Took the 128 year old 1873 out for a shoot...Ugh!

[rbertalotto]

My brass and dies finally came in for my old 38-40 Winchester. The bullet mold arrived a few days ago. I cast up a bunch of 180g bullets and loaded ten rounds to see how the "sewer pipe" barrel would do.

Not so good! Can you say "key holing"!

There is a whole update on the entire 1873 Winchester project here:

www.rvbprecision.com

Hope you enjoy it!

[hunter64]

A great project and a nice write up.

I have a 1894 38-55 Rifle that was made in 1899 with a bore just about as bad as yours. If I size the bullets to max that it will chamber .381 with starline brass it will keep 10 shots to about 8" at 50 yards and that is the best it will do.

I have contacted several gunsmiths in my area and most will not reline barrels but I did find one that wants $450.00 or there about to do the work and about 5 months wait. It was my great grandfathers rifle so I think I will get the relining done and then it can be used again as it was intended to do.

I remember my grandfather saying that he shot lots of deer and antelope with it in southern Alberta where they lived on a farm so I think it will be kind of neat to go back there with it when it is fixed and take some more game with it.

[shovel80]

hunter64
You may want to contact John Taylor@ Taylor Machine in Puyallup, Washington. He just did a reline on a 32" Octagon barrel for me in .45-70. It was on an Italian Sharps.
He did a Great Job, Rifle shoots Great, and I don't think he has six months back order..
I think he is a member of this site too..
Terry

[rbertalotto]

John told me he was four to six months out.......He does great work and I'd have had him do it. But I want to use the rifle this summer so I ordered the liner and the bore drill and I'll have at it myself........Should be a fun project.

[GARCIA]

Might look here also:

http://www.35caliber.com/index.html

Tom

[TXGunNut]

John told me he was four to six months out.......He does great work and I'd have had him do it. But I want to use the rifle this summer so I ordered the liner and the bore drill and I'll have at it myself........Should be a fun project.

Something tells me you'll do a fine job. Please take pics!

[ajjohns]

Now, from the reading I've done of Scovill's articles in handloader mag and such, can you get it reamed with the long neck or do you get the once fired "short" neck? He had some good points on long vs. short neck for bullet tension but I don't know if it's a real big deal. Just thought I'd throw it out there because you're gonna have to get the liner job done. Get that beauty shooting! Looks like fun!

[rbertalotto]

ajjohns........Wasn't Scovill talking about the 38-55?

This rifle is 38-40. I don't believe it has the neck issues as the 38-55 does.

[ajjohns]

Nope 38/40. I know for sure if you check the leverguns yearbook that rifle/handloader put out from about 2000 (?) he talks about it there in the model 92 section. What it shows is that some chambers leave a short neck on firing and it really doesn't get set back on resizing. You can shorten your sizing die to the right neck length (or have dies made as he did) and he had a chamber on a oldie recut to the size of an unfired round. He said it put good tension on the bullet and didn't wear on the brass as much on resizing. I think he had another article on it in a more recent issue of handloader.

[rbertalotto]

I'd pay big money for a copy of that article.....or for an entire Lever Gun Yearbook.

Thanks for the lead! Now I need to find a copy.........

[ajjohns]

You don't have a subscription to rifle/handloader? If you find a newer one sometimes they advertise buying past issues of them there. Otherwise online at wolfe publishing maybe has it?