Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers Winchester Model 71s-The Hunter's Rifle

The 348 is a fine fire-arm. It has continued to grow on me since mine came into my life. I have a 1955 Winchester that at some point in it's life had the barrel cut down to 22" and a recoil pad installed. This took away some collectors value but allows me to use it as a main hunting rifle here in the Yukon. I used it on last years Moose and had to thread a bullet through Alders to connect. I can honestly say the main attribute of the rifle, fine balanced handling came into it's own that day and I connected. My dad was a great shotgun man..he would shoulder a rifle and comment on how it "came up", if it "came up" and the sights where on and the balance was fine he would consider it as a rifle for use. He used a long barrelled half magazine Marlin 30-30 and just loved the balance of that gun. I think he would have liked the Model 71 even better. The riflefeels alive in the hands...with my moose the sights where on and I was able to thread the needle in part because the rifle "comes up" with balance and grace and with the sights on. This is a tribute to an evolved design made by men of the same pedigree as my dad.

I used 200 grain Hornady FN at 2520 and the moose did not take a step! The old lever guys at Winchester talked management into pooling all their experience and making one rifle that could replace all the older Levers on the docket. The 1886's in 33 Win and 45-70, The Win 95 in 35 Win and 405 where essentially replaced by the finest lever that all those years of experience could create. It was a labor of love from the ground up and there is something special about this combination. In my opinion there is nothing much to be gained by improving it and it is a very well thought out design from the ground up. My own version will shoot into 1.5" groups with the right loads.

The only real struggle is in finding the correct bullet. The 250 grain bullets shoot to a very different impact point than the 200 in most rifles. The 250 Woodleigh is the most accurate bullet in my rifle and penetrates like a bugger! It prints about 5" lower than the 200 grain samples. The 220 Barnes Original core separates way too easy. I have settled on the 200 Horn FN for up to Moose, the 200 FTX for caribou and the 200 Swift for Bison. The Swift penetrates like a 250 grainer and I don't need to change the sight settings.

I tested some historic examples and the 250 Silvertip that Elmer loved, is not a great penetrator and separates all the time. It expands very quickly though and would be a fast killer on Elk and smaller. I wish we could still buy the 180 Speers....they were pretty incredible bullets for deer and caribou and hang together very well.


The 348 in it's natural habitat in the Yukon. 10 minutes after this shot our moose was down


What the 348 excels at.... bringing home the bacon

Good results, North.

You might give Andy at Hawk Bullets in NJ a try. They used to be in Glenrock, WY.

I used a 270 GR Hawk in a 348 Ackley on a nice bull moose in 2007. The rear sight on that rifle was a flat based Lyman 48.
I have used a Lyman 56 with a Marbles 95 fold down in the rear dovetail. In the outback, its nice to have a ready to go
rear sight in case the peep sight breaks or becomes unuseable. The slide on the Lymans allows for quick detach, and then
you can flip up the 95 sight. It is really handy on bear rifles. Guides use similar rigs.

Back about 9 years ago, the Hawk Company made up some 225 grain bullets for me. They also offer the 348 WCF bullet in 180 gr.
I even have some 270-& 300 gr Hawk bullets for the Ackley rifle. Kronfeld wrote a good article on the 348 Ackley: its featured in Wolfe Publishing's
Big bore Rifles book. Ackley himself was amazed at the performance level: regularly produced 175-200 FPS more than the parent cartridge
with 200-220 gr bullets. Worth the effort, though few will modify an existing original Model 71.
Your bullet tests are excellent. The original 250 gr Silvertip bullets are not the performers compared to Hawk 250s or Woodleigh-Swift.
Hawk and Alaska Bullet Works-(Juneau). Hawk and Alaska BW also produce a 400 gr flat point suitable for the 450 Alaskan.

HRM

North, what is your load for the 200gr AFrame?

I use H414. 59.0 grains gets to 2500fps in my rifle with good case life. This bullet uses 2 grains less powder or so with most loads to get the same pressure/speed as the 200 Hornady.

Not the most accurate bullet in my firearm but 2-2.5" groups with open sights are possible.

Loggah, looks like someone cut about 4” off the barrel on the fourth rifle from the right. You should probably get rid of that one... to me 😂😂

I like the 71s

Ooooohhhh, I love those carbines!! There's one on Gunbroker I'm watching, but it's sellin above my pay scale.

I feel your pain! I can’t afford to pay “gunbroker market value” for the carbines, but I always watch for them.

Went to a gun show on Kodiak Island about 84 there were 5 or 6 Model 71,s owned by the famous bear guides P&T . Good condition for reasonable money did not buy one, I should have!!!!!

Are any of the newer replica 71s any good?

