A little reverence for the Model 71 in 348 Winchester

Claven2 said:
If it was replaced by anything in the Winchester lineup, I’d say maybe the Winchester 100 in the trend toward si-auto, ambidextrous short rifles shooting higher velocity rounds.
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What about the Model 88? Google tells me that came out in 1955, just a few years before the 71 bit the dust...

For whatever reason the Model 88 completely lacks the wild west ### appeal of most lever actions, while the 94 and 71 are dripping in it... Maybe its the one-piece stock?...
 
Suther said:
What about the Model 88? Google tells me that came out in 1955, just a few years before the 71 bit the dust...

For whatever reason the Model 88 completely lacks the wild west ### appeal of most lever actions, while the 94 and 71 are dripping in it... Maybe its the one-piece stock?...
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Maybe, but the move toward spitzer rounds in their guns is hard to miss.
 
Suther said:
What about the Model 88? Google tells me that came out in 1955, just a few years before the 71 bit the dust...

For whatever reason the Model 88 completely lacks the wild west ### appeal of most lever actions, while the 94 and 71 are dripping in it... Maybe its the one-piece stock?...
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to me, imo its the drop box mag. A classic lever has a long mag tube unde the barrel
even the ones with a short tube that just meets the end of the forestock don't look as appealing as the long tubes
again imo, ymmv
 
Beautiful gun. I found this forum and this post (just joined the forum) because a week ago Saturday (10/19, perhaps?) I found and purchased a Model 71, serial number 17### (made in 1939) in about 90% condition. Ordered 2 boxes of Buffalo Bore “heavy 348” rounds, and managed to find 50 pieces of brass, dies, and a box of 220gr Barnes 348 projectiles. Loaded up 20 rounds and tested this weekend. What a wonderful lever action. Plan to start casting for it (just received a custom mold from Accurate Molds in Utah) and should be off to the races.
 
I have a 1955 Win 71 that someone in the past had put a recoil pad on and cut the barrel to 22" and then installed a banded front sight. That reduced the collectors value enough that it came home with me about 8 years ago and took a one shot moose from a canoe Year 1! 200 grain Hornady FN bullets are dead reliable though no longer made. Don't sell the original Winchesters accuracy short. Mine is quite remarkable with the right load including Factory Silvertips, or FTX bullets. Shoots as well as I can with a peep sight which makes hits on the 218 yard range gong a regular thing! Nothing feels better on my shoulder than the old 71. It was an evolution of the 1886 and Townsend Whelen was on the stock design team. Great ergonomics and wonderful in the hand. The Cartridge itself was inspired by a German Ballistician called Gerlich and it was designed to duplicate the 30-06 and replace the 33WCF, 35 WCF, 45-70 and 405 W with a "Universal Lever Cartridge" that would modernize the lever concept. It was called the 71 as it was planned to come out after the bolt action model 70 but given the expertise of Winchesters lever guys it was ready earlier.

The moose I took with mine was threading through some alders and I made the shot from a moving canoe at 150 yards. Not sure I would have made that shot as well with any lessor rifle without the peerless balance and "pointability" of the 71. A true classic.
 
I think as scopes became better that hurt the 71. A scoped bolt action could take game at much greater distances... and the 71 is a big fairly heavy rifle.
The first 71 I ever saw and handled was in 1966 in Trinidad, Colorado in a small gun store. It was a beautiful well executed conversion to .45 caliber... a .450 Alaskan.
 
I bought my 1937 Winchester 71 from the great grandson of the original owner. My 71 and my model 70 in 280 Remington are the 2 rifles I seem to reach for the most when I’m unsure which rifle to take hunting.
 
Ahutch71 said:
Beautiful gun. I found this forum and this post (just joined the forum) because a week ago Saturday (10/19, perhaps?) I found and purchased a Model 71, serial number 17### (made in 1939) in about 90% condition. Ordered 2 boxes of Buffalo Bore “heavy 348” rounds, and managed to find 50 pieces of brass, dies, and a box of 220gr Barnes 348 projectiles. Loaded up 20 rounds and tested this weekend. What a wonderful lever action. Plan to start casting for it (just received a custom mold from Accurate Molds in Utah) and should be off to the races.
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Can you post some pics of your 1939 vintage Model 71? And welcome to the forum.
 
