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Winchester's New Model
1866 Cal. 44/100

Official Swiss Commission, At Aarau, Switzerland

October 6th and 8th, 1866

The Battle of Kö[bleep]ätz
During the time between 14 June and 22 July 1866, the Prussians fought the Austrians. These battles were well observed by the Swiss. It was here that the Swiss decided that they were in need of modern breech-loading weapons. On 20 July 1866 the Swiss made a Decree that they would find and arm their sharpshooters and Army with breech-loading rifles. During the 6th and 8th days of October, Winchester had already shipped the Model of 1866 to Switzerland for the Swiss Trials. On the 12th of October the Swiss government proposed an order for 8,000 repeaters for their best outfits but soon changed the proposal to between 90,000 and 110,000 repeaters to arm all of their soldiers. A condition to the contract would be that Winchester would also provide all of the tooling necessary for the 66's to be manufactured in Switzerland. Winchester could not or would not agree and offered some sort of counteroffer with the Henry rifle. The deal fell quiet and eventually Winchester backed off. I am unsure of the details.

The Report To The Commission For The Introduction Of The Breech-Loading Arms was dated Oct 1866 and published in Winchester's 1873 catalog as well as the targets. The information I posted above is not included in the report. The report talks about the Winchester Rifle - A. The Trajectory, B. The Precision and C. The Rapidity of Fire.

At this Trial, Swiss sharpshooters shot the 1866 at 300, 400, 600, 800 and 1,000 paces. 300 Paces being 250 yards.

John Kort replicated this target back in 2011 when he reduced his black powder 44-40 loads to replicate 44 Henry ballistics. His hits, along with the 1866 Trials hits and my recent full load 44-40 hits can be seen in the below target. I learned a little on how to use Gimp so I was able to over-lay the hits.

This also sheds some light on the use of the 1860, 1866 and 1873 at The Battle Of The Little Bighorn

Since I have no idea how to get the photos to post, you will have to see them at the link provided....sorry.

https://sites.google.com/view/44win...nchester-history/1866-switzerland-trials

Last edited by BryanAustin; 04/10/22.
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What a great read, Thanks for your work putting this together.

I have just recently found the liking of the lever guns. I have been mostly bolt gun guy till now but In the last year I've garbed up 1, Winchester 94 450 marlin , 3 Marlin 1895GS 45/70, one 1894 44mag and 1894M in 22magnum and last 4 each 9422 from deluxe to 9422M. all straight stock but boy what a hoot throwing lead with the kids.


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Great stuff Bryan, 2 of the biggest steps in the great arms race was, this 1866 44-40 Repeater and later the Mauser Bolt- Spitzer Bullets.

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Yes very interesting to a point. In re reading this report that I have read in the past, I'd like to add a little bit of clarification, and try not to be argumentative in the process.
The reference of the Henry Rifle, and the Winchester Rifle, and a couple Different Models, including Caliber designation.
So The Henry Rifle invented by B. Tyler Henry, and put into production by then well to do investor and Shirt maker Oliver Winchester,
in 1860 mfg. approx. 13,000 Henry Rifles from 1860-1866 in the .44 Henry Flat(rim fire) Caliber.
in 1866 Winchester mfg. approx. 170,101 Model 1866 Rifles, until 1898 Calibers, 44 Flat, 44-40 cf. Serial range until approx. 15,000. (overlapping Henry Rifle Model into Model 1866 Rifle).
The Model 1873 Winchester, mfg. in 1873-1919, total produced approx. 720,610, in calibers .32-20 WCF, 38-40 WCF, or .44-40 WCF. (Winchester Center Fire).
While the early ammo was black powder and at about 1880 with the invention of Smokeless powder as we know today, there were definitely differences in fouling, and performance, besides the fact that the black powder had the tendency to be a little more Volatile.
Winchester's "New Model" 1866 Lever Action was certainly a tremendous improvement over the Henry Rifle mainly enclosing the tubular ammunition magazine, keeping dirt and debris out, and from preventing dents in the open slot for the exposed spring follower to track, plus the addition of the wood forend stock, to keep the heat from the shooters hand.
The Henry Rifle gained Fame in the Civil War,(1860-1864), as that "Damn Yankee Rifle that was loaded on Sunday, and shot all week", the very first famous Repeating rifle!

