Paco Kelly's Leverguns.com

JFE

i like the cartridge and it is cheap and easy to load for, especially if you cast your own pills. Jacketed pills are limited but there are plenty of options for bullet casters. You can use 375, 38/55 or reformed 30/30 cases, with the strongest being the 375 cases as they are thicker in the head area...

JFE

Trailboss is used here but our use would be quite small compared to US demand. Plus I would imagine that ADI would likely keep the US market supplied as well as it could. We don't have many alternatives down here whereas there are several alternative gun powder suppliers in the US.

JFE

ADI have had some supply issues due to a fire but according to their latest news Trailboss supply is not affected.

http://www.adi-powders.com.au/handloade ... .asp#item0

JFE

Years ago there was an outfit in Australia run by Arthur Langsford that traded under the name 'Myra'. Arthur was always coming up with novel ideas, eg many years before Hornady developed the 17 HMR Arthur necked down 22 Mag case to 17 cal and marketed rifles and ammunition. He only produced the rifl...

JFE

Well, the fates were unkind. The pre-drilled sight holes in my Browning 71 are a different thread than the screws that came with my old Lyman 56 ... This is kind of how I roll. :oops: I fitted some older Lyman sights to my B71's and Win 1886 repros and didn't have a problem with the thread but did ...

JFE

I am learning to reload. So far just handgun calibers. Maybe that why I have been leaning towards 45 colt levergun. I had a Marlin 1895 big loop guide gun in 45-70. I should have never sold it. It was my most favorite rifle ever. I'll probably end up getting another one and reload for it. The 45/70...

JFE

If you are getting only one it should be a 45/70 IMO. It's a lot more flexible and can be loaded light or heavy depending on your application. Besides, if you are going to load high pressure 45LC or 454 loads, the rifle will probably need to be close to the same weight as one of the lighter 45/70 ri...

JFE

I don't have a Marlin 44 but do have a B92 in 44 mag. It similarly has shallow, multi groove rifling and a 1 in 38" twist. 300 gr cast worked fine but 340 gr cast started to yaw at 25 mtrs. With cast in this rifle you need a large bullet diameter due to barrel diameter, shallow rifling and larg...

JFE

There is nothing wrong with using cast bullets in your 375BB and that's about all I use in mine. In case you are not aware 375BB chambers have quite a large throat. Groove diameter tends to be 375/376 however I would suggest you use as large a diameter cast bullet that can still be chambered. This w...

JFE

I took a throat impression of my Browning and it has no throat at all. The chamber neck is a little long and this could be mistaken for a short throat. The jacketed bullets I load are a 2 diameter design and they chamber and fit fine when loaded to the cannelure. Only trouble I've had is with cast b...

JFE

Someone that posts here has done a 450 necked down to 375 but can't recall who that was. I converted a 375BB to 375/356 and that was a useful improvement. I went that way because most smiths will have a 308 reamer and dies are available off the shelf.

JFE

While these rifles are well made and finished they do differ from the originals, even outwardly. The early Browning had no top or bottom tang. In later models they added a top tang in different lengths, but still no bottom tang. The reason the top tangs were added was to enable fitting tang sights a...

JFE

earlmck - if you want to use a heavyweight cast bullet in the 35 Rem I would suggest using Redding/Saeco design #352. It seems to be designed for a 35 Rem. It casts around 245-250 gr and is about as heavy a bullet that the twist will stabilse. The single wide grease groove is contained in the neck a...

JFE

A few guys over here use Lee dies as they aren't that hard and are easier to rework and then re-harden. As mentioned start with a set in 30/30 and modify those. Buy all the factory parts to suit, like expander/ decapper, seating stem etc. A Lee FCD for a 358 should work without any modification.

JFE

Nice rifle. Good to see they are actually being produced and that they work !

