Why did they make so many 73’s??|Page 3|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

Chuck said

Bert H. said
I did some digging through the Single Shot records, and the first two rifles manufactured for the 30 U.S. (30-40) cartridge were serial numbers 67205 & 67218 both received in the warehouse on 5/22/1894… one full year before the first Model 1894 was made in 30 WCF.
Bert
  

I went through my book on the Krag Military rifles and the first Krag Model 1892’s were delivered in early October 1894.  So the 1885 was the first rifle to load the 30-40?
  

Apparently so.  Winchester actually began cartridge & ballistic development for what eventually became the 30 U.S. sometime in late 1891.

This is as copy of the ledger record that I acquired 20-years ago while researching the Single Shot cartridge production;

Bert

Chuck said
Yes, as I said in Post 35, Winchester had the round figured out in Jan of 92. 
  

I missed reading that post… but yes, Winchester did all of the early work for the U.S. Government on the development of the 30-40 Krag cartridge.  Undoubtedly, they used a Single Shot (high-wall) barreled action for the testing.

Bert

Chuck said
Bert, please send me a copy of that ledger page so I can print it out.  My very smart but stubborn friend says that Frankford Arsenal did the development on the 30-40.  He is absolutely correct when it comes to the rifle.  He also wrote the Krag book I referenced.  Some way or another one reference is wrong? With the news article I have and your ledger page I want him to explain to me how Winchester was loading and chambering a 30 Gov before the Military did.
  

Will do, and I suspect that he will not be able to explain it…

Bert

Chuck said

Bert H. said

Chuck said
Yes, as I said in Post 35, Winchester had the round figured out in Jan of 92. 
  

I missed reading that post… but yes, Winchester did all of the early work for the U.S. Government on the development of the 30-40 Krag cartridge.  Undoubtedly, they used a Single Shot (high-wall) barreled action for the testing.
Bert
  

The problem is that I can’t find any info on the part Winchester played when many Military cartridges were developed.  There is a lot of info on the guns but hardly anything on the ammunition. 
  

Try sending Brad Dunbar a PM… he may have some insight (information) from the research for the Model 1895 book and his close association with Dan Shuey.

Bert

Chuck said
Brad and I have talked some but not on this exact issue.  He gave me some info on the 95 cartridges.  If you have something that could back this up I’d like to see it.  I have not seen anything that goes into Winchester’s involvement with the development or the use of the highwall for any of the cartridges. 
  

Chuck,

Winchester almost exclusively used high-wall actions to test and develop new cartridges for several decades.  Brad has a listing of approximately 2-dozen Single Shot serial numbers that were in the ballistics department inventory.  I myself have seen and handled more than a handful of test pressure high-walls.  Further, I have documented another dozen or so Single Shots purchased by the U.S. Cartridge Co. for ballistic testing purposes.

Bert