Friends:

Saw this rifle, a lever action, with peep site, and I think it is very cool. I do not know anything about the ballistics of this caliber, availability of the ammo, reliability of the rifle (leveraction/big caliber).

Do any of you know this caliber? Is the ammo avaialable commercially (I don't reload-yet).

Once I find the ballistics, I suppose I can figure out what I can hunt with it.

Anything you guys (or gals) know, I'd appreciate- may just buy it to have around, but would prefer to use it.

Buy it, Yes ammo is avaliable but expensive.Low 2000 fps with 200 grain bullets. Very good bear/Hog rifles.

quote:

Originally posted by jehand:
Friends:

Saw this rifle, a lever action, with peep site, and I think it is very cool. I do not know anything about the ballistics of this caliber, availability of the ammo, reliability of the rifle (leveraction/big caliber).

Do any of you know this caliber? Is the ammo avaialable commercially (I don't reload-yet).

Once I find the ballistics, I suppose I can figure out what I can hunt with it.

Anything you guys (or gals) know, I'd appreciate- may just buy it to have around, but would prefer to use it.

The Model 71 is indeed an excellent rifle, the design of which is an updated Model 1886 made from modern steels. The .348 is in about the same ballistics class as the .358 Winchester, but suffers from the flat-nose or round-nose bullet configurations necessitated by the tubular magazine. So it is not as good at longer ranges as the .358. The cartridge design is of a pretty antiquated type characterized by long, sloping case taper and a thick rim. The case is actually the old-time .50/110 Winchester blackpowder express case necked down to hold a .348" bullet - why the hell Winchester chose this odd bullet diameter, instead of using either a .338 or .358, both of which were already in production by Winchester when they designed the .348, is a real mystery. No other cartridge ever used this size bullet, and no other production rifle ever used the .348 cartridge!

It fired a 150-grain bullet at 2820 FPS (now obsolete), the 200-grainer at 2520, and the 250-grain at 2320. The 250-grain is gone too, and of course, it was the best of the three weights. The 200 is a good short-range deer load, but the .348 was really a better round for larger game, but they dropped the big-game bullet.

So the .348 is no longer good for game bigger than deer or black bear, unless you handload it with bullets heavier than 200 grains! The problem with the 200-grain bullet is that it is both "too soft" and too light for adequate penetration on elk, moose, and big mean bears!

There are a number of wildcats built on the .348 case which are used in the M71 Win - the most well-known of which is the .450 Johnson Alaskan! Ackley made a bunch of them also, including a .348 Improved.

Agree with ED. The 250g bullet makes all the sense in the world with this gun. You won't reach out past 200yd likely, and with those flat noses you can really hammer something but good within that range.
This probably isn't going to be your favorite gun, honestly. But if you realoaded, and better yet, cast bullets, I don't think you'd even be asking the question. It's a fine rifle, piece of history, excellent round for slow-n-heavy cast bullets, but for a non-reloader who doesn't already have three working guns, I wouldn't advise it, unless the price is just unpassable.

I've always wanted one and if you can afford it, buy it.

Russ

I have shot a lot of Muledeer with one and its a killer for sure..I liked the 250 gr. hands down. Hunted elk a little with it but never saw a shootable bull while hunting with my .348, much to my disdain..

One of the grandest of the 20th Century American hunting rifles, every gun crank should own one at least for a few years. Slick action, superb balance for quick offhand shooting. Best with a peep sight with the little disc removed.

My favourite rifle for cats lion/leopard. My choice for a follow up on wounded leopard. Bit light for following a wounded lion though! Keep toying with the idea of making mine into something a little more meaningful for African use.

My father had one and killed a LOT of deer with it. Had a peep sight on it and could he ever shoot it! I think it would make a good elk gun with heavy bullets and limiting its use to heavy timber hunting where shots would be less than 150 yards.

FYI
The previous posts are right.....and wrong.
I have a Browning copy of the Winchester 71....a superb rifle. Great balance and power. As for 250 grain bullets....Alaska Bullet Works or Kodiak makes a 250 grain Bonded core bullet for the 348. Long live the 348!

I've owned a M-71 in .348 for 3 years now, and I can say it's been a real adventure. I've shot moose and Muley's with it and it's a real killer. When I started to research the calibre and the availability of ammo. for it, the need to stock up on components became obvious. I also turned to cast bullets and have been very pleased with their performance on all game.

Actually there is a strong following for this older calibre and no shortage of experienced shooters to fill in any knowledge gaps you have about it. As mentioned, it is suited for close-range work of up to about 200 yards. The rifle is not light-weight at around 8.5 lbs. and most models are a little lengthy at 24" for bush work, but one is ready for anything that may appear, moose, elk and even grizzly are fair game. The rifle is a joy to own because the quality of construction and hand-work that went into these Winchesters from an era of dedicated craftmanship is very apparent.

I shoot 180, 200 and 250 grain bullets and lean toward the larger bullet because of its versatility. It's typical of the Winchester 1886 action in that one has to slap the lever forward to complete the chambering cycle properly but the rifle is strong and totally dependable. Buy one if you have the chance, you'll never see its like again.