Guns that tell stories - the Winchester 71
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Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Guns that tell stories - the Winchester 71
I love guns that tell stories. That is why I started gun collecting in the old military realm. If you knew how to listen, the guns could tell you of battles fought, countries seen, sometimes even of a former owner's death. I once had a Japanese Arisaka with two bullet holes in the stock - one just below the cheek weld. A dark stain covered the shattered wood at that point. It doesn't take much imagination to determine what happened to the soldier who once carried that gun.
I bought this Winchester 71 this past weekend at a local gun show. It, too, has stories to tell - stories that have been silenced forever by its former owner's death. One of his friends was at the show selling the deceased man's collection, which included a lot of neat leverguns. The dealer told me that this 71 was his friend's main hunting rifle for over 50 years. If I got the story right, the man was the original owner of this gun, produced somewhere around 1947. The gun has aged gracefully. He obviously cared for it well, but its blue wear is quite telling.
The first thing that struck me about this gun was that that bottom of the receiver forward of the lever and around up both sides was worn smooth. I placed it in my hand, confirming my suspicion that the worn area was the perfect balance point for carrying the gun. The top left side of the barrel shank has a small wear area that was perfectly covered by my right thumb as I held the gun in this position. The top corner of the right side of the receiver also showed wear - wear that perfectly matched the area covered by the heel of my hand as the gun's weight rested in it.
Not only was this gun cared for, it was carried - a lot. It was carried by a man who hunted a lot on foot and knew exactly how to balance a levergun for long walks. This same man was right handed and his hands were nearly exactly the same size as mine. The fit of my hand is an eerily perfect match to the worn areas on the gun.
I wish the gun could tell of the game it has killed. I wish it could share with us the sunrises it saw and the evenings spent hiking out of the woods at the end of a long day. These stories will now be told only in our imaginations as we dream of where this classic rifle has been and what it has seen. I am proud, though, that my hand, a perfect fit for that of the gun's former owner, will carry on that tradition. Only, I hope to pass the rifle, along with all its new stories, on to the hands of another generation personally.
One of the last, great hunting rifles of a bygone era.
The serial number tells us this gun began life in 1947. The smooth wear tells us that this gun has been carried a lot since then.
The man obviously had good taste in sights. Note the wear on the bottom edge of the receiver - wear from the fingertips of the former owner's right hand.
The above wear shown again, with the wear on the barrel shank from the right thumb.
The top edge of the right side of the receiver shows wear from the palm of the hunter's hand. While many leverguns show that they were carried long miles in saddle scabbards, guns like this whisper of years spent afield on foot.
I bought this Winchester 71 this past weekend at a local gun show. It, too, has stories to tell - stories that have been silenced forever by its former owner's death. One of his friends was at the show selling the deceased man's collection, which included a lot of neat leverguns. The dealer told me that this 71 was his friend's main hunting rifle for over 50 years. If I got the story right, the man was the original owner of this gun, produced somewhere around 1947. The gun has aged gracefully. He obviously cared for it well, but its blue wear is quite telling.
The first thing that struck me about this gun was that that bottom of the receiver forward of the lever and around up both sides was worn smooth. I placed it in my hand, confirming my suspicion that the worn area was the perfect balance point for carrying the gun. The top left side of the barrel shank has a small wear area that was perfectly covered by my right thumb as I held the gun in this position. The top corner of the right side of the receiver also showed wear - wear that perfectly matched the area covered by the heel of my hand as the gun's weight rested in it.
Not only was this gun cared for, it was carried - a lot. It was carried by a man who hunted a lot on foot and knew exactly how to balance a levergun for long walks. This same man was right handed and his hands were nearly exactly the same size as mine. The fit of my hand is an eerily perfect match to the worn areas on the gun.
I wish the gun could tell of the game it has killed. I wish it could share with us the sunrises it saw and the evenings spent hiking out of the woods at the end of a long day. These stories will now be told only in our imaginations as we dream of where this classic rifle has been and what it has seen. I am proud, though, that my hand, a perfect fit for that of the gun's former owner, will carry on that tradition. Only, I hope to pass the rifle, along with all its new stories, on to the hands of another generation personally.
