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Last edited by Loggah; 02/08/17.
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OP
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Log:
I saw where you had a 450 Alaskan on a M-71, I am assuming-marked H. Johnson on the barrel. Some of those were marked on the barrel: JKR for Johnson Kenai Rifles, the name of his shop in SE Alaska during the early fifties. I have a 450 Alaskan and Fuller that came out of Alaska. Both are long tang early Model 71s. Johnson also liked to use late smokeless 1886 Winchesters for the 450 conversion.H. Johnson was a WWII Marine. Bill Fuller was Johnson's riflesmith, making the reamers. His 450 Fuller has a slightly easier shoulder for chambering and feeding-than the Alaskan. Alaskan dies will still handload OK. I have kil;led deer and moose with the 348 and 348 Ackley. With good Hawk or Alaska Bullet Works. bullets- bonded core-you can push the 348 Ackley to 35 Whelen velocities. The 450 is good for Alaska as you never know what might be around the next black spruce-waiting at the gut pile.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena-not the critic"-T. Roosevelt There are no atheists in fox holes or in the open doors of a para's aircraft.....
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 11
New Member
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My retirement gift to me was a Brownchester M 71. A Turnbull conversion to 50-110. Not fun off the bench John
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Campfire Outfitter
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Yes, my rifle is marked H.Johnson on the barrel, has the extra strap around the barrel to the magazine tube. I got probably 200 cases and 15 different boxes of 45 cal bullets with the rifle. I was hoping some day to get a bear or moose with it.
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Joined: Sep 2004
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2004
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My Dad's foreman had one. I picked it up 44 years ago and I still remember it. The owner has since passed and he had 3 daughters that definitely did not hunt. I wonder where that old gun is now? He killed numerous deer and a beer in NB with it .
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 43
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Apr 2017
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The model 71 is my favorite lever gun/calibre combo. Years ago, I had a standard grade model 71, that I foolishly parted with and that was a move, almost immediately, that I regretted. At a local gun show a couple of years back I spotted this deluxe and had to have it!! I did question the Winchester recoil pad. I was assured by a couple of Winchester collectors that, like the bolt mounted peep on some, the recoil pad was an extra or an option it could be had with.
Last edited by JRP47; 04/17/17.
Being over gunned beats the alternative, Keith
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Joined: Oct 2011
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For many years, the Model 71 and I coexisted... in mutually exclusive worlds. There were the Winchester "classics" in the earlier levers and the nouveau Model 88. Not just me; a lot of folks must not have appreciated the 71 during its production years. That considering over those years, it's sales numbers never anything the Olin family bragging to stockholders about. Also my own impression over decades of collecting, far fewer of the breed in the used market than even its modest sales numbers should suggest. Finally... after decades of collecting, just within the last one, actually beginning to keep an eye open for a decent one. Qt last, several years ago an early, pristine 71 coming my way. Nothing fancy, just in really nice condition and completely stock! SN in the 14K range and long tang. So now I own one. It, joining a number of other Winchesters, Marlins, Savages, etc., in my stable. I still particularly covet my several 1886 Extra Lightweight models and also own both the Browning 86 Carbine (c 1991) and Winchester Extra Lightweight 86. (c. 2012). Just the side remark that nowadays, there are a lot of collectible guns to be encountered out there which are terminally flawed. Particularly new collectors not appreciating how sometimes such as apparently small blems to make for disproportionate value depreciation. Those apparently astronomical gun prices for the unflawed and prices falling off quickly for what amounts to the too-many 'also rans'. My take
Last edited by iskra; 05/13/17.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 204
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
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Packed my 35/348 and 450 Alaskan for years. They are rifles converted by the same gunsmith who did an exemplary job. Wish I knew who it was. The museum in Cooper Landing was run by a very nice lady who gave me some pictures of Johnson and called his son in Anchorage and we talked for a good while. The gals husband has a muzzleloader built by Bill fuller. Anyway, thanks to north 61 and 450 Fuller i bought a late 71 last week. Shot water jugs loaded with 200 grain Hornady flat point at 2450. Went through five and bounced off the sixth. Broke the 2x12 the jugs were sitting on...... It's sighted in ready for the remainder of spring bear here. Tools for cast bullet shooting arrive soon, that will be fun to run a 250 grain slug, or not. Got a box of Winchester power point ammo with the rifle but it's not very good accuracy wise. Also stuck two cases shooting it, so that's no good. Chronograph said the extreme spread was over a hundred feet per second with the high at published velocity. That one stuck sightly. I will do more water jug testing with different bullets, need cheaper gallon jugs though.
I
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Joined: Jan 2012
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Thanks for that video...cool
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,202 Likes: 23
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 48,202 Likes: 23 |
I loved hunting with my old 71 deluxe long tang, but everytime I went out, I had a swarm of old cowboys following me around wanting to check out my old lever gun.... True chit, had one old boy stop me just to chat about my old 71. That was on a memorable elk hunt a couple years ago. Now gunner500 has the old girl. He's taking great care of her and I don't have to worry about old cowboys stopping me wanting to bs for 2 hours while I'm out elk hunting...
