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Hi everybody,
I am an enthusiastic reader of Mike Venturino books and think he did a really great job!! I also love 1886 Winchesters and so I am really most interested in everything around them…
So after all I came up with questions I could find no answers for – maybe you guys can help?
I wonder, for what exact reasons back then (in blackpowder times) would somebody choose a .45-70 over a .45-90 or the other way around? The latter was an Express load with higher charge but lower bullet weight, right? What would have been pros and cons of each? Shot range, killing power, accuracy… and which one for what cartridge?
And was the Winchester 1886 obsolete with the appearance of the smokeless calibers of the Winchester 1895? Or did the fact that the 1886 also digested smokeless calibers make it still an up-to-date choice for a few more years? And when was the first smokeless 1886 (earliest I have heard of: 1895) built? Since when was .45-70 an .45-90 smokeless available? Sorry guys, lots of questions, I know…. 🙁
I think the answer to your questions can be found in the sales numbers. If you look at the serial numbers and date of manufacture it becomes clear what people liked. With smokeless powder and stronger steel the guns got smaller, lighter, faster. WWI generated lots of cheap powerful bolt action rifles and the market changed. The 1886 sales slowed and Winchester made changes to try and sell guns, again the answer is in the numbers sold. Look at the model 1894 numbers. T/R
November 7, 2015
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I think you’ve touched on the answers to your first questions already, it’s likely the higher velocity and lighter bullet weight of the express load probably filled a need, perceived or otherwise, for some users while others were satisfied with the 45-70 Guvmint round and it’s plentiful ammo supply. I think the 45-70 may have had better long-range accuracy than the Express round in the 1886 but that may be only theoretical. I cast and load for both cartridges but not for 1886’s. I believe the 45-90 cartridge loaded for a single shot was a totally different cartridge from the Express load developed for the 1886. Maybe the 1886 chambered in 45-90 was an attempt to lure hunters away from their old single shot rifles. Sorry, don’t have any solid answers for you.
The second group of questions is addressed quite well in the 1895 book reviewed hereabouts recently, probably the best description of the BP/Smokeless transition I’ve read.
Mike
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