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November 7, 2015
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This year, to honor the 150th anniversary of the Winchester 1866 repeating rifle, I will be hunting with a vintage Winchester. Primary rifle is an 1894 that left the factory in 1905 as a 32-40, was R&R’d in 1907 (IIRC) and is now a 38-55. I don’t know for sure that the 38-55 barrel was installed during that R&R but I’m inclined to believe it was. The bullet I’ll be using in that rifle is a Lyman 380681 over about 30 grs or IMR3031. Backup rifle is an 1892 (circa 1915) in 38WCF. I’ll be loading 9 grs of Unique under an Accurate 40-180c bullet. Neither rifle is especially collectible, both have likely been on more hunting trips than I have. They’ll be OK.
Astute reloaders will notice that neither load is exactly a powerhouse. I hunt in Bee County, Texas. I am a guest on a trophy deer lease. I harvest dry does and cull bucks. Deer I’ll be (hopefully) harvesting are 100-130 lbs on the hoof, nothing like the awesome moose in another post. Like many TX leases this area has a hog problem. I think the aforementioned rifles will do well against all but the biggest hogs. I’ll have another rifle available for the really big piggies, but that’s off-topic. Suffice it to say that it’s a levergun chambered in a vintage cartridge loaded with one of my (really big) lead bullets. 😉
I realize hunting with vintage Winchesters is routine for some folks around here, and quite honestly probably not anything new for either rifle…but it’s a big deal for me. I generally hunt with cast bullets in classic chamberings but hunting with a vintage Winchester will be a new experience for me.
I collect well-used Winchesters because I’m a “been there, done that” kind of person, I value a rifle that has “BTDT”. I think these old rifles need to go afield at least once every generation and do what they were built to do.
It is always a good hunt, slipping through the woods with an aged Winchester.
Hello TXGunNut , Hunting with an old Winchester lever gun has put the fun back into hunting for me, and I am sure you will enjoy hunting with your’s just as much. Could not agree with you more. When I see an old well used, Winchester leaning against the corner, or tree. First thing comes to mind is, Someone really used that old rifle/carbine for what it was intended for, and must have really liked it. Like you the well used Winchesters are the ones that have my interest. I will warn you, this will only be the beginning ! Once you have hunted with the old Winchester’s there is no turning back. You will be hooked. In my opiniom the 38/55 and load you described will take cleanly , any hog there is , no matter the size. The old Winchester can and will again do its part , if you do yours. Good Luck down in Bee Co. Already know your going to have a Great time.,,,,DT
This fall, I will be hunting Whitetail Deer with my Winchester 1894 38-55 shipped on April 1, 1905.
I have to agree with DT. I pretty much quit using a scoped rifle about 8 years ago – with only one relapse but that was a special situation. The last two deer I shot with a scoped rifle were at ranges above 450 yards. I just couldnt see the sport in that any longer. Ever since Ive used my 94 carbine in 38-55 for deer or other game. Ive been wanting to try my 92 rifle in 38-40 on a few deer, I know its plenty enough cartridge and bullet to get the job done. Like DT said, its hard to go back to a scoped rifle, plus it makes hunting a little more challenging, and fun.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
I never was much of a hunter , and in my youth the only reason to get a hunting license was an excuse to carry my 44 Mod 1892 around in the woods and I really enjoyed being out there with it
Phil
Nothing better than hunting with a vintage Winchester saddle ring carbine…….
WACA Life Member #6284 - Specializing in Pre-64 Winchester .22 Rimfire
Wow, look at the drumsticks on that thing… Yum Yum!!
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
I’ve never had a tag to hunt above 13,000 feet–always dreamed of those big ones up higher. Do most of you fellows up around 32,000 shun rifles and use the shorter barreled carbines to more easily swing with the hop?
