winchester model 71

[woodpile]

My boss at the gun shop I work in has a winchester model 71. He is interested in running cast boolits in it for deer hunting has anyone here played around with this cartridge? Any thing I should know about it? TThanks Steve

[Buckshot]

My boss at the gun shop I work in has a winchester model 71. He is interested in running cast boolits in it for deer hunting has anyone here played around with this cartridge? Any thing I should know about it? TThanks Steve

.............Send a PM to Ammohead as he has one. He also has been known to shoot paper patched bollits in his.

...............Buckshot

[beagle]

Don't have a Winchester but I do have a Browning and it's a heck of a cast bullet shooter once you get past the logistics of brass, appropriate moulds, the right sizer dies and last but not least....gaschecks.

Once you get it rolling, it's a great cast shooter./beagle

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I've got one and have been shooting cast in it for a long time. The 71 was chambered for only one cartridge...the 348 WCF. The trick nowadays is finding a mold for it. RCBS still lists one; #348FN, a 200 grain gas check bullet. All yours for a mere $119.99. Second option is to hunt around on E-Bay for one on auction. Third choice is one of the custom bullet mold makers such as Buffalo Arms or others that cater to older arms requiring special molds. It'll take some searching. As for the 348 with casts (or J's) it will easily take deer and a lot bigger game such as elk, moose and big bears. Brass is still around, but pretty expensive. You won't need a lot of it. It kicks a bit more than the 30-06. Cast bullet diameter is .349 or .350. The 348 is/was a very popular gun up in Alaska where it has been rechambered for a number of potent cartridges....wildcats designed to deal with the biggest bears. Some of those do produce sensational performance and recoil that is legendary. The 71 has a very strong action based on the old M1886 and the 348 case is somewhat larger than the 45-70. It resembles the old 33 WCF. Both were considered very effective hunting rounds. LLs

[44man]

I had a mint 71 years and years ago. I think the 200 gr mold I had was a Lyman. I do not remember the load but I was shooting woodchucks at 100 yards with open sights.
It was a wonderful gun and I have kicked myself all these years for selling it.

[woodpile]

Brass and dies we already located now I just have to find a mold. There is a gun show coming up I will see if I get lucky

[451whitworth]

i use a LBT mould that throws a 250gr. LCFN bullet. my three Browning 71's prefer a .351"-.352" diameter. Hornady gas checks available from MidSouth.

[Bob Busetti]

I have a Browing Model 71 that I shoot cast bullets in. I use the RCBS 200 gr. gas check bullet. I was lucky, I bought my mold when they were around $60. I use linotype metal to cast the bullets. My favorite load has been 55 gr. h4831. I have bought cast bullets that weight 250 gr. So far not much luck with them. I size my bullets .350.
The 200 gr. bullets have been clocked at 2000 fps. I had to stock up on gas checks when alot of suppliers quit carrying them. Got mine from Buffalo Arms. The 71 I have (carbine) is the best cast bullet shooting gun I have. Will easily group under 2" all the time. Good luck on your project.

[HM8485]

It's a little sad that the last visit to this thread was 9 years ago. My dad gave me his Model 71, which he purchased at the company store in about 1936. He had hunted hard with it. It is an XTR model with a contemporaneous Weaver scope mounted on a side rail. I have fired it about 5 times in the last forty some years and it came with 2 partial boxes of ammo purchased in 1950 something. I did have to refinish the stock, but I lived in Alabama with a deer season from early November to January with a bag limit of 1 per day. I did hunt a lot, but never got a clear shot, and I won't risk wounding an animal (however when the boys from the big cities like Birmingham were hunting I almost did get shot a couple of times). I want to use reduced loads with cast bullets and am looking for loads for the RCBS 200 gr gas check which I bought a long time ago for $79. Haven't unboxed it yet. I would prefer to use a cleaner powder than Hogdon/IMR and am considering the Accurate Arms line. Open to any suggestions. Bore is mint, action tight, wood has a few dings, finish is worn away at receiver, but not a speck of rust. I am a lefty so the scope is no good for me, but I like iron sights better anyway. With a cartridge like this shots beyond 100 yards are kind of fool hardy as it has a rainbow trajectory even at that range. This gun was made for the forest, although I remember reading some tales in the 50's gun magazines about the Model 71 on the African veld. I now live in Indiana so I don't want a load that will reach out over 3,000 yards like a 30.06. The only one who has ever fired it an not gotten a black and blue shoulder is my wife. Curiously, she hasn't wanted to shoot it again since that first shot.

[Bigslug]

The Accurate Mold's blueprints for the .348 Winchester are absolutely BANG ON for the throat of the Miroku replicas, which themselves are no doubt BANG ON to Winchester's original blueprints.

I'd recommend the lighter-than-250-grain options. We tried that in my Pop's rifle and concluded that it was a bit too much of a good thing.