Home Forums Lever Action Central Big Bore Levers 33 WCF-1886 Winchester-1895 Marlin bullets

Keeping the Winchester 1886 or the Marlin 1895 in 33 WCF alive and well is becoming more of a challenge.
You can use cast lead bullets, but there are alternative Jacketed bullets.
I have a good supply of the Hornady 200 gr FPs that are now hard to come by. The Hawk Bullet Company
originally in WY-is now in NJ. Their bullets really work well in the 1886 with FP bullets at 200 grains.

One other idea that I have developed-and it works as a hunting loading: load a few 210 grain /.338 Nosler original Partition bullets; or other 200 gr .338 bullets.
These can be carefully chambered for the first shot while hunting, followed by FP Hornadys in the magazine. Pay attention-do not accidently put a sharp spitzer bullet
in the tubular magazine.
Its not really necessary to use premium bullets in the 1886 33's. Their top velocity is about 2000-2100 fps. At that velocity, the 86-95s will kill
deer and black bear up to elk very reliably. The 1886 was the precursor to the Winchester Model 71. My rapid taper 24 in barrel 1886 has a checked pistol grip and forend.
Combined with a 2/3 magazine-this becomes a Special Order Winchester with great balance. About 32 grs of 4198 produces 2000 fps
with Hornady 200 gr FP bullets in my rifle.

Filing the lead tip on 210 Partitions down to the jacket line results in a flat-tipped bullet weighing just about 200 grains. The soft front core expands easily at .33 velocities, and in my take-down 1886 they shoot very well. If you can find 210's with cannelures they can even be crimped. Nosler offers the cannelured 210's as factory over-runs now and then.

You can also do the same thing with the plastic tips on 200-grain Hornady FTX's. The won't feed with the tips intact in my rifle, because the point jams in the space between the button and the magazine tube, but will with the plastic tip filed flat. However, dunno if they're as tough as the 200 Hornady flat-points, as haven't had time to run penetration comparisons.

In case you're not aware Woodleigh makes a 338 FN SN for the 33 Win. No doubt it will have a bonded core too.

I shoot Western Bullets 200 gr lead gas checks in my old 1886 takedown. Seems to be all I'll ever need.

450Fuller,
As JFE pointed out Woodleigh makes a 200 FN for the 33 Win and has loads in their Manual. Pushing 2200 fps with 2 loads. I don't have a 33 anymore, but I do like the Woodleigh bullets.
John

Woodleigh does make an excellent bullet with bonded core feature in the 200 gr weight. With top velocities loaded in my 86s being 2200 fps, the 210 Noslers
and remaining 220 gr FP Hornadys do the task. The 200 gr Hornady FP inter-lok bullets for the 33-348 WCF are surprisingly tough.
Lee still makes a factory crimp die for the 33 WCF-and they are recently available. Like the 348, its a good idea to have bullets well crimped in the
case for cartridges used in the tubular magazines of our 33's.

Butfalo Arms is your huckleberry. They have Hornady 200 grain fp’s. When asked about future supply, they told me that they make them in-house...I guess to Hornady specs.

My 1886 prefers H-4895, agreeing with MD’s article in Rifles magazine a year or two ago. Great article....OP, I’d suggest you find a copy of that article...good reading.

Anyone who needs some 33 Win Brass, PM me...

I have a batch of it, that someone wanted me to load for them a while ago...
which I was going to do for free since the guy was a veteran...

then he up and died on me a week later...

it should go to a good home instead of just collecting dust at my place.

Sounds good Seafire. I sent a PM. TIA