1892takedown said
I have to agree with DT. I pretty much quit using a scoped rifle about 8 years ago – with only one relapse but that was a special situation. The last two deer I shot with a scoped rifle were at ranges above 450 yards. I just couldnt see the sport in that any longer. Ever since Ive used my 94 carbine in 38-55 for deer or other game. Ive been wanting to try my 92 rifle in 38-40 on a few deer, I know its plenty enough cartridge and bullet to get the job done. Like DT said, its hard to go back to a scoped rifle, plus it makes hunting a little more challenging, and fun.
Chris,
I could not agree with you more. The only “scoped” rifles I use now are night time thermal and IR .308 rifles for hog accumulations! I have not taken any deer with a Winchester but have shot numerous hogs and coyote with either a Model 1892 or 1873 and the hunt is just so much more rewarding. With a little practice a guy should not have much problem head shooting a hog inside 70 yards and they do tend to fall over dead when using a .38WCF or .44 WCF. The attached target photo is 50 yards with an 1892 in .38 WCF. That should fill a freezer with all the pork or venison you could want.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
All the deer I have ever harvested have been with an iron sighted 94 from 1950 (my birth year) passed to me from Grandpa Charlie. He was a hunting guide in the Sierra Mt and took many a movie star cat and bear hunting in the 20s and 30s. Lost his notes and photos in a house fire but remember him telling many a story around campfire about saving his dogs from a enraged / terrified animal with a quick shot from his first fast handling 30-30, as the “client” hollywooder slept off the drinking they came there for. He always had the quarry hung for pictures with the great white hunters. After the house fire he got the carbine he gave me. He used it when he was a warden in Northern California in the 50s.
Vince
Southern Oregon
NRA member
Fraternal Order of Eagles
“There is but one answer to be made to the dynamite bomb and that can best be made by the Winchester rifle.”
Teddy Roosevelt
XLIV said
How heavy aload can one use in a 73 circa 1890?
44
I took a doe weighing around 180 pounds on the hoof with a ’73 shipped in 1889, chambered in 44 W.C.F. I was using hand-loaded cartridges duplicating original black powder velocities. The soft cast bullet went right through, side-to-side. I’ve loaded for several different original ’73s and like to keep them to original BP ballistics with medium speed powder such as 5744, 2400, Blue Dot, or SR4759.
November 7, 2015
Offline
XLIV said
How heavy aload can one use in a 73 circa 1890?
44
What do you need a heavy load for? It’s best to stick with BP level loads for the 1873.
Online
TxGunNut,
Good luck on your hunt. Post some photos of your success. You’ll find that the sport is put back into the hunt vs. sniping with a scoped rifle. I’d love to take a sheep or goat with an old lever gun, but cringe at what the hunt and elements would do the vintage piece. Blind or still hunting is perfect for your Winchester.
November 7, 2015
Offline
This lease is mostly blind hunting. The 1894 looks good at first glance but a closer look reveals it was badly rusted at one time. When it was re-blued some pitting was left. The 1892 backup rifle is a much better gun but it’s got a few battle scars. Will be careful with both but won’t be afraid to use them like they were intended to be used. Both guns are excellent mechanically with good bores so I know they’ll do their part. I’ll be relying a bit more on my binocs and rangefinder but that’s OK by me.
I’ll do my best to post pics of my success, just taking the old girls to the field will be pretty exciting.
TXGunNut said
This year, to honor the 150th anniversary of the Winchester 1866 repeating rifle, I will be hunting with a vintage Winchester. Primary rifle is an 1894 that left the factory in 1905 as a 32-40, was R&R’d in 1907 (IIRC) and is now a 38-55. I don’t know for sure that the 38-55 barrel was installed during that R&R but I’m inclined to believe it was. The bullet I’ll be using in that rifle is a Lyman 380681 over about 30 grs or IMR3031. Backup rifle is an 1892 (circa 1915) in 38WCF. I’ll be loading 9 grs of Unique under an Accurate 40-180c bullet. Neither rifle is especially collectible, both have likely been on more hunting trips than I have. They’ll be OK.Astute reloaders will notice that neither load is exactly a powerhouse. I hunt in Bee County, Texas. I am a guest on a trophy deer lease. I harvest dry does and cull bucks. Deer I’ll be (hopefully) harvesting are 100-130 lbs on the hoof, nothing like the awesome moose in another post. Like many TX leases this area has a hog problem. I think the aforementioned rifles will do well against all but the biggest hogs. I’ll have another rifle available for the really big piggies, but that’s off-topic. Suffice it to say that it’s a levergun chambered in a vintage cartridge loaded with one of my (really big) lead bullets. 😉
I realize hunting with vintage Winchesters is routine for some folks around here, and quite honestly probably not anything new for either rifle…but it’s a big deal for me. I generally hunt with cast bullets in classic chamberings but hunting with a vintage Winchester will be a new experience for me.