JFE

For that length of time you are going to need to be able to reliably take game for food. From a practical view I'd take a lightweight combo gun like one of the discontinued Savage 24's. Takes down, easy to pack and came in a variety of calibres. I'd pick a 20ga/22M but they were also available in 30...

JFE

I have a 1895 repro in 405 and my barrel slugs 4125. I use the RCBS 416-350GC mould and size to 414/415. It works fine - the crimp groove is in the right place and the bullet fits the throat well. Weight is closer to 370 gr with GC and lube. The buttplate on my repro is pretty slippery. Brownells ha...

JFE

Lengthening the throat has no drawbacks. It won't hurt the gun, ruin accuracy,or cause any other problems if done by someone familiar with these guns. I had Turnbull do mine and I doubt there is anyone on this planet that knows more about the 1886 than they do. They used the same reamer on my Mirok...

JFE

If you cast your own you can find mould designs that will feed without having to alter the throat. Most jacketed designed 45/70's should feed in the stock throat. Another way around the short throat if you have problems is to use the slightly shorter Hornady brass from their Leverlution factory shel...

JFE

Welcome to the forum. I would wait until you find a good gunsmith. The throating is a very important part of the accuracy potential of the rifle. Also don't go crazy extending the throat length, just lengthen it enough to clear the bullets you intend to use. You probably only need a throat length of...

JFE

Can't comment on the new production Winchesters but I have had a couple of the Brownings and they are well made and accurate. The rifle version I had was easily the most accurate levergun I have owned.

JFE

As posters have noted, the Brownings don't have the tang safety and rebounding hammer. However as far as I am aware, excluding standard and high grade versions, the Brownings only came in two configurations, a 26" oct barrel with crescent buttplate and a 22" SRC. The Winchesters came in qu...

JFE

Where you going to hang the horns at? What velocity were they going. The trophy will be hung up at home. The skin was too scarred and lost most of it hair, so I settled for a skull mount. The velocity is estimated to be around 1750 fps. For thin skinned animals, like elk and moose, that bullet allo...

JFE

Thanks for your comments. Glad you liked the story. Mike - I was conservative in developing the load for the 71 and I had no time for load development prior to the trip. I used Quickload and set max pressure at 40k and it predicted 1750 fps. The meplat diameter measures 0.30". FYI the buffalo's...

JFE

Is that what is called a Gaur in southeast asia? I've heard they have a mean streak as wide as their horns. No, these are not Gaur, they are Asiatic water buffalo. They were introduced many years ago and are now wild. Gaur do have that reputation but I don't think they can hunted any more, not in I...

JFE

Great hunt and enjoyed reading your story. Congrats.

JFE

Thanks guys. While it took a while to write it, the whole thing was over in seconds. It was a real hoot.

Glenn - I used smokeless. The humidity and general conditions would have made clean up and maintenance a problem. Plus I don't think the smokescreen would have helped with the follow up shots!!

JFE

Last month I returned from a trip to a remote part of the Northern Territory and hunted on Hunt Australia’s concession in Arnhem Land. The camp was great - it really was a well thought out remote bush camp. The rifle I took with me was a Browning Model 71 that I had converted to 45/90. The bullets I...

JFE

Well done. That will make a nice eater.

JFE

If you do a search you should find quite a few threads on the 375. I have used a number of different cast designs from 250 to 300 gr, both PB and GC, and all worked pretty well. Win 94BB's in this calibre have deep rifling, which is good for cast bullets. R-7 and 4198 are good powder choices for hea...

JFE

southfork wrote:Why do you like the idea of a second barrel set? In case one wears out? Or a different caliber or what?

Two different calibres.

JFE

I'd like to have a second barrel set made up for a modern 1886 takedown (Miroku) and wondering whether the critical parts for the takedown system are available? Apart from Turnbull, are there any other gunsmiths who could make up a second barrel set in the US? I am tossing up whether I can source th...