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style. You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole. BSA MAGA
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Joined: Jun 2010
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Campfire Outfitter
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I've always wanted one as long as I remember. I never even held one in my hands. My late Great Uncle used to hunt with one in northern PA before I was born. He said he sold it and bought a .32 Special because the .348 was too heavy.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,354 Likes: 10
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,354 Likes: 10 |
I have a Browning M71 Carbine and I love the Son of a Gun. It is accurate and just as the others described, it points like no other rifle I own. Mine loves the danged Woodleigh 250's at 2300. Hoping to find something to blood it, it deserves to hunt much more than I get it out.
Semper Fi
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,954
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Beretz,
Splain, if you will, exaclty the make and model of that peep and sling attachment on the forend. I'd like mine to have that set up.
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,268 Likes: 2 |
I loved hunting with my old 71 deluxe long tang, but everytime I went out, I had a swarm of old cowboys following me around wanting to check out my old lever gun.... True chit, had one old boy stop me just to chat about my old 71. That was on a memorable elk hunt a couple years ago. Now gunner500 has the old girl. He's taking great care of her and I don't have to worry about old cowboys stopping me wanting to bs for 2 hours while I'm out elk hunting... LOL on the singing cowboys,You bet BSA, your old rifle put the deer in the pic I sent ya down so fast I thought I had missed. You got it going on with your '71 too Beretz, I love these rifles, can't wait to work up a load with the 250 gr Woodleighs when my Barnes bullets are used up.
Trump Won!
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 15,354 Likes: 10
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Beretz,
Splain, if you will, exaclty the make and model of that peep and sling attachment on the forend. I'd like mine to have that set up. The sling attachments were there when I got the rifle. I have no clue who makes them. The peep is a WILLIAMS. Not a horrible sight but I would rather have a steel one. It works fine and retains zero year after year but I think it could be bent easier than a good steel one. Gunner, I'd love to put an elk on its nose with the 250 Woodies. I think if I was ever hunting closer ranged sorta elk I'd carry it. Might have to do a Newfie moose hunt to or something. It just feels proper to hunt big stuff with the 348 Winchester.
Semper Fi
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46,268 Likes: 2 |
You bet Beretz, call me crazy, but I can feel the 250 grains of hell the 348 cartridge and rifle turns loose while firing it, it's an angry round! Elk, Moose, Big Bear would all die hard and fast with a good 250 gr bullet from the M-71's inside 200 yards.
Trump Won!
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 975
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I owned a .348 briefly in the early 1970's but the recoil bothered me. So I sold it for a good profit and bought a new Marlin 336-A in 35 Remington. Same basic profile and handling characteristics. I added a Redfield 2-7X scope and proceeded to take down many deer in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Now that I live in Florida, this 35 is my wild hog rifle and its a genuine keeper!
Sherwood
FIRE UP THE GRILL - is NOT catch and release!
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Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 14
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I have several Win 71s--am planing on using one of the 450 Alaskan on pig in a couple of months--in CA it is varied terrain but pretty wide open in many places so using iron (peep) sights will be more challenging than my scoped .270.. Pigs have great smell but sight, not so much, so you can stalk them pretty close if they don't smell you. Clearly pigs can be brought down with much less firepower but hey, fun to shoot the big bore levers--will leave the 50 Alaskan home for the next trip. BTW--love cycling my 71s--very analagous to the pre-64 bolt--butter. marty
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Joined: Feb 2010
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Campfire Tracker
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I've always wanted one as long as I remember. I never even held one in my hands. My late Great Uncle used to hunt with one in northern PA before I was born. He said he sold it and bought a .32 Special because the .348 was too heavy. You are from PA. You know of Bob Bell. Scope guy in Gun Digest and PA Game News Editor? You wanna shoot Bob's 71? Got it the day he graduated High school and enlisted the next day. Got to shoot it 4 years later. WW2 you know......
Last edited by 257_X_50; 10/14/17.
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OP
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There have been some commented posts on the Model 71 in the carbine length barrel and those M-71s with scope mounts. Scoped rifles were really catching on in the 1950s and many owner hunters modified their rifles. Its a good idea for tired eyes-but it really changes the balance and weight. The same may be said of short rifles or the carbine version. The original 24 inch barrel had the best balance, in my opinion. When timber hunting for big game, balance is more important than a couple of inches in barrel length. Velocity is somewhat also affected.
For those troubled by recoil, try a 348 Ackley in the M-71. You will come back quickly to the standard 348 cartridge. Recoil with the 348WCF is not really any stronger than an '06 or 35 Whelen. I have some of the original W-W blue-yellow Grizzly bear boxes in 250 gr. Winchester discontinued the 150 gr loading and probably should have replaced it with a belted 225 gr like Peters 210 bullet.
The current offerings by Woodleigh-Swift-and Alaska Bullet Works in 250 grain are excellent, as is the Hawk bullet. The various weights in 348 by Hawk such as 180, 200, 250 really work. The 200 gr is excellent for muleys, black bear and white tails. The 250s are better on moose and grizzly-except for close range. Its the 450 Alaskans for coastal Kenai and Kodiak brown bear-Al Haselborg preferred older 405s on Admiralty Island.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena-not the critic"-T. Roosevelt There are no atheists in fox holes or in the open doors of a para's aircraft.....
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