Have owned several of the older mod 71 rifles, currently running a new reproduction mod 71 by Winchester. Shoots great, doesn't hurt as much when get a little hunting wear. 3 moose so far using 250 Woodleigh's. Want to find one of their deluxe models just because.

Andy H @ Hawk Bullets once asked me for an opinion between an original Winchester Model 71 or one of the Browning replica rifles.
My opinion was the Winchester would always be worth more in the long run, as an original. He bought the original. Winchester now has made
a serious error starting with their 1886 rapid taper half magazine rifles in 45-70. They placed an EXTRA tang safety a couple of inches behind the hammer. I am afraid they used the same useless tang safety on the repro Model 71.

This was a bad idea-probably at the fool-proof attorney's for Winchester insistence. Dangerous, as one could put it on double safety by accident. John Browning
and Winchester originally stuck with the 1886 and 1936 half cocked hammer safety --that worked for over 100 years.

I have just recently found a first year production Model 71, and it has the pre-war fit and finish. The trigger at half cock remains still with no movement or rattle.
Ready to do what is intended from the dark timber of MT-WY-CO through Alberta-Alaska and NWT to the Yukon.

since most of you big bore gentlemen enjoy the famous Winchester 71 348, I kept my eye`s open at my gun shop and a dear friend found a real nice Deluxe Winchester 71 348 ,plus a like new box of Winchester silver tip 348 unfired or used ammo too,so I purchased both gun and ammo ,will show my son this 348 this Christmas weekend,it surely is another neat gun. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

To All,

As much as I'd like to have a 71 to hunt with, I cannot imagine paying the scalper's prices that I see on the Worldwideweird.
(I haven't even seen a Model 71 for sale in South Texas in a decade or more at ANY price.)

So I'll stick with my Model 760 that JES remodeled for me in 9.3x62mm.

yours, tex

Well if the new College boys who are managing Browning pull thier heads out.

A). JUST like S&W brought the classics with a very high price (but worth it to consumers) - they could bring back a line of 71’s.

B). Then they would screw it up on the Winchester side of the house and stop making brass, and. Ammo. (Can any spell 7WSM)

Then Hornady & Nosler could step in and fix thier mess, with even better brass.

If I recall, Browning does not make the ammo or brass, as that is still done by Olin which retains the Winchester brand name for those.

I do agree that we need to press both companies to do a run of proper 71 stuff, though with only about 47,000 of the original 71s plus the recent modified copies, plus some Italian knockoffs, there is a small market compared to items using more popular cartridges.

Believe me, I don't like it either..

Norm

It's your entirely choice, but regardless of what you can find in Texas, where guns are quite popular and prices may reflect that, let me tell you my own impressions of what is available on GunBroker, though I have not checked the other sites. Original Model 71s are getting a bit rare since only 47,000 were made, but they ARE available if you shop around.

Several are available for $1-2000, and that would include a few nice old Winchester ones, a few beater ones with recoil pads and tapped for unsightly scope screws and several new Japan-made Winchester and Browning 71s. The latter group have the undesirable stock-mounted safeties. All are suitable for hunting, though.

Then there are a few that go up above $2000 including some of the new ones with nice engraving. Also some quite nice old Winchester "Deluxe" models with checkering,, sling mounts, etc.

Finally, there are a few above $3000 that are old ones but in mostly pristine condition. Usually these are "Deluxe" versions. Few of these get any bids, but some may. I'd guess that these are for collectors, not shooters.

I have one coming that is in the first price category above. It is definitely a shooter, but a genuine old Winchester Model 71 with Redfield adjustable peep sight, checkered walnut stock so a "Deluxe," original steel buttplate, quite modest wear to wood and metal and fine bore. The front sight still has its cover. The price was quite reasonable for what it is, I thought.

I hope to pick it up from my FFL holder today!

Did I mention that ammo is expensive and hard to get? .

Norm

NEVER BE ENOUGH DEMAND FOR THE 348 WIN. STUFF, I do own a nice 71 deluxe 348 win.,i do I agree would like to see it happen but it won`t, but it does make my 71 worth more since this gun is no longer made.

To do a conversion to a 475 On a 45-70 case would you go with a repop 71 or a Repop 1886? Browning or Winchester.

I shoot a 71now and like it. A friend was the original owner. Since 1942

Not meant to be a derail. Ijist a lot of knowledgeable folks in this thread.

I’ll start a new one if needed

Anjin,

No argument with what you said. ------ Fwiw, an old undergrad prof of mine & "sometime hunting buddy" left his "well-used" Model 71 Delux to me in his will but when I drove up to Arkansas from Houston to get it from his executrix, she claimed that it was stolen between the 5 days between when his will was probated & when I arrived there.
(I later learned from a college chum that she sold the rifle for 1,000.oo to a doctor from Hot Springs., - I'm STILL mad about that whole deal.)

yours, tex