JFE

Winchester never made many 94BB AE's in 375. Most 375's were ptop ejects. I'd be keeping it for that reason alone but it is also a versatile round capable of taking all the game you have there

JFE

Parts of Australia are desert and semi desert and when the country was being explored in the 1800's, the Brits used camels and also brought in Afgan handlers. After the expeditions were completed the camels were set free and the Afgan handlers were allowed to stay. The conditions were ideal for the ...

JFE

why the heck winchester did not make the 375 based on a 308/307/444 sized type case i cannot fathom! that would have been a heck of a cartridge, maybe better than the 307 or the 356. I have a 336 built on the 356 necked up to 375 and can say that it is more fun than I can stand loaded clear up to p...

JFE

Thanks for that info. I must get myself a copy.

JFE

Been thinking about getting myself one.

I know it has a lot powders and jacketed bullets in its reference data, but how does it deal with cast bullets ?

Also how does it deal with throating ? Eg long throated chambers like 458 Win mag or 375 Win ?

JFE

The Japanese Win/Brownings 1886 45/70's that i owned had virtually no throat. As others have said I doubt its your OAL.

You can have the throat opened up, shorten cases or use a Lee FCD to crimp the bullet where it clears the throat.

JFE

I assume you will want to use the loads in all your 45/70 rifles, however I am not sure how strong the Sharps action is. The other two are quite strong and can take any sensible load for a levergun. Just be aware that the barrel dimensions for your 3 45/70 rifles will likely be quite different. I've...

JFE

Hello Pitchy - what rifle are you going to use it in ?

JFE

The barrel designed for an AE will have different extractor cut compared to the one for a top eject 94BB. I had read that the threads were different too between the two 94BB models. I have a top eject and an AE in 375 and the external barrel diameter at the breech end is the same but the AE has a mu...

JFE

I think it would be a nightmare conversion. I suspect you will probably need a custom made carrier. Not a Winchester, but Pedersoli are making their 1886 clone in 444. Doesnt look too bad either. http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/scheda-prodotto.asp/l_en/idpr_356/rifles-model-86-71-lever-action-model-...

JFE

Browning 71's are very accurate and with the new Hornady gummy tip 348 bullet, it might be possible. If I wanted to do that sort of thing though, and it needed to be a levergun, I'd pick a BLR in 325 WSM. I did read somewhere (maybe it was on Turnbull's site) that someone was looking at making a sco...

JFE

FWIW Woodleigh make 275gr and 310gr softs and 310gr FMJ in 35 cal. You need to make sure your twist can handle the longer bullets. Most 35 Whelens these days are equipped with 1 in 16" twist barrels and these are unlikely to stabilise bullets over 250gr.

JFE

Interesting results. Have you ever tested Woodleigh's Hydrostatic solids ? I have read a bit about them and also spoken with the designer, who is a Metallurgist and a keen hunter. For hunting DG, especially using a levergun I think they are somewhat overlooked. Woodleigh have tested them extensively...

JFE

Thanks for all the comments and input. For me this is a once in lifetime hunt and one I have always wanted to do. I hear what some have said about smaller calibres being adequate, and I'm sure under the right circumstances they would be, but I don't feel comfortable using relatively small calibres a...

JFE

I'm hunting in the Alaskan peninsula 10-20 Sep. Apparently a lot of walking and glassing involved.

JFE

I have a Moose hunt booked for Sep this year. The guide mentioned that most shots are taken under 100 yards, but occasionally they can go 200+yards. While I'd like to take a levergun, I'm inclined to take my 375 H&H bolt action. The leverguns that I have and would consider taking instead are: 34...

JFE

Pete44ru - if I lived in the US I probably would. I've seen some of his work on this forum and it looks top notch.

Mike D. - Thanks for the info.

JFE

Can anyone help with the correct Browning 1886 parts and numbers that I need to order to convert a Win 1886 rebounding hammer set-up ? The rebound hammer in mine has already been disabled, but I want to get the tang safety slot welded and fit the correct Browning parts. Who knows, some enterprising ...

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