Great History Bryan!
Thanks,

HS58


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Originally Posted by HunterShooter58
Yes very interesting to a point. In re reading this report that I have read in the past, I'd like to add a little bit of clarification, and try not to be argumentative in the process.
The reference of the Henry Rifle, and the Winchester Rifle, and a couple Different Models, including Caliber designation.
So The Henry Rifle invented by B. Tyler Henry, and put into production by then well to do investor and Shirt maker Oliver Winchester,
in 1860 mfg. approx. 13,000 Henry Rifles from 1860-1866 in the .44 Henry Flat(rim fire) Caliber.
in 1866 Winchester mfg. approx. 170,101 Model 1866 Rifles, until 1898 Calibers, 44 Flat, 44-40 cf. Serial range until approx. 15,000. (overlapping Henry Rifle Model into Model 1866 Rifle).
The Model 1873 Winchester, mfg. in 1873-1919, total produced approx. 720,610, in calibers .32-20 WCF, 38-40 WCF, or .44-40 WCF. (Winchester Center Fire).
While the early ammo was black powder and at about 1880 with the invention of Smokeless powder as we know today, there were definitely differences in fouling, and performance, besides the fact that the black powder had the tendency to be a little more Volatile.
Winchester's "New Model" 1866 Lever Action was certainly a tremendous improvement over the Henry Rifle mainly enclosing the tubular ammunition magazine, keeping dirt and debris out, and from preventing dents in the open slot for the exposed spring follower to track, plus the addition of the wood forend stock, to keep the heat from the shooters hand.
The Henry Rifle gained Fame in the Civil War,(1860-1864), as that "Damn Yankee Rifle that was loaded on Sunday, and shot all week", the very first famous Repeating rifle!

Great History Bryan!
Thanks,

HS58



I'm not aware of any 1866 rifles chambered in 44-40. The action isn't large enough to handle a 44-40...


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Shrapnel,
You are Correct.

My misprint, 1873 was the first 44-40 WCF!

Thanks,
HS 58


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Shrapnel,
On the WACA Forum a Well known Member Chuck, claimed in a past post that a small number of Center Fire Cartridges were made on the Later Model 1866 Winchester!

The 44-40 also referred to or known as .44 Win, .44 WCF, .44 Largo, (Spanish), mainly in Conversation when the "73' comes up.

So I'm a little curious and would like to know the real answer, as the Blue Book of Gun Values , lists the 1866 as .44 rim fire, and center fire also.
They've had errant info before so I won't say this is gospel!

HS58


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Originally Posted by HunterShooter58
Shrapnel,
On the WACA Forum a Well known Member Chuck, claimed in a past post that a small number of Center Fire Cartridges were made on the Later Model 1866 Winchester!

The 44-40 also referred to or known as .44 Win, .44 WCF, .44 Largo, (Spanish), mainly in Conversation when the "73' comes up.

So I'm a little curious and would like to know the real answer, as the Blue Book of Gun Values , lists the 1866 as .44 rim fire, and center fire also.
They've had errant info before so I won't say this is gospel!

HS58


It is true that they made a few centerfire 1866 rifles and converted some from Rimfire to centerfire. I had one of the conversions but it wasn’t 44-40. The 44-40 case is considerably larger at the base and longer as well.

The size of the rimfire cartridge made it quite anemic and as such, was not much of a killer compared to the 44-40. The myth of the soldiers at the Custer battle being outgunned due to the Indians having Henry and 1866 rifles is just that, a myth. With a repeater at that time, it certainly had more fire power in the amount of rounds you could shoot in repetition, but there wasn’t much there when the bullet hit.


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Originally Posted by shrapnel
Originally Posted by HunterShooter58
Shrapnel,
On the WACA Forum a Well known Member Chuck, claimed in a past post that a small number of Center Fire Cartridges were made on the Later Model 1866 Winchester!

The 44-40 also referred to or known as .44 Win, .44 WCF, .44 Largo, (Spanish), mainly in Conversation when the "73' comes up.

So I'm a little curious and would like to know the real answer, as the Blue Book of Gun Values , lists the 1866 as .44 rim fire, and center fire also.
They've had errant info before so I won't say this is gospel!

HS58


It is true that they made a few centerfire 1866 rifles and converted some from Rimfire to centerfire. I had one of the conversions but it wasn’t 44-40. The 44-40 case is considerably larger at the base and longer as well.

The size of the rimfire cartridge made it quite anemic and as such, was not much of a killer compared to the 44-40. The myth of the soldiers at the Custer battle being outgunned due to the Indians having Henry and 1866 rifles is just that, a myth. With a repeater at that time, it certainly had more fire power in the amount of rounds you could shoot in repetition, but there wasn’t much there when the bullet hit.


That makes sense to me. As the receiver on the 66 isn't all that big as you said earlier, which got me thinking.


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Quote
The myth of the soldiers at the Custer battle being outgunned due to the Indians having Henry and 1866 rifles is just that, a myth. With a repeater at that time, it certainly had more fire power in the amount of rounds you could shoot in repetition, but there wasn’t much there when the bullet hit.


