The Model 94 - Faithful Servant

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Duplex posted this 22 November 2006

I know that the Model 94 is not as popular as some of the earlier models but, having disassembled many Model 94s, I can only marvel at the concept and simplicity of this Browning firearm made by Winchester.

While I have a few of these (which have all been used successfully in the field) but I just treasure the original 375 Big Bore that I acquired in the mid-70s.

The load I use for target and game is:

375449 lubed with my own lube, BR primer, IMR-4198 powder @ 25.5 grains.  I have an ivory front bead and a Lyman rear peep with Gold Ring mounted on the barrel and the hood has been removed.

Due to the thick woods where I live, I don't have to take shots over 100 yards as a rule.  It has performed wonderfully on Whitetail and Black Bear with only single shots taken.

The other 94s are .30-30s and .45 Colts from the 50s to the 90s.  I have never suffered any complaint from these rifles and my children (now ages 20 thru 40) all started out with .30-30s in the Model 94 configuration. 

In the .30-30s I use #31141 and in the .45s I use #454190 and #454424 sized .001” over groove diameter.

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william iorg posted this 25 November 2006

Duplex,

 Nice to meet another lever-gunner. I hunt close in the brush too so the lever-guns work fine for me.

 Have you shot any of the Lee 255 grain cast bullets? The Lee bullet shoots well for me as cast and hand lubed with Javalina Alox. As cast from my soft alloy this bullet measure .380â€? and is about .924â€? long. It is about .410â€? ahead of the crimp groove and the meplat is about .245â€?.

 Have you taken a casting of your throat? I have taken a Cerrosafe casting of my Model 94 and have looked at pictures of an impact casting and while our dimensions are slightly different I believe we actually have the same chamber and throat ”€œ these things being hard to measure.

 The impact casting is from a poster on the Cast Boolit site ”€œ Leverguns section. The throat is rather large and the chamber throat is long. I believe his measurement was .435â€? long. The only other modern Lever action Winchester chamber I have seen that resembles this one is the Model 94AE chambered for .357 Magnum.

 I came up with similar dimensions from my casting, except for the throat length. My bore is about .366â€? dia. The grooves are about .376â€? dia. My case neck at the mouth is about .402â€? and the case length is about 2.035â€? long. The base of the case is like most modern lever-action rifles and is reamed slightly egg shape averaging from .415â€? to .421â€? in diameter just above the rim. Just above this the chamber becomes round. All Marlins and Winchester chamber I have cast display this and I assume it is to aid in chambering the cartridge. The length of the lead which is about .330â€? long. This is very long with a gentle taper into the rifling. Diameter just ahead of the case mouth is about .380â€? and the diameter just before the rifling starts is about .375â€?. There is a difference between the length of my leade and the one measured on Castboolits. The other dimensions are close enough that our difference may between the nature of an impact casting and a Cerrosafe cast.

Anyway, just curious about the throat on your rifle. I have included links to both threads where the castings are pictured as I don't “photobucketâ€? and as the impact casting is not mine I thought it better to link to it. The cast boolits link has the impact casting in the first post and the shooters forum has a picture of my Cerrosafe cast at the bottom of page three.

 http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=9285>http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=9285

 http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=7300&page=3>http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=7300&page=3

 I have been to Great falls three times this year on business. I have really enjoyed these trips and everyone I met. Very friendly folks. I took a drive up to Havre and really enjoyed it. On my last trip it snowed 4â€? and this was really something for me. I have not seen honest snow in many years ”€œ having lived in Texas for the past 26 years or so.

Slim

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CB posted this 27 November 2006

Its good the hear your two inputs from the two of you about your hunting experiences with the '94.

I was wondering what cast bullet alloys you use?

Wingnut

 

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C1PNR posted this 28 November 2006

I've always liked the '94.  The first one I bought came from a gun show in .32 Special, except the barrel was an 8 x 57 Mauser that was cut down and rechambered.:shock:

I found an octagon barrel in .32 W.S. and had that installed and have been shooting it for years now.  A little later I found a 25-35 and sometime later a 38-55.  I was shooting those with 30-30 brass from gun shows and range pickup modified to fit my guns.  Among those three it didn't matter much what the headstamp read, I could tell the 25 from the 32 from the 38.

