Mike Venturino and the .33 WCF|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

I received Mike’s, “Shooting Lever Guns of the Old West” book the other day.  I’ve been pouring through it and enjoying it immensely.  Thanks for writing such a great book Mike.  It’s laid out very logically and is clearly well-researched.  Our own Mike from Tx here told me to be sure to read the introduction.  I was delighted to, within a few seconds, read about his 1985 trip to Africa where he brought along (and used) his ’86 takedown .33 WCF.  Very cool.

I was also fascinated to read his description of his initial load testing with the .33.  He initially tested 200 grain Hornady flat nose bullets using Hornady reloading manual data.  He describes his experience:  “Not only did those loads give mediocre accuracy, but they would freeze up my .33 SCF to the point that two hands were required to force open the lever.”  He also experienced case separation.

As a result, Mike pondered pressure issues, “I reasoned that if the pressure curve could be changed to give peak pressure further from the chamber, perhaps that would help my extraction difficulties.  Therefore, instead of the rather fast-burning rifle powders recommended by the Hornady manual, I turned to slower burning Hodgdon H4350.  Instantly, my .33 WCF problems ended.  Extraction became as smooth as with any other normal functioning lever gun, and groups suddenly got very good for an open-sighted, hunting weight rifle.”  He provides loading data for both jacketed and cast bullets.

Very useful information for me.  And that’s just the .33 info and data.  I’ve load for many of the other calibers that he covers in his book.  

I also enjoyed the stories about how he acquired many of his lever rifles and some of his hunting experiences.