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I have been working on loads for my 85 in 22 WCF. I was reading the early Winchester catalogs and noticed that they listed the 22 WCF for the 73.. Was there ever any of these built?
Never came across one in my research.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Online
I would expect that the 22 WCF cartridge was just a bit too long for the Model 1873 action to handle.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Bert,
I checked and the 22 WRF is 1.6″ long and the elevator is just a hair over that so it would fit.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
The 22 w.c.f. is almost 1/8 longer than the 44-40
W.A.C.A. life member, Marlin Collectors Assn. charter and life member, C,S.S.A. member and general gun nut.
1873man said
Bert,I checked and the 22 WRF is 1.6″ long and the elevator is just a hair over that so it would fit.
Bob
Bob,
The 22 WCF (center fire) is quite some bit larger than the 22 WRF.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Bert,
I’m talking about feeding like a 32-20 through the regular magazine not the 22 magazine. You would just have to put a flat nose bullet in it.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
1873man said
Bert,I’m talking about feeding like a 32-20 through the regular magazine not the 22 magazine. You would just have to put a flat nose bullet in it.
Bob
Bob,
You are mixing apples & oranges. The 22 WRF that you mention is not anything like the 22 WCF (introduced specifically for the Model 1885 Single Shot). Chuck mentioned the 22 WCF in his post, and I replied that it is a bit too long for the Model 1873 action. I suspect that you are correct that a 22 WRF would feed through a Model 1873, but the question posed was about a 22 WCF in a Model 1873.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Bert,
I meant the 22 WCF in my original post. I checked in the “Handloaders manual of cartridge conversion” and the 22 WCF is 1.61″ long and the 73 action room for 1.63″. The 32-20 is 1.59″
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
1873man said
Bert,I meant the 22 WCF in my original post. I checked in the “Handloaders manual of cartridge conversion” and the 22 WCF is 1.61″ long and the 73 action room for 1.63″. The 32-20 is 1.59″
Bob
Bob,
Not sure where you are getting your numbers from, but the 22 WCF cartridge is not 1.61″ long. I measured several factory original cartridges (from three different boxes I have), and the average case length is 1.63″, and a factory loaded original cartridge is 1.90″ long. The 32, 38, and 44 WCF cartridges all have a nominal OAL of just 1.592″.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Bert,
I have a seal box of Winchester brand so I went to my loading book which I guess is wrong. With a loaded length of 1.9″ its definitely a no go.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
It is interesting to ponder what Winchester was thinking. Surely, they knew the OAL of the .22 WCF and they knew what the ’73 action could handle as far as cartridge length. I just wonder what led to the listing in the catalog. Could have been a misprint I suppose.
Bert,
Just to satisfy my curiosity I measured the height of the seal box of 22 WCF I have and it measured 1.7″. The then measured a couple opened boxes of other 22 shells and the wall thickness is around .05″ which gets me to the 1.6″ shell length. Is there 2 different variations of the 22 WCF.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Good morning Bob,
No, there isn’t., and I need to apologize to you and the rest of our readers… I mistakenly was measuring 25 WCF (25-20 Single Shot) cartridges! I have several early Winchester boxes of them (when Winchester was marking them “25 W.C.F.”, and confused myself by grabbing them out of the safe instead of the 22 W.C.F. cartridge boxes. I should have brought my reading glasses with me to my gun room. I have some loose 22 WCF cartridges in a separate container that I will dig out and measure later today.
Again, sorry for the confusion,
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
1.61″ is the correct OAL. But I have measured some of the factory black powder loads I have and most of them are more like 1.62″ and some 1.63″. SAAMI was formed in the early 1920’s but you know if loaded to SAAMI type specs they will be short so they can fit any chamber. I have never heard of a 73 in 22 WCF but I am sure Winchester could have made it it they wished.
The data I have for the 38 WCF and the 44 WCF shows that they are actually shorter than the 22 WCF. The OAL for the 38 is 1.58″, the 44 is 1.55″ and the 32-20 is 1.59″. In the lever gun not only do you have to consider the chamber measurement but also the carrier length as Bob said. 0.02″ or so is not that much.
The bullets are .288″, 46 gr, flat nose. The cases are bottle neck.
The factory blueprint for the 22 WCF dated 1911 show’s an overall loaded length of 1.630″, and an overall case length of 1.405″
Steve
seewin said
The factory blueprint for the 22 WCF dated 1911 show’s an overall loaded length of 1.630″, and an overall case length of 1.405″Steve
For some reason, even if the OAL is workable, I don’t see it as feeding well through the M1873 action. However, it would be very cool. If I could take a time machine back to the time that catalog they were listed in was current, I’d order a case of them 
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