Eventually a friend was selling off his guns (new girlfriend didn't like 'em) and I finally broke down and bought his '80s 30-30 carbine.  Now suddenly the headstamp markings DID make a difference.  I've since bought brass with the correct markings and am slowly getting rid of the old, resized stuff.

Those rifles are just a lot of fun to shoot!  Easy to load for and easy on the shoulder when shooting.  And accurate enough for the informal target shooting, light hunting tasks, and just plinking at rocks, tree limbs, etc.:)

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Ed Harris posted this 07 December 2006

One of my favorite rifles is a Winchester 94 .30-30 made in 1942.  It is the plain vanilla carbine and has many miles and deer on it.  Not the most accurate rifle I own by any means, but certainly one of the handiest to carry, utilitarian and agricultural.  Good woods gun, adequate for any game we have in the Eastern US and has good home defense potential.  Best of all I get all the free brass I'll ever need as range pickups at the DNR range, and its appearance “doesn't scare the natives."

I shoot alot of cast in mine.  Mostly the Meister .312 94 LFN with 4 grs. of Bullseye for about 1050 f.p.s. quiet and accurate, up to a max of 5 grs. for snappy and flat-shooting at 1450.  Just turn the sight elevator around and shove in as high as it will go to zero at 50 yards.  Good for 2 inches, which is all I can hold with open sights.

 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Daryl S posted this 19 January 2007

Duplex - nice to hear of someone else with a mid 70's Big Bore 94 XTR in .375. Although cast bullet shooting has been minimal(maybe 50 rounds or 274gr. Lyman, 25 years ago) with mine so far (I bought it new in '77 I think it was) I've done considerable work with the 'other' type, right to 300gr.
: In the early 80's I took 2 moose with 220gr. at 95yards and 100 yards. The 95 yard bull hit the ground in 1-1/2 steps, shot through one shoulder and the 'lights' while the other bull, shot angling up from the last rib, through the liver and right lung, then ribs and stopped in the off soulder, made 4 steps before collapsing. : What a rifle for the bush! I-too have an ivory bead up front, but filed out the adjustable rear issue sight to a wide “V” Express-style shape. Great sight picture. It runs 1-1/2” 5 shot groups off the bags at 100 meters wiht these sights, so I expect it will do as well with cast bullets too. : You've given me an incentive to work with lead (RCBS 250gr.) and this rifle in the coming warmer weather. : Thanks. : I also have a 1951 M94 in 99% condition in .32SPL I'd like to shoot some lead in but not sure what moulds to buy.

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Ed Harris posted this 19 January 2007

I don't own a .32 Special, but a friend in WV loads for his using the RCBS .32-170FN cast of wheelweights with 21 grs. of RL-7 and has good results. .30-30 loads for the same weight bullet work fine. Little difference.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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sundog posted this 19 January 2007

+1 for 32 Win Spl and the RCBS 32-170-FN and a stiff charge of 3031 or 335/844/2230C.

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Daryl S posted this 19 January 2007

Ed, and Sundog- thankyou - no one around here carries the RCBS line anymore in standard calibres, but I suppose I can round one up - maybe from Ontario. I suspect there might be an 8mm mould that would work, but was really looking to the rcbs-style of nose. : Thanks again. : One note, I normally use straight wheel weights - hardened or shot as cast, in most of my rifles up to .50 cal. So far, great results, right to 2,200fps in the .458's. I think our WW are slightly harder than typical weights South of the 49th.(probably due to the cold-ha!)

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Ed Harris posted this 21 June 2007

Here is a sneak preview from an article i just sent the Editor for an upcoming issue of the FS.  I figured that it would fit this topic well.


Memories of the .30-30

A favorite of lawmen and deer slayers alike, .30-30 lever-guns defended our Home Front in two World Wars, fed a then-mostly rural nation and still have utility for sport and home protection.

