury recoil reducers work?

[Bird]

omgb,
The m71 has a too short length of pull. Add length to the buttstock and your recoil problems will go away. The performance of your loads are similar to a 30-06 at shorter ranges. It will still pack a punch if you are shooting from a bench. While sorting out accuracy loads, I shot 75 in one afternoon. Never again. 760 was not accurate for me, and did much better with imr4064 and imr4895 at around 2400 fps.

[Multigunner]

Those deeply curved butt plates were not meant for the conventional shouldering were are used to. These are a holdover from the Kentucky Rifle days, and even when these rifles were manufactured it was already known that the less curved "Musket Breech" and "Carbine Breech" were much better suited to the hold necessary for rifles that recoiled more sharply than the mild Kentucky rifle type loads.

[omgb]

True but the M71 has a shotgun style butt.

[Edward]

Off topic a tiny bit but...Do mercury recoil reducers work?

They do work ,I have installed several but still use a Limbsaver for a helper

[Scharfschuetze]

I agree, a Model 71 will loosen the fillings in your teeth.

[rintinglen]

You can get your teeth rattled with a full load, but take a 358-429, size it .351, load it on top of 13.0 grains of red dot and it is a ***** cat. You will have to raise the sights a lot, but it is very accurate.
Loaded down to 35 Rem levels, you have ample power for Deer or Black bear, 28 grains of 4759 or 35 grains of 5744 under a 200 grain RCBS boolit works well.

[smokeywolf]

4895 is my go-to powder for 348 Winchester. Don't have my ledger handy so can't list my loads at the moment. Recoil was quite tolerable.

[gnoahhh]

I too used to have my teeth rattled by a Browning M71. A buddy called it, "a mule killer at both ends." Reduced loads tamed it, and proved more than sufficient for local deer. A Williams receiver sight went a long way toward making it user-friendly too.

I kept a couple boxes of full strength ammo on hand in case of the odd grizzly or T-Rex sighting, but neither ever materialized here in Maryland so I sold them (and the rifle).