One of the last, great hunting rifles of a bygone era.
The serial number tells us this gun began life in 1947. The smooth wear tells us that this gun has been carried a lot since then.
The man obviously had good taste in sights. Note the wear on the bottom edge of the receiver - wear from the fingertips of the former owner's right hand.
The above wear shown again, with the wear on the barrel shank from the right thumb.
The top edge of the right side of the receiver shows wear from the palm of the hunter's hand. While many leverguns show that they were carried long miles in saddle scabbards, guns like this whisper of years spent afield on foot.
Last edited by cubrock on Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
.........THE TWINS..........
All M-71's tell stories, just like the one you told from your observations.The M-71 tells a story of a bygone era when the hunts we imagine really happened.That rifle keeps those stories and its history alive to those of us who are luckey enough to own one. You have a beautiful rifle in more ways than one. Cograts !!!!!!
Model-71's forever !!!!
NRA Patriot Life Member
Endowment level
FOPA #5
GOA,Inc
WVCDL,INC
NRA Patriot Life Member
Endowment level
FOPA #5
GOA,Inc
WVCDL,INC
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cubrock,as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and when I beholding an old Winchester I my hands they are are piece of beauty. If only our minds could see their stories. thanks
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It's my grandpa's name and address. That deluxe 71 is the first and only rifle he ever owned that was bought new. My dad told me that grandma bought it it for him for Christmas and he carried it with him all day, like a child would carry a teddy bear. Wouldn't put it down.
Quinn
Quinn
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General George C. Marshall, 1942
pharmseller wrote:It's my grandpa's name and address. That deluxe 71 is the first and only rifle he ever owned that was bought new. My dad told me that grandma bought it it for him for Christmas and he carried it with him all day, like a child would carry a teddy bear. Wouldn't put it down.
Quinn
That is too cool - neat rifle with family history!
.........THE TWINS..........
- Rimfire McNutjob
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I've always wondered if the factory put some of those Lyman side peeps on the 71 Standards back when they were made. I've had a couple just like that and they both had that same Lyman sight ... the model number escapes my fading memory at the moment.
I've seen the Redfield as well on 71's but the Lyman is so prolific on the guns from the late 40's and early 50's that it seems as though they came that way out of the box.
I believe that sight can still be purchased from Lyman but it's now made of black anodized aluminum rather than steel.
Does anyone know if Winchester mounted those at the factory?
I've seen the Redfield as well on 71's but the Lyman is so prolific on the guns from the late 40's and early 50's that it seems as though they came that way out of the box.
I believe that sight can still be purchased from Lyman but it's now made of black anodized aluminum rather than steel.
Does anyone know if Winchester mounted those at the factory?
Rimfire McNutjob wrote:I've always wondered if the factory put some of those Lyman side peeps on the 71 Standards back when they were made. I've had a couple just like that and they both had that same Lyman sight ... the model number escapes my fading memory at the moment.
I've seen the Redfield as well on 71's but the Lyman is so prolific on the guns from the late 40's and early 50's that it seems as though they came that way out of the box.
I believe that sight can still be purchased from Lyman but it's now made of black anodized aluminum rather than steel.
Does anyone know if Winchester mounted those at the factory?
Yes, the Lyman 66 was a factory option.
.........THE TWINS..........
Congrats cubrock, nice looking 71!
Good honest ware on a fine old levergun that has been taken care of is very attractive.
I'm working on getting mine to look like it one of these years, God willing
Good honest ware on a fine old levergun that has been taken care of is very attractive.
I'm working on getting mine to look like it one of these years, God willing
ScottS
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I would love to take a new lever gun, and carry it and use it till it looks like that. All of mine are mostly really nice. Only my 94AE Trapper is just now beginning to show wear. But it will never have the character of that Win 71.
Joe
Joe
***Be sneaky, get closer, bust the cap on him when you can put the ball where it counts .***