The Winchester Model 71 was a

lever-action The toggle-link action used in the iconic Winchester Model 1873 rifle, one of the most famous lever-action firearms Lever-action is a type of action for repeating firearms that uses a manually operated cocking handle located around the trigger g ...

rifle introduced in 1935 and discontinued in 1958.

Description

A slightly modified version of the Browning designed

Winchester Model 1886 The Winchester Model 1886 was a lever-action repeating rifle designed by John Browning to handle some of the more powerful cartridges of the period. Originally chambered in .45-70, .45-90 WCF, and .40-82 WCF, it was later offered in a half doze ...

, it was only chambered for the

.348 Winchester The .348 Winchester is an American rifle cartridge. It was introduced in 1936, and developed for the Winchester Model 71 lever action rifle. The .348 was one of the most powerful rimmed rounds ever used in a lever action rifle. Performance It ...

round; except for an extremely rare

.45-70 Government The .45-70 rifle cartridge, also known as the .45-70 Government, was developed at the U.S. Army's Springfield Armory for use in the Springfield Model 1873, which is known to collectors as the "Trapdoor Springfield." The new cartridge was a rep ...

and

.33 WCF The .33 Winchester Center Fire (colloquially .33 WCFBarnes, p.122. or .33 Win) is an American centerfire rifle cartridge. History Introduced by Winchester for the Model 1886 lever rifle in 1902, it survived until the Model 86 was dropped in 19 ...

. It was also (other than 400 rifles chambered for the .348 in the Cimarron 1885 Hi-Wall in 2005-06) the only firearm that ever used that cartridge. The Model 71 was conceived as a replacement for both the Model 1886 and Model 1895 as a complement to the

Winchester Model 70 The Winchester Model 70 is a bolt-action sporting rifle. It has an iconic place in American sporting culture and has been held in high regard by shooters since it was introduced in 1936, earning the moniker "The Rifleman's Rifle". The action has s ...

bolt-action rifle and to replace a raft of cartridges (the .33 Winchester, the .45-70, the .35 Winchester, and the .405 Winchester) with just one (the

). The rifle and cartridge were very effective against any

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

n big game in heavy timber, including the great bears, if using the bullet. It was once very popular for hunting in Canada and

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

. Unfortunately, economics caused the rifle to be very expensive, and with less costly lever action rifles available in common and fairly powerful rounds such as

.35 Remington The .35 Remington is the only remaining cartridge from Remington's lineup of medium-power rimless cartridges still in commercial production. Introduced in 1906, it was originally chambered for the Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle in 1 ...

, and the growing popularity of cheap bolt-actions in military and Magnum chamberings, the Winchester 71 with its excellent but unique cartridge was destined for commercial oblivion. The .348 was also the only 34 caliber cartridge ever made by an American manufacturer and essentially the first short magnum cartridge, making it a little problematic for handloaders, as there was never a wide selection of 34 caliber

bullets A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...

. ''Cartridges of the World'' remarks that factory ammunition was available in 150, 200 and weights. Only the weight is still available in factory ammunition.

Browning Browning may refer to: Arts and entertainment * The Browning, an American electronicore band * ''Browning'', a set of variations by the composer William Byrd Places * Browning, Georgia, USA * Browning, Illinois, USA * Browning, Missouri, ...

re-issued the Model 71 as a limited edition in the mid 1980s. The

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

and

versions showed very high degrees of craftsmanship. As of August, 2013, the Winchester Repeating Arms website again lists model 71s as available, new from the factory. The Winchester Model 71 still has a loyal following for what is arguably "the finest big bore lever gun that has ever been" as well as being used as a strong and solid platform for various 'wildcat' projects.

Sources

* The Cody Firearms Museum research office * Barnes, F, ''Cartridges of the World'' * Madis, George, ''The Winchester Book.'' Houson: Arts and Leisure Press, 1971.

References

{{Winchester_Cartridges_Firearms Lever-action rifles Winchester Repeating Arms Company firearms