My childhood wasn't different from others of the Baby Boomer generation.  Northern Virginia after World War II was an odd mix of The Walton's and American Graffiti.  The rural south still existed where we now call it “outside the beltway.â€?  When Dad bought our Annandale house in 1954, State Route 236, aka “Little River Turnpikeâ€? was a 2-lane country road between Alexandria and Fairfax Courthouse, which wasn't yet a city.  Our neighborhood was surrounded by dairy farms, hardwood forests were full of game, and we shot my brother's open-sighted Remington Model 511 .22 bolt-action out the upstairs bedroom window to kill woodchucks raiding Dad's vegetable garden.  Our neighbor was an avid hunter who let us watch him butcher deer and feed scraps to his two German shorthaired pointers. When I turned 12, he showed me his deer rifle, a Winchester Model 94 in.30-30.  Like any kid who watched TV cowboys of that era, I was enthralled! 

The opening, in 1963, of Interstate 495, the now-infamous “Beltway,â€? put “my worldâ€? on a fast track towards destruction.  By the time I became old enough for Dad to allow me to have a rifle of my own, the fields and woods around us were rapidly falling victim to the developers' bulldozers. Within a few years we were immersed in suburbia, strip malls, and the Cold War.  Our shooting activity moved indoors to Fort Belvoir. This meant that my first rifle would be a target .22, the targets paper, and life would never be the same. 

Summer visits to our uncle's West Virginia farm prolonged our sanity.  There was no TV, so instead we learned about reality.  Meat doesn't come from a seed planted under cellophane-covered meat trays in the grocery. Veggies don't grow in the can. “If you eat, thank a Farmer.â€?  Outdoor recreation is a celebration of God's Creation which rewards you with peace, solitude, time for contemplation and rest after completing a day's cheerful labor.

Uncle Bill told us the truth about guns.  His stories were very different from what we saw on TV. His .30-30 Winchester Model 94 had guarded coal trains from Nazi saboteurs, kept order during mine labor disputes, ended the suffering of sick or injured farm animals, and helped feed starving neighbors during the Great Depression.  This rather plain rifle had been carried by a humble farmer, who never expected to see armed combat again after returning from the Pacific after WWII.  But, when deputized to serve on a sheriff's posse he had to fire it to take out a “bad man who tried to kill my friend.â€?  

Recalling the event invoked no pride, but a simple wisdom explaining that “grown upsâ€? acknowledge that both good and evil forces exist in our world, which sometimes compel honorable men to make difficult choices which are necessary to protect our country and those whom we love.  A suppressed slight tremor in his voice reflected deep conviction as he explained that our Second Amendment isn't just about hunting, gun collecting and target shooting.  Guns aren't adult toys, but serious tools.  Too many shooters today have forgotten that simple fact.

While my older brother, Rick and I had shot .22s and knew fundamentals, firing our first center-fire, watching the .30-30 explode a pumpkin, accompanied by the smack of steel butt-plate against T-shirted shoulder and ringing in our adolescent ears made a lasting impression. Sadly, a .30-30 lever-gun would not find a spot in my closet until I reached middle age.  A few years ago a circa-1942 Winchester Model 94 carbine appeared at an estate sale, which brought back memories as if it were yesterday.  So, I had to have it. 

My shooting mentors were retired military officers who were also target shooters. But Frank Marshall was our devil's advocate, the contrarian who provided a practical balance that kept us in touch with reality.  “While you guys are arguing that minute-of-angle crapola, do you see that buck over there laughing at you?â€?

The .30-30 Winchester was a favorite deer camp subject, because the target bolt-gunner's who favored .30-‘06s were always quick to ballyhoo the lever-guns.  While Frank owned bolt guns and shot them as well as any man, he remained a staunch defender of the lever-action in the deer woods.

