The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: Bolt, Lever, and Pump Action

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 12, 2012, 04:36 AM   #1
Keepin_Jeepin
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 3, 2007
Location: Chelan
Posts: 161
.348 Winchester lever

Another one from Grandpa's collection. Never shot because ammo is like 80 dollars for a box of 20. I always end up buying something else. Cant wait to see how it shoots, looks perfectly safe, functions flawlessly.

Any idea on worth and any info on it? How long were these made? Is it a good caliber? Thanks!








Keepin_Jeepin is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 06:32 AM   #2
darkgael
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 9, 2006
Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania.
Posts: 5,473
.348

That is a beautiful firearm. It is very probably worth quite a bit....I am not qualified to say but there are a number of them up for auction at Gunbroker.com. $2000+ is a common asking price. What do they actually sell for?
The rifle is a robust action and the .348 Win is the most powerful of the rimmed lever gun cartridges. The Model 71 is the only rifle ever chambered for it.
Produced 1936-1958.
The rifles are often rechambered for very heavy duty wildcats like the .450 and .500 Alaskan.
Pete
__________________
“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ...
NRA Life Member

Last edited by darkgael; November 12, 2012 at 06:37 AM.
darkgael is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 08:53 AM   #3
taylorce1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2005
Location: On the Santa Fe Trail
Posts: 8,209
That one is a high dollar one for sure, but with the economy.right now you would have to be real patient to get $2K for one. However, I do think it is worth every bit of that if not a little more. She is a keeper for sure, your grandpa had great taste in rifles.
__________________
NRA Life Member
taylorce1 is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 09:27 AM   #4
JT-AR-MG42
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 27, 2008
Posts: 555
Very nice 1936 Deluxe model 71.

Curious, is the top of the bolt milled out for the No.56 'bolt peep' sight? Probably not.
It was an extra 5 or 6 dollar option over the Winchester 22K sight your rifle has.

The super grade sling swivels still being there is nice also.

There is no denying that the Weaver side mount scope would reduce the value to the gun to a collector.
I would enjoy it for the gift of memories that it is.

80 bucks!
Pick up a set of dies, a box of Hornady 200gr.FN, and a can of 4320. 54grs gives factory velocity and you will notice when it goes off.

JT
JT-AR-MG42 is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 03:04 PM   #5
Scorch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,248
I would say $1,700 max the way the market is right now, but that is a fine looking 71.
__________________
Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs.
But what do I know?
Summit Arms Services

Last edited by Scorch; November 12, 2012 at 05:18 PM.
Scorch is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 04:29 PM   #6
Old Grump
Member in memoriam
 
Join Date: April 9, 2009
Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in
Posts: 3,144
Is it a good caliber, oh yeah. As long as you realize its no more than a 150 yard gun but anything you shoot inside that range will stay shot. I am a big fan, well used to be an even bigger fan before old age and Mr Arthur and his brother Itis showed up. Still enjoy the gun but now 4 or 5 rounds in a shooting session is plenty enough and not a box at a time like I used to. It do have a bit of a thump to it.

Save your brass and reload it, it's to nice a gun to just sit on the wall.
__________________
Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
--Daniel Webster--
Old Grump is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 05:18 PM   #7
musicmatty
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 30, 2009
Location: Eastcoast
Posts: 346
Wow...never seen that Lever before...Thats a big game cartridge I'm sure ?? Wonder why they never kept going with that ??

I see it's still in production today...according to the link below..very nice modern take on this old classic

http://www.winchesterguns.com/produc...25C&mid=534192
musicmatty is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 05:23 PM   #8
PetahW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2008
Posts: 4,678
Winchester did go forward with the concept - in a slightly altered form with better ballistics, in the Model 88 levergun: the .358 Winchester.


.
PetahW is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 08:49 PM   #9
Keepin_Jeepin
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 3, 2007
Location: Chelan
Posts: 161
This brass is rimmed not center fire? Very interesting. Why is it only good up to about 150 yards?

