Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Browning 71 vs Winchester 1894

Very nice, congrats!

You have a nice Browning rifle, don't be in a hurry to make a mistake by cutting the barrel. Totally unnecessary.
Your Browning also will NOT have an extra tang safety-which you do not need. Just like the original 86/71
designed by John Browning. Sights like the Lyman 66 are perfect.

You will enjoy the 348 WCF, it is close to a lever actioned 35 Whelen. I only have 6 of the Winchester versions made
in the 30s and 40s. Good shooting. Viel vernugen beim Browning!!

The Brownings were made by Miroku and are very well made and no extra safeties on them

Nice gun by the way, you will not be disappointed. As for barrel length, I had a Browning carbine and now have a rifle length Winchester 71 and the longer one handles better in my opinion.

My Miroku was slicker than my Winchester.

I like my Browning carbine. I handled the original Winchester's and, IMO, the Browning's are put together better. Mine currently wears a Burris FF3 sight.

They are very good guns in a great cartridge...but...the trigger hole in the lever is so small that it's really tough to get your trigger finger into if you have any type of glove on.
Darrel

Thank you all for the replies. I've now got a Lyman 66 in the mail for it and have ordered 100 cases as well as a box of the Hornady FTX bullets and some dies.
Compared to the Marlin it definetely rattles less and it has a much shorter bolt throw as well as a steeper grip. I have a feeling this rifle and I are going to get along just fine.

Great choice! I would stock up on either the Hornady FTX or Flat Points as word is Hornady is discontinuing both. Stock up while you can.

I just looked at several reloading sites and they don't list any .348 Hornady bullets anymore.

Yup, Hornady doesn't list them on their site. Maybe we're in luck and they aren't discontinuing them permanently.
From what I've heard the Hornady bullets are really popular for the .348.

Have you thought of a BLR in 358 - straight grip? I had one for a while, wish I still have it. I have a pre-64 in 32 Win Special that is very handy. I also have a big bore 94 in 375 Win, which would be comparable, I think to the 356.

I want a Model 71 in 348 an original. But for what you are asking - I think the 356 would be the best choice,.

I came too late to this party, but congrats on your new 71. When we lived in Germany, some Miroku-made guns were marked Miroku, but they would have been marked Browning in the States. And then the BLR I bought from Frankonia Jagd was marked Browning, but I think I remember they advertised Miroku-marked versions too. That was a lotta years ago, though.

For your purposes, had I been earlier, I think I'd have recommended a BLR in .308. Or maybe a Savage M99 in .300 Savage (or .308). Or maybe a SAKO Finnwolf in .308. I've owned each of those (.300 Savage M99), .243 Win Finnwolf), all good actions, with varying degrees of balance and sighting equipment possibilities and so forth. I used a .308 BLR when I hunted there; would have been fine for boar (although I never got one, good for elk, overkill for gams and reh.

Boar in Germany can be big, but a .308 would be enough. (The guy next to me on a circle drive got the one that went past us, maybe about 500kg IIRC, and he was using a .308.) Rehbok, tiny. Gams, tiny. Rotwild, not so huge. The .358 and .356 would be OK, especially for boar, but trajectory is not quite as favorable for a mountain hunt -- if you might do that sometime. Ditto the .348, handicap compounded by the sighting equipment. I have an original family pass-down M71 DeLuxe rifle (24" barrel), 1937 serial number, with the bolt-mounted aperture and with the optional recoil pad. VERY VERY nice balance, about the right weight for the cartridge (recoil, etc.), VERY fast sights... but for me, they're good for closer work, not so great for a rehbok at anything over about 125 meters... and even that would need the right presentation in the right light... It'd be great for driven boar, can't say as I'd think it useful for other typical game animals over there in typical circumstances.

All that said, the rifle you like is the rifle you need... and you can just work around the other issues.

Mine is mostly used for anti-bear duty, these days. And I don't get out in bear country all that much...<sigh>...

-Chris

Thanks for the insight. I'm really surprised how many members here used to go hunting in Germany and are well aquainted with the local customs.
I might take mine to the local Frankonia in Würzburg to have them install a sling swivel, the guns they have in stock have sadly taken a turn for the worse, though. Black plastic gets boring for me after a while.
Personally I rarely shoot at more than 150m and I don't plan on taking it up a mountain, my 8mm is a little better suited to that for now.

Hawk bullets makes several 348 bullets from 165 gr up to 250 gr. You might check them out. I purchased some 180 gr. From them to work up a load. I have 2 model 71 Winchesters one in standard 348 the other being made into a Ackley improved version.

Hoeram

Thanks for the advice. I might want to check if they can ship here.

My choices are:

1st. - The Browning Model 71. You can never go wrong with the .348 and you don't have to drag an animal very far. It's powerful and it reeks class and styling. The build quality is excellent and a pleasure to own.

2nd. - I would look for a Marlin Model 336 chambered in .35 Remington. It's a killer too all out of proportion for it's balistics. It get's the job done.

I was stationed near Wurzburg, just up the Rhine at Ashaffenburg...I miss Hey Lands Bier.....what'd I'd give for one of their Krystal Weizens!

Barnes still makes their 220 and 250 grain original bullets and Woodleigh a 250. I'm not sure how difficult it may be for you to get there though, but a few to consider.