What Should I Do With This Browning Model 71?

[Llama Bob]

I just stumbled across a NIB Browning Model 71. These are the last and arguably greatest incarnation of the Winchester 1886 action, and I'm pondering what to do with it.

- I could leave it stock and load for it. The .348 Win is a very versatile cartridge as long as you don't try to reach out too far with it (BCs are universally horrible). Good bullets are available from 165 to 270 grains. On the heavy end it rivals the .35 Whelen and other similar medium bores. Brass is a bit of a problem.

- I could leave it in .348win but install a recoil pad and peep sight to improve shootability

- I could re-chamber in .50-110 WCF and have a huge thumper. I've already got a .45-90 that fills a similar role, but it never hurts to have options... If I did this, I would install a recoil pad, mercury cylinder, and maybe peep sights and/or a ladder sight. Good bullets are available from Hawk, Woodleigh, and Northfork among others. Starline makes brass.

- I could re-chamber in a wildcat like .475 Turnbull or a dead 1886 chambering like .38-70 and have something unique, although brass and bullets could be problematic depending on what I pick. Cartridges with .45-70 case heads would require more modification.

None of these are things I need, particularly. The question is which would be the most fun...

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

If it were mine I'd leave it as it is and start loading and shooting.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

First off very nice rifle you have. I envy you. I would be sorely tempted by the .450 Alasken because of it's history in the M71.

 

[Llama Bob]

First off very nice rifle you have. I envy you. I would be sorely tempted by the .450 Alasken because of it's history in the M71.

That's an option. It would essentially be a ballistic twin of my .45-90 I think - I'll have to spend a bit of time digging into what .450AK can do.

Edit: I did a bit of poking in QuickLoad, and it looks real similar to the .45-90. Seems like most of what it gains from the fatter case head it gives back due to the lower max pressure.

 

[RPRNY]

The problem is that there really is no good solution. There's really no good choice. But, thanks to the comradery and fellowship of THR, I do have one solution: I'll take it off your hands. I'll pay for shipping and the FFL transfer because of the comradery thing and then, the problem will be mine.

 

[jmr40]

I'd probably buy ammo and keep it as is.

 

[Llama Bob]

The problem is that there really is no good solution. There's really no good choice. But, thanks to the comradery and fellowship of THR, I do have one solution: I'll take it off your hands. I'll pay for shipping and the FFL transfer because of the comradery thing and then, the problem will be mine.

There's always one

 

[SwampWolf]

A Williams or Lyman receiver sight for sure. No pad (the Model 71s don't kick that much). Sling swivel studs if it doesn't already have them (I think they do if I remember right). And that would be it if it were my rifle (wish it was ).

 

[highlander 5]

William's peep sight and that solves that.

 

[lastofthebreed]

Seeing as how I have a Winchester Model 71 I hunt with regularly, and lots of 348 loading components, I would just keep it as is. Have a very soft spot for the Model 71.

 

[BigBore44]

If this were a Marlin or something that had the barrel shot out of it, or something of the like, I'd play around with it. But since it's a 71 Browning, I'd keep it original. It is, exactly as it was meant to be.

 

[Nature Boy]

Nice acquisition. I think I'd leave it original and enjoy the caliber and rifle as it was built

 

[LoonWulf]

Id keep it .348. I would add a squishy pad, and probably a skinner peep. Ive seen .348 ammo on the shelf here, but its rare. Cases are available but expensive.

 

[redneck2]

We had a kid in high school that had a Mercury Comet with a 260 engine. He dumped a ton of money into it to be one of the "go fast" kids. My factory stock GTO would absolutely stomp it.

Problem with any changes is that you're paying a lot extra to destroy the value of a nice rifle. Paying money to lose money never made sense to me. If I want something different I buy something different

YMMV

 

[mavracer]

I got mine like this and think it's about perfect, it's still 348.