Thanks for all the kind words and information. Its great to see grandpas stuff appreciated it. I love it all I just don't know what alot of it is, or anything about it.

Should I get better pictures? I feel like these are lacking.
Keepin_Jeepin is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 09:00 PM   #10
darkgael
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 9, 2006
Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania.
Posts: 5,473
Aha

Quote:
This brass is rimmed not center fire? Very interesting. Why is it only good up to about 150 yards?
The brass is rimmed but not rim fire. The .348 is most definitely a Centerfire cartridge. The limitation on its range is a function of the bullets and the shape, flat tipped, that they must have on order to be safe in the magazine of the Model 71. Flat tipped bullets have much poorer ballistics than pointed bullets. Compared on the basis of pure energy, it is the equal of the .30-06.
Pete
__________________
“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ...
NRA Life Member

Last edited by darkgael; November 13, 2012 at 05:50 AM.
darkgael is offline  
Old November 12, 2012, 11:12 PM   #11
Old Grump
Member in memoriam
 
Join Date: April 9, 2009
Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in
Posts: 3,144
Top bullet is a 30-30 for comparison. Tapered body for ease of loading, angle of the shoulder and the long neck are not conducive to the best powder burn. I use a 250 gr SP bullet not exactly aerodynamically designed for long range accuracy.

I shoot 2" groups 1" low at 50 and around 3"-4" groups 1" high at 100 yards. I don't think I could hit anything past 150 with those buckhorn sights unless I was shooting off a sandbag from the bench but I don't shoot that gun off a bench. Tried that once and it was a boo boo. I'm sure the bullet will hurt you a long ways past 150 yards but hitting the target from offhand is my limiting factor.
__________________
Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.
--Daniel Webster--
Old Grump is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 02:53 AM   #12
tuck2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 25, 2007
Posts: 208
Years ago while mule deer hunting I asked a freind to look at his Mdl 71 rifle. While talking a mule deer buck came running out of a wooded area into an open area. I took a shot, one dead deer. The Mdl 71 was not seen much in the wide open western states so I never got one. The few that I have looked at were in the $900 to $ 1500 range but that was a few years ago.
tuck2 is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 07:03 AM   #13
musicmatty
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 30, 2009
Location: Eastcoast
Posts: 346
Once again...that gun is still in Production today..fine looking Rifle

http://www.winchesterguns.com/produc...25C&mid=534192
musicmatty is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 03:09 PM   #14
natman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 24, 2008
Posts: 2,604
The Winchester 71 is something of a contradiction. It is the epitome of the large cartridge lever gun. It was first built in 1937, when the blackpowder cartridges that are the ancestors of the 348 were already long since obsolete.

The pluses are the stock, which was designed by Townsend Whelen, gives it a handling that would be the envy of a fine shotgun. It comes up like lightning and the sights are lined up when the buttplate hits your shoulder.

It also has one of the smoothest actions of any lever ever made. A properly lubed 71 is a joy to work.

I'm not one of the "no lever action should have a scope" fanatics, but no 71 should have one. It's designed for fast work on big animals at short to medium range and there's no good way to scope one, as the mount on this one shows.

Original 71s are definitely collector's items now and a nice deluxe would go for around $2,000. This one would go for $500 or so less because of the scope mounts.
natman is offline  
Old November 13, 2012, 04:30 PM   #15
PetahW
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 19, 2008
Posts: 4,678
Quote:
Originally Posted by musicmatty

Once again...that gun is still in Production today..fine looking Rifle

http://www.winchesterguns.com/produc...25C&mid=534192
FWIW, That's not the same gun - it's a clone made in Japan by Miroku Gun Co for Winchester (and so stamped), complete with a tang safety gennie Model 71's never had.

BTW, M71 clones, w/o the tang safety, are also being currently made in Italy & marked in the US by Chiappa or Cimmeron, IIRC.


.
PetahW is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:15 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.13457 seconds with 10 queries