Hunting rifles from the 1800's

why would you trust any thing that old to function correctly, when you really need it, wall hangers nothing more

I shoot and hunt with Flint Locks and Cap Locks , no wall hangers here.

What you really are saying is that as you get older no one will be able to trust or rely on you any more cuz you aren't functioning correctly any more.
 
I have hunted deer with several different rifles made in the late 1800's. They include the following:
Winchester 1873 38-40 shipped in 1891
Winchester 1873 44-40 shipped in 1878
Winchester 1873 44-40 shipped in 1889
Winchester 1876 45-60 shipped in 1886
Winchester 1886 45-90 shipped in 1888
Winchester 1894 38-55 shipped in 1899

This fall, I'm deer hunting with a Winchester 1886 45-70 shipped from the factory in 1890. For all my loads, I load to obtain the original Black Powder ballistics, using smokeless powder and cast bullets. Typically, I use Accurate 5744 for all these cartridges. Here is a photo of the last deer I took, using my original Winchester 1873 44-40 shipped in 1889. The 200 grain cast bullet left the barrel at around 1,280 fps, went right through both lungs and out the other side, and kept on truckin'.

 
If it weren't for posters like Grock-co these threads would only be half as long.............got to love those who love to showcase their ignorance, they give the rest of us lots of material to work with. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Apparently you know very little about the development of modern smokeless cartridges and firearms designed to use them. For starters there is the 98 Mauser which most of todays turnbolt actions are designed around..........the 98 in that designation is shortened from 1898.
Then there are the many John Moses Browning designs that predate the turn of the last century and are still some of the strongest and most reliable designs to date. The 1885 single shot in both high and low wall design are still being produced and are still some of the strongest actions available and will house cartridges no repeating rifles will function with. Next we will take a look at the 1886/1892 John Browning design lever guns, quite possibly the smoothest and certainly one of the strongest lever actions to ever hit the gun scene. Both of these are being made again by several makers in several countries, which in my mind speaks to the overall functionality and timelessness of the design. Then there is the model 1895 which housed such high intensity cartridges as the 303 Brit, 30-40 Krag, 30-03, 30-06 and the 405, a real thumper, even by todays standards. This lever gun is again being made and has a reliability factor of roughly 100%.
Now we should look to Mr. Savages model of 1895 and 1899, the latter of which was made up until just a few years back and housed such cartridges as the 250-3000, 300 Sav , 308, 243 and 284 amongst many others. Mr. Marlins designs and firearms have been made continuously from the inception of the company back in 1868 (I think, I'm not a Marlin expert) when he quit Winchester, went out on his own and started designing and producing his own firearms.

All of these makers have an enviable reputation, add to them firms like John Rigby, Holland and Holland, Evans, Purdey, Wesley Richards and many more British firms whose pre 1900 firearms are still being used today with the utmost confidence of their users and many being used on game which has a tendency to bite, stick and stir, and trample back. The European firms that predate the turn of the last century are too numerous to even mention, but you should possibly look into the history of Mr. Beretta and Company.

Were I given the option of standing down an enraged grizzly with a well worn 1895 Winchester in 30-40 or 303 (both pre 1900 cartridges) or a model 1886 in almost any of it's offerings as opposed to a Mossberg or Norinco of any kind, I know which I'd be holding.

In conclusion Grock-co, there has been more JUNK made in the past 30 years of firearm development than was ever produced by mainstream manufacturers of the pre 1900 era.
 
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I have a 1873 Martini Henry mark 1, been playing around with it and reloading 480grain bullets. Best group so far 13/15 in a 6 inch circle at 100 yards. Every season I plan to use it on moose but then go to my 375h&h or 9.3x62 with scopes as often difficult to see the sights with my aging eyes. Next yr year plan to take it elk hunting. Hopefully can call a bull in close.

Take both and decide morning by morning.
 
Win 38/55 how far was that shot? Way to get it done old school style!
I did not pace it off, but I would estimate 50 yards. I shot another 200 pound doe with a 44-40 a few years back using a Winchester Model 53 made in 1929. The bullet went in between the eyes, hit the spine and deflected down the neck, travelling all the way down the neck, through the vitals, and wound up somewhere in the intestines. I didn't dig around in them to find the bullet, but I was impressed with the penetration. That one was loaded a little closer to the original Winchester H.V. load. Range was only 30 yards.

Hunting with these old rifles is half the fun for me.
 
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I did not pace it off, but I would estimate 50 yards. I shot another 200 pound doe with a 44-40 a few years back using a Winchester Model 53 made in 1929. The bullet went in between the eyes, hit the spine and deflected down the neck, travelling all the way down the neck, through the vitals, and wound up somewhere in the intestines. I didn't dig around in them to find the bullet, but I was impressed with the penetration. That one was loaded a little closer to the original Winchester H.V. load. Range was only 30 yards.

Hunting with these old rifles is half the fun for me.

I'd sure like to see that 1876.
 
Though this is a Uberti replica of a win 76 carbine in 45/60 ,it proves the old rounds can kill.One shot kill from 80yards loaded with 60grs of ffg using a bullet cast from an original 45/60 mould.Got this fella last season.

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