 

[Don McDowell]

Put me in the leave it as is column. The 348 is a real thumper. It suffered mostly from being introduced at a time when shooters were abandoning the lever guns in favor of the bolt action and scopes.

 

[Llama Bob]

It seems like most people are voting to keep it in .348 win. That's definitely the cheapest option gun-wise. Unfortunately so far I've had no luck finding brass except for extremely expensive auctions on gunbroker. Got to find some brass if I'm going to shoot it...

At least with .50-110 I could buy components and be loading within a week...

 

[Don McDowell]

By the time you put 5-600$ into rebarreling to 50-110, you won't be saving much over paying the scalpers price for 348 brass. The 348 case was based off of the 50-110, so running 50-110 brass into the 348 dies and trimming to length maybe a viable option. Heck even buying a couple of boxes of 348 factory ammo and reloading the empties would put you money ahead, and retain the value of the rifle.

 

[Nature Boy]

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=160

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

A friend of mine inherited a 71 a few years ago. His dad and two or three uncles all shot bears with it years ago. He had several (5 or 6) boxes of ammo and a bunch of brass as well. The loaded ammo had the date of purchase wrote on the boxes,1970 to 1973. The ammo looked good but almost none would fire, hard telling where it had been stored.
I owed him a favor and he wouldn't take cash so I ordered dies and some bullets and reloaded them all for him.
I was happy to do it but the sad part is I doubt he will ever fire it. Oh well, very cool gun and cartridge.

 

[natman]

The .348 Win is a very versatile cartridge as long as you don't try to reach out too far with it (BCs are universally horrible).

Try these. I can't believe there's enough of a 348 market to cost justify making them, but God bless Hornady.

 

[Llama Bob]

By the time you put 5-600$ into rebarreling to 50-110, you won't be saving much over paying the scalpers price for 348 brass. The 348 case was based off of the 50-110, so running 50-110 brass into the 348 dies and trimming to length maybe a viable option. Heck even buying a couple of boxes of 348 factory ammo and reloading the empties would put you money ahead, and retain the value of the rifle.

I think .50-110 brass has to be cut to length, resized in stages and neck turned to make .348

And my concern here isn't strictly cost, or "retaining the value" of the rifle. It's getting a rifle worth shooting, and that can be shot. If I do decide to convert, .50-110 conversions pull very good prices anyways.

 

[Don McDowell]

The 348 I believe is a much better cartridge to shoot than the 50-110. The bullets have better sectional density and bc than anything you can run thru the 50-110 that will still cycle thru the action.
Get some 348 brass and bullets and go to work.

 

[Laphroaig]

Put me in the club of "wish I had one"! My Dad had one when I was a kid, and shooting it was like a passage into manhood. Unfortunately, he sold it. I could never justify the asking prices to replace it.

My vote was for leave it stock. I don't know if yours is D & T'd for a receiver, but I wouldn't drill it if it isn't. I believe they made a tang mounted rear peep which would be an option also.

A buddy of mine loads cast bullets in his. Working up a nice mild cast load might result in an enjoyable shooter without the thump.

 

[Llama Bob]

The 348 I believe is a much better cartridge to shoot than the 50-110. The bullets have better sectional density and bc than anything you can run thru the 50-110 that will still cycle thru the action.

That's not necessarily true. Both have horrible BCs because all the bullets are flatnose (with the exception of the Hornady above). But the 50-110 has a pretty wide assortment of bullets - a 500gr soft from Woodleigh, a 450gr A-frame, softs from 350gr to 600gr from Hawk (some aren't cataloged) and solids from Northfork (the 535 works, or you can have them make whatever weight and nose length you like). All of the above should cycle fine loaded to 2.75", most at 2.8".

The .348 also has good bullets - notably a 200gr A-frame, Woodleigh 250gr and Hawks from 160gr to 270gr.

From a component perspective, brass is the problem for the .348. The .50-110 is good to go component-wise.