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{[JACKS GUNS]}
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GUN GA. OR CAL. |
BRAND/DESCRIPTION |
GUN |
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WINCHESTER
MODEL 1886
45-90 CAL. |
Often called Winchester's finest lever action rifle by both hunters and collectors, the Model 1886 was usually a rather heavy gun
Throughout this rifle's fairly short life (only 50 years) there were various attempts made to reduce the big gun's weight, especially after 1895 when the first smokeless powder loads were introduced in factory loadings for the .45/90. Out of all the versions of the famous old '86-including the saddle-ring carbine-the very lightest was the Extra Lightweight rifle, and this gun's size and weight makes it the handiest version of the Model 1886 for hunters.
Winchester M1886
(Circa 1891)
First, lets describe both the rifle and the caliber. The Winchester Model 1886 was the first lever-action repeater designed by John M. Browning. On the surface it resembled previous Winchester lever guns in that it had both a tubular magazine and it loaded through a gate on the receiver’s right side. Beyond that, however, Browning had completely changed the mechanism of Winchester’s lever actions. His design has two locking blocks that rise up into slots cut in the rear of the bolt. This is a much stronger system than was possible with the old toggle link action of the Models 1873 and 1876. Therefore, Winchester, for the first time, was able to introduce a repeating rifle capable of chambering cartridges as powerful as those only found in the big single-shot rifles of the era. In 1886 the introductory calibers of the new rifle were .40-82, .45-70, and .45-90. Over the next couple of decades a variety of chamberings were offered, ranging from the .33 WCF on the small side to the huge .50-110 on the big end. The Model 1886 was a good seller for Winchester, and by the time it was dropped from company catalogs in 1932, just shy of 160,000 had been made.
The Model 1886 story didn’t end there. With only minor changes Winchester reintroduced this rifle in 1935 and named it the Model 71. Its only caliber was the famous .348 Winchester, and it was made all the way up until 1958. A total of 47,000 were made.
Not only was the Model 1886 offered as standard rifles with both round and octagon 26-inch barrels plus a saddle ring carbine version with 20-inch barrel, but in those days Winchester would allow the customer to special order most anything desired.
This Model 1886 is a fine shooter
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25-20 WINCHESTER
MODEL 92 |
25-20 Winchester
Produced from 1892 through 1941
The .25-20 Winchester is a short range varmint and small game cartridge, varmint, small predator, turkey. On the order of the .30 carbine. It is based on a necked-down .32-20 case and was quite popular around the turn of the 20th Century.
The .25-20 has gotten some play from the cowboy action shooters, and Marlin recently turned out some of their Model 1894 lever action rifles in .25-20. The old high velocity factory load drove a 60 grain flat point bullet at a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2250 fps. The current Winchester and Remington factory loads drive an 86 grain flat point bullet at a MV of 1460 fps. The .25-20 will probably continue to be around for a number of years.
The .25-20 Winchester javelina cartridge was introduced in 1893 in Winchester's Model 92 lever action rifle
More than one million Winchester Model 1892's were produced from 1892 to 1931, so it should be three times easier to find a Model '92 than a Colt Single Action. The three main chamberings, just as in the Model 1873, were .44 WCF, .38 WCF, and .32 WCF, or as they are better known today, .44-40, .38-40, and .32-20. Two other chamberings are found — the .25-20 and the very rare .218 Bee. During the 1950's, many 1892's were converted to .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum. The originals ended production before the advent of either Magnum, so none were ever produced in these chamberings nor in .45 Colt
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30-30 WINCHESTER
MODEL94 |
There were still pockets of relatively rough country left in 1892, especially in the Southwest, still are, and the Model 1892 Winchester filled the bill for survival quite well. At least for a short time, Rangers, both Texas and Arizona style, picked up on the soon to arrive Model 1894 Winchester in the more "modern" .30 Winchester Centerfire, or .30WCF, or as most of us call it, the plain old .30-30
Today what is known as the .30-30 began life as the .30 WINCHESTER SMOKELESS. In 1891, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company first began experimenting with smokeless powder to develop a higher velocity smokeless cartridge that would bear the Winchester name. They decided on .30 caliber after working with the military on the development of the .30 U.S.Army (.30-40) cartridge.
When the 1894 Winchester rifle was on the drawing boards, they ultimately decided to use the .38-50 Ballard cartridge case of 1876, and neck it down to hold a 160 gr. .30 Caliber "metal patched" bullet.
The resultant .30 WINCHESTER SMOKELESS cartridge which carried the .30 W.C.F. (Winchester Center Fire) designation on the head stamp, first appeared in Winchester's catalog No. 55, dated August, 1895. Several months prior to this, the first ads announcing the arrival of this cartridge began appearing in the sporting press.
The .30-30 Winchester has probably killed more deer than any other cartridge. And it has probably wounded and lost more deer than any other cartridge. But hunters and not the .30-30 cartridge must be given credit for one and blamed for the other. In the hands of those hunters who accept the .30-30's limitations as a big game cartridge, the Winchester Model 94 is a deadly deer rifles.
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32 WINCHESTER SPECIAL
MODEL 94 |
A real treat, the Winchester 32 Special Model 94. This lever action rifle was developed for buffalo hunting and has changed little since 1894 hence the name Model 94.
What is so "special" about the 32 Winchester Special? Well, it is more than just its name. It is the nostalgia and mystique, the romance and speculation of days gone by, all brought into life by this fine old Winchester.
The 32 WS and the 30-30 use the same basic case. Both are loaded to the same nominal pressure and are chambered in virtually identical rifles. Here the equality ends.
The 32 WS bullet has an 8.6% greater cross-sectional area. Consequently, it can be loaded to generate significantly more power. This is a matter of basic physics: Equal pressure acting on a greater area through an equal distance will accelerate an equal mass to a greater velocity.
Another significant factor: The 32 WS has more usable powder capacity! This may seem odd, since the cases are nominally identical, excepting neck diameter. The explanation is twofold: When these have the same nose shape and are the same weight, a 0.321-inch diameter 32 WS bullet is shorter than a 0.308-inch diameter 30-30 bullet. Since both cartridges must be loaded to about the same overall length the 32 WS bullet does not enter as far into the case; the difference is worth about 1.2 grains of usable capacity. Furthermore, standards call for 0.01-inch greater overall cartridge length for the 32 WS. This adds another 0.2 grains to usable case capacity. This is a total difference of about 1.4 grains. Since the 30-30 holds about 35 grains of powder, this difference exceeds 4%.
Finally, the slower rifling rate in the 32 WS spins the bullet slower. Spinning of the 32 WS bullet consumes on about 60% of the energy that spinning the 30-30 does. With less energy used to spin the bullet, more is available to accelerate it. This effect, while minor, is real.
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The ballistics of the 170 grain factory load for the .32 Winchester Special are very similar to those of the .30-30 Winchester shooting the 170 grain factory load. The .32 bullet has the advantage of making a slightly larger hole; the .30 bullet has a slightly superior sectional density. The usual American factory loads give a 170 grain flat point bullet a muzzle velocity (MV) of 2250 fps and muzzle energy (ME) of 1911 ft. lbs. At 100 yards the figures are 1870 fps and 1320 ft. lbs. The 200 yard numbers are 1537 fps and 892 ft. lbs
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32 SPECIAL
32 WIN. SP....30-30 WIN.
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