Takujualuk said:
I have a 1955 Win 71 that someone in the past had put a recoil pad on and cut the barrel to 22" and then installed a banded front sight. That reduced the collectors value enough that it came home with me about 8 years ago and took a one shot moose from a canoe Year 1! 200 grain Hornady FN bullets are dead reliable though no longer made. Don't sell the original Winchesters accuracy short. Mine is quite remarkable with the right load including Factory Silvertips, or FTX bullets. Shoots as well as I can with a peep sight which makes hits on the 218 yard range gong a regular thing! Nothing feels better on my shoulder than the old 71. It was an evolution of the 1886 and Townsend Whelen was on the stock design team. Great ergonomics and wonderful in the hand. The Cartridge itself was inspired by a German Ballistician called Gerlich and it was designed to duplicate the 30-06 and replace the 33WCF, 35 WCF, 45-70 and 405 W with a "Universal Lever Cartridge" that would modernize the lever concept. It was called the 71 as it was planned to come out after the bolt action model 70 but given the expertise of Winchesters lever guys it was ready earlier.

The moose I took with mine was threading through some alders and I made the shot from a moving canoe at 150 yards. Not sure I would have made that shot as well with any lessor rifle without the peerless balance and "pointability" of the 71. A true classic.
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Is it possible I've seen a YouTube video of that moose hunt? The description of your rifle & the hunt, mirrors a video I've seen...
 
A friend hunts with the old family rifle that is the ancestor of the 71 - an 1886 in .33 Winchester.
 
guntech said:
I think as scopes became better that hurt the 71. A scoped bolt action could take game at much greater distances... and the 71 is a big fairly heavy rifle.
The first 71 I ever saw and handled was in 1966 in Trinidad, Colorado in a small gun store. It was a beautiful well executed conversion to .45 caliber... a .450 Alaskan.
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You're definitely right about that. Add in the "Veteran Factor" and that also took a big bite out of the pie. Either way, they probably hit the pinnacle of manufacturing quality and design for a traditional lever action rifle with the 71. More modern designs were tried, and they have all developed their own following, but none have equaled the prestige of the 71.
 
Wonder how the 71 would do today if Miroku made it in a Winchester branded angle eject version?

I’d bet it would do fairly well if priced similar to other miroku lever guns.
 
I'm running on memory here but should be close enough. During the early half of the 1930"s Winchester had decided to end production of the 1886 and upgrade the M54 . Work began on the design of the Model 70 bolt action rifle but there were still those who pushed for a lever action rifle to compliment the M70. John Olin agreed and work began on the Model 71 using the 1886 as their starting platform and upgraded the strength and upgraded the 33 Win cartridge with the 348 Win designed to combine all the 1886 chamberings into one. I believe the 348 parent case was the 50-110 which has a larger case head diameter than the 45-70 based cartridges.

The Model 70 beat the Model 71 into production but the M71 followed very close behind. The Olin's were hunters themselves and prided themselves on building the very best firearms using Winchester Proof Steel hand fitted to high standards. And they did just that for as long as they could.

Here's my pre-war Model 71

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I know that Winchester made 1 71 in 45-70 and another one in .33WCF and I believe both examples are at Cody. There is a 2 digit serialed 71 somewhere here in Ontario!
You may remember my post in the thread about Lee Loaders as I have one in .348 with an interesting history!
Early long tang 71's seem to get the most interest with deluxe and carbine models even more so. The first 11,000 rifles were long tangs but the long tang was seen periodically until sn17,000, used when rqd from NOS.
Quite often the 68a bolt peep (an option apart from the "deluxe" version) was poached off the rifle to be sold seperately. If your 71 has the bolt cut for the peep but it is missing it may not be though as some pre cut bolt rifles left the factory with no peep mounted.
Great thread. Jump in if I remembered anything wrong lol.
 
My personal theory is price and timing hurt the m71. Hunters in the east who still wanted a lever could by 94 or 99s alot cheap. In the west, a bolt 270 or 30-06 would have been king.
I don't think a m71 was ever a common man rig. I think you would have had deep pockets or very into guns to have owned one.
 
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