It took me a while to fully appreciate the Model 71. My first day off the bench I wondered what all the fuss was about. Mine is accurate at 2MOA or better with numerous loads, the action is smooth but so is the action on all of my well used levers, the ballistics (standard 348) good but by modern standards not awe inspiring.
Now after about 1 year of use and a successful moose hunt under my belt I can say that this rifle grows on me continually unlike any rifle that I have ever owned.
Getting off the bench and into field positions reveals the wonderful balance and pointability. My father a 2nd generation Saskatchewan homesteader was a late convert to rifles from shotguns. He settled on a 24" Marlin 30-30 with a pistol grip. He would talk about how nice it pointed. Every year we went out he would put a 170 grain silvertip through the chest of his deer and it would be over. 1 year...1 shot. He would have loved the model 71. When you get off the bench you realize the old 71 comes up fast, balanced and on target and the pistol grip and stock design is wonderfully comfortable and aids in control.
The ballistics in the original 348 are also wonderfully balanced. A 200 grain bullet at 2500fps or a bit more is actually very capable if you match bullet construction to fit the game. The 200 Swift is fully Bison ready. The 200 Flextip 300 yard capable with some nice 6-7" groups at that range on my last outing. Recoil in an 8 pound rifle is very reasonable and easily handled by my 14 year old. On my moose hunt my 800 pound bull did not move one step after taking a high shoulder strike with a 200 Flatpoint. If you like more bullet weight a 250 grain at 2250-2300fps is no slouch.
The tactile feeling of working the action is nigh irresistible. It's not just smooth, it's the combination of smoothness, tight lock-up and the snick-snick, sound that just feels right. As an added bonus load your rounds a bit hot and you have the lever pop open telling you to back down a bit. Handy!
I like the ad that suggests the Model 71 is a "Universal" rifle. Pretty much sums it up and it is evident that the Model 71 was a product of love by the older generation of Winchester craftsman, with an unbroken pedigree stretching back to the 19th century. Stock by Whelen and team, cartridge design by Gerlich, action redesign by Winchester. When you pick up an old Kelly True Temper or a Finnish Pukko you realize that you are holding a design that evolved over generations of refinement by people who used their equipment every day. The 71 gives you the same sense. I guess the best one word description is, Beautiful.
