Hey Guys;
Some time ago I took note of discussions on the forum about the venerable Winchester Model 71 in 348 Winchester. I followed along as Ardent & others posted their admiration of the old lever and the niche it so aptly filled.
And 'if' the internet & Wiki is to be believed, the history is... The Winchester Model 71 in 348 Win was first released by Winchester in 1935 and produced until 1958. It was followed up with a limited run in 1986/87 by Browning who had Miroku in Japan make them about 13,000 copies of the Winchester. Finally, in 2006 after Winchester entered into a licensing agreement with Browning, they again had Miroku produce the Model 71 in 348 Win, albeit this time with an added (and unnecessary IMHO) second safety on the tang.
As time went on, I continued to peruse the used market searching for a Model 71 and noted that the originals were quite spendy and this kept me from pulling the trigger as they say. To my surprise, the stars aligned when a search of the EE for '348' produced a hit and I found myself looking at a Browning Model 71 in 348 Win. So, a pm was sent and a conversation started which ended in two gentlemen agreeing to a deal that would see a NIB Browning Model 71 travel across the country from BC to it's new home in the nation's capital. (Don't hold that particular detail against me, chuckle) Having both heard AND read horror stories of damage to firearms in transit, we collectively held our breath while the ol'girl was in God's hands... But, outside of missing the initial scheduled delivery date & making me wait out a long weekend, delivery occurred without any drama other than me teasing my postie that he's the adult version of Santa Claus! LOL
Now, while this drama over delivery of the firearm was going on, I was on the hunt for ammunition... I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm a real fan of Hornady's LeverEvolution cartridge with the flex tip. A search revealed that Eagle Firearms had some stock and a couple clicks later, UPS was on the way with 4 boxes!
With rifle and ammunition in hand, I headed to my local range this past Saturday to discover that someone had left behind a usable target that just needed patching. Moments later I found myself prying cartridges from the Hornady box & stuffing them into the magazine tube of my unfired 348 lever gun. I nestled behind the rifle, levelled the iron sights at the patched target, crossed my toes and squinted as I put pressure on the trigger... "BOOM" the ol'girl bellowed as I smiled to myself thinking that should be on the money! I worked the lever, spitting the casing straight up into the air, catching it in my hand and laying it down on the shooting table. Now to check where that pill had gone...
As I leaned into my spotting scope, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That Model 71 had placed the 200 grain projectile almost dead centre of the raggedy patched target in a splendid performance! I followed it up with 6 more rounds while admiring her smooth action, and I thought to myself, I'm so glad she's mine because there's just something that feels right about this one!
But enough about me, let's hear about your reverence for the Model 71 in 348 Win!
Cheers
Jay
Some time ago I took note of discussions on the forum about the venerable Winchester Model 71 in 348 Winchester. I followed along as Ardent & others posted their admiration of the old lever and the niche it so aptly filled.
And 'if' the internet & Wiki is to be believed, the history is... The Winchester Model 71 in 348 Win was first released by Winchester in 1935 and produced until 1958. It was followed up with a limited run in 1986/87 by Browning who had Miroku in Japan make them about 13,000 copies of the Winchester. Finally, in 2006 after Winchester entered into a licensing agreement with Browning, they again had Miroku produce the Model 71 in 348 Win, albeit this time with an added (and unnecessary IMHO) second safety on the tang.
As time went on, I continued to peruse the used market searching for a Model 71 and noted that the originals were quite spendy and this kept me from pulling the trigger as they say. To my surprise, the stars aligned when a search of the EE for '348' produced a hit and I found myself looking at a Browning Model 71 in 348 Win. So, a pm was sent and a conversation started which ended in two gentlemen agreeing to a deal that would see a NIB Browning Model 71 travel across the country from BC to it's new home in the nation's capital. (Don't hold that particular detail against me, chuckle) Having both heard AND read horror stories of damage to firearms in transit, we collectively held our breath while the ol'girl was in God's hands... But, outside of missing the initial scheduled delivery date & making me wait out a long weekend, delivery occurred without any drama other than me teasing my postie that he's the adult version of Santa Claus! LOL
Now, while this drama over delivery of the firearm was going on, I was on the hunt for ammunition... I'm not sure about you guys, but I'm a real fan of Hornady's LeverEvolution cartridge with the flex tip. A search revealed that Eagle Firearms had some stock and a couple clicks later, UPS was on the way with 4 boxes!
With rifle and ammunition in hand, I headed to my local range this past Saturday to discover that someone had left behind a usable target that just needed patching. Moments later I found myself prying cartridges from the Hornady box & stuffing them into the magazine tube of my unfired 348 lever gun. I nestled behind the rifle, levelled the iron sights at the patched target, crossed my toes and squinted as I put pressure on the trigger... "BOOM" the ol'girl bellowed as I smiled to myself thinking that should be on the money! I worked the lever, spitting the casing straight up into the air, catching it in my hand and laying it down on the shooting table. Now to check where that pill had gone...
As I leaned into my spotting scope, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That Model 71 had placed the 200 grain projectile almost dead centre of the raggedy patched target in a splendid performance! I followed it up with 6 more rounds while admiring her smooth action, and I thought to myself, I'm so glad she's mine because there's just something that feels right about this one!
But enough about me, let's hear about your reverence for the Model 71 in 348 Win!
Cheers
Jay
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