I collect well-used Winchesters because I’m a “been there, done that” kind of person, I value a rifle that has “BTDT”. I think these old rifles need to go afield at least once every generation and do what they were built to do.
Great experiences with a little added nostalgia. I’m planning on hitting the woods with some old guns this year.
Last week I was in the Oregon Coast Range which, I’m pretty certain, is a bit of acreage most people don’t realize sits just inside the western edge of that place called Heaven. Well, for those of us who don’t mind rain and brush, dark timber, green meadows, and clear-water creeks–it is a paradise.
The rifle in the photograph is a .32 WS, which most of you would recognize from the rear sight. DOM 1902. It was on the hunt with me because my Dad’s deer rifle for many years was a .32 WS carbine. I remember the first time I shot it as a seven-year-old: kicked something awful! Shot my first two bucks with his rifle. For some reason, it doesn’t kick so hard anymore. (Fast forward.) After Dad died, the rifle was promised to one of my siblings. Since my sons loved their Grandpa and we shoot often as a family, I had the idea to find a nice .32 for each son–to remember/honor their Grandfather while shooting and hunting. In the process, this .32 was purchased. It is not a carbine, but Hey! it is a dandy rifle with excellent Karma.
The evening before I found this buck, I had seen him or another fellow moving into the brush at the far end of a meadow. No chance for a shot, and my cut-him-off-at-the-pass plan–he didn’t show up.
The next evening instead of approaching from the north as I had done the day prior, the breeze along the creek bottom favored an eastern approach. That meant slipping (controlled still-hunting) down a steep trail to the bottom. All was wet enough that the ferns and the fallen maple leaves were softly quiet. At the bottom, I scanned ahead across the creek where the big boy had been the evening before. Then turned northward to check an area that he likes to bed in, and–whoa! at 25 yards this buck and I met eyes. Before one of us could blink, he swapped ends and hit a fast trot. Sights, I leveled at the back of his neck. The way the land lay, his rear end blocked a clean neck shot, so I waited for him to turn a bit. At about 50 yards he trotted up a slow rise and turned the slightest bit–at the shot, he was down.
Dressing him and skinning him, I saw zero ticks. Can’t remember having harvested a deer before that had no ticks. Pretty much no fat on him–chasing does this time of year. His antlers don’t show it, but he was an older buck–grey faced, Roman nosed. Genetics, nutrition? Seems many of the bucks in that area add mass, but stay in the forked-horn configuration. I doubt he is reverting from a three or four point back to forks–a “Pacific Buck.” For that, I’d expect more mass and a wider spread. I did shoot a buck a few years ago 1 1/2 miles south of this buck. Both have the same configuration–forks, sweep, flattening of the forward tines, heavier beams, studly eye-guards. And the other buck was heavy-bodied, rutting, and fat. That fellow may have been a Pacific.
Some of you post beautiful photos of Winchesters in the woods, against a tree, woodpile, saddle–but, my woodpile was in dark shade, and I ain’t got no saddle! These will have to do.
Nearly forgot–
The Bull Shop .322 181 gr FNGC. 29.8 gr H4895. CCI 200 LR.
So nice to be out in the woods with a fine rifle.
Congratulations! WELL done and well written. Very nice looking rifle, too.
Tim
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