Custer was not out gunned because of the Leveraction rifles, but for one to think they had very little effect during the battle is certainly just refusing to accept data. During the archaeological surveys 2,665 cartridges, cartridge cases and bullets were recovered. The 44 Henry and 44-40 Winchester types represented 27% of those totals. The single shot 1873 Springfield 45-55 used by the Cav. represented only 54%...however, both combined represented 81% of the data recovered. I do not recall how much of that 54% was Custer's use of the rifle or the Indian's use after capture. So it is possible that of the 54% recovered data of the 45-55, some of that was more than likely Indian use as well. Custer's loss was a combination of many failures. What is more important than the weapons used, is where the artifacts were recover...creating a pattern, a chain of events to the eventual demise of Custer's men and pinning down Reno and Benteen's men 4 miles away.

Again, here is an overview of the details of the lever actions at Little Bighorn. https://sites.google.com/view/44win...hester-history/little-bighorn?authuser=0




Last edited by BryanAustin; 05/01/22.
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Quote
The size of the rimfire cartridge made it quite anemic and as such, was not much of a killer compared to the 44-40.


I will have to agree here to a certain point. While the Henry was said to have a velocity of 1,125fps, Winchester certainly claims one of the main reasons as to the design of the 44-40 was to increase the arm from 1,125fps to 1,325fps. Some claim why? What is the difference? Well, to give an example would be to explain the 44-40 used in both rifle and revolver.
The Revolver produced 920fps. You know, a man killer at 25 feet right? Well, my experiments show that the 200gr 44-40 with a muzzle velocity of 1,350fps retained 950fps at 265 yards. Thus it is extremely probable that the 44-40 24" rifle extended the revolvers killing power out to 265 yards. I can not test the 44 Henry's potential but since most modern 44-40 only produces 1,190fps...(I only got 1,025fps at the muzzle) then it could be checked at 265 yards for a comparison, of which I have yet to do. Mathematically it could be as low as 650fps compared to the 44-40's 950fps for a 300fps difference. Doesn't sound like much but is the difference between falling short, or crossing the line.

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Some very interesting points brought out here!

Thanks, Bryan


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The reason the Army adopted the Trapdoor Springfield was due to a few reasons many people don’t know or understand. The 1866 was well in service by 1876 and available for any testing the military did to determine the best all around rifle and cartridge for the cavalry.

It was determined that the 45-70 and the 45-55 for cavalry was more suitable for plains Indian warfare. It could be loaded and fired at a rate of 8-10 rounds a minute and the experienced trooper could get 15 or so per minute. In a skirmish line, this is an effective battle situation and the longer range of the Springfield gave the cavalry a great advantage.

The Army did try Winchester repeating rifles as well as Spencers and the single shot Springfield was adopted due to the range, firepower and reliability. Not only could the Springfield shoot farther, it was also capable of putting down a horse, which was another good reason for the larger bullet and load.

Myles Keogh’s horse, Comanche, sustained at least 7 small arms wounds and is credited to be the only Custer battle survivor. This again testifies to the advantage of the Springfield over the repeaters of the day.


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Originally Posted by shrapnel


The reason the Army adopted the Trapdoor Springfield was due to a few reasons many people don’t know or understand. The 1866 was well in service by 1876 and available for any testing the military did to determine the best all around rifle and cartridge for the cavalry.

It was determined that the 45-70 and the 45-55 for cavalry was more suitable for plains Indian warfare. It could be loaded and fired at a rate of 8-10 rounds a minute and the experienced trooper could get 15 or so per minute. In a skirmish line, this is an effective battle situation and the longer range of the Springfield gave the cavalry a great advantage.

The Army did try Winchester repeating rifles as well as Spencers and the single shot Springfield was adopted due to the range, firepower and reliability. Not only could the Springfield shoot farther, it was also capable of putting down a horse, which was another good reason for the larger bullet and load.

Myles Keogh’s horse, Comanche, sustained at least 7 small arms wounds and is credited to be the only Custer battle survivor. This again testifies to the advantage of the Springfield over the repeaters of the day.


Ever hear of the phrase "Don't put all your eggs in one basket"? The Trapdoor was far superior in firepower then the Repeaters. I personally have yet to yield that Custer lost due to firepower issues. From the Battlefield "Patterns" he was in almost a retreat the whole time once he got to the river. And once they got into the open range where they should have kept the Indians at bay with the Trapdoors. It would appear that they were simply overwhelmed by large Indian forces, whom kept them pinned down with Repeaters. If the repeaters were useless, then the Indians won with bows, arrows and knives....and then kept them pinned down at Reno's defense line with captured Trapdoors as well as their repeaters.


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