A rural lawman, farmer or forester could find .30-30s at any crossroads grocery.  (A federal special agent I trust still advises field agents not to carry any gun of a caliber they cannot buy ammo for at Wal-Mart).  Lever guns remain popular in rural areas because they are cheap, plentiful, and familiar and they work.  In remote regions a .30-30 is the only high-power rifle many people have heard of. 

Grouping of the average lever-action .30-30 is not spectacular, but is adequate for the utilitarian. Groups of 3â€? to 4â€? at 100 yards are normal for open sights.  Peep sights will knock an inch off of that. A peep sight provides useful improvement over traditional open sights, because it is faster in snap shooting and obstructs less of the target than open buckhorns. Use a threaded aperture in bright light and simply unscrew the disk at twilight.

Frank liked the practical simplicity of open sights, stressing that a .30-30 was a “short rangeâ€? (meaning less than 200 yards in the Infantry sense) rifle.  Open sights should be zeroed so that when using a “fine beadâ€? (drawn down into the notch) factory loads strike 3 inches high at 100 yards.  This provides a 150-yard, point-blank range, which defines the realistic limit for factory loads fired from a typical 3 minute-of-angle carbine. 

A “coarse beadâ€? hold was a common long-range expedient a hundred years ago when the .30-30 was our first flat-trajectory, smokeless powder big game rifle.  Here the bead is centered between the points of the semi-buckhorn, while the flat front sight base is raised to bridge the gap across the lower notch.  This provides a useful long range zero at maximum effective range, which works out to 200 meters with my 94 Winchester and 1893 Marlin, hitting a 12â€? steel gong with factory loads and a center-of-mass hold. 

As a law enforcement or home defense gun Frank compared his Winchester to an SKS, calling it his “Appalachian Assault Rifle.â€?  Lever guns have the advantage of a non-threatening, familiar appearance which “doesn't scare the natives.  In 19th Century close quarter battle, lever actions had tactical advantages, offering a large magazine capacity and rapidity of fire compared to single-shot breechloaders and early bolt-guns. Pancho Villa agreed. A bolt-rifle magazine cannot be topped off without taking it momentarily out of the fight, whereas you can shove more rounds through a lever-action loading gate whenever you need to.  On the frontier and against bandits in dusty border towns a lever gun was “as simple as it ever got,â€? said Frank.   

If you must scope a lever gun the Marlin enables optics to be mounted low, over the bore, where they belong for snap-shooting.  But in snow-shoe country when a rifle would not be protected in a saddle scabbard, hunters liked the Marlin's solid top receiver and side ejection port because they kept rain, snow and tree debris out of the action.  The Marlin breech-bolt, lever and ejector removed easily to enable cleaning from the breech, avoiding wearing out the muzzle crown, as happened to many Winchesters.  While it is true that the Winchester action is more exposed to the elements, Winchester fans like to point out that say its open-top makes it easier to inspect the chamber, pry out a stuck case stuck, clear a jam or debris.  Doing so in the Marlin action requires disassembly.  No big deal say Marlin lovers. They do it every time they clean and can do so in the field with a Scout knife, when required.  “Winchesters should be issued to natives or Neanderthals lacking the mechanical aptitude of an Army Private to maintain their field equipment,'â€? Frank said.

Frank conceded that a scope was indeed a help for old guys with poor eyesight to reduce sighting errors, but he still liked to quip  “the only sighting error youhave got is that extra head-space between your ears!”¦ the buffalo were decimated, Indians wiped out  and two World Wars fought with rifles that barely do 3 minutes of angle”¦ What are you shooting at, cockroaches?â€?

Frank never had much faith in collimators and was highly skeptical of rifle scopes unless the maker's name was German.  Iron sights are simple and “best for conscript troops and farm boys,â€? Frank said.  “Once zeroed you can forget the darned things until you get too old to see them.â€?  (At age 60 Frank finally did scope his deer rifle ”€œ Leupold was a German, wasn't he?).

#

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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william iorg posted this 22 June 2007

Ed,

Good stuff. When I was a kid the .300 Savage in the Model 99 and the .30-30 in the Model 94 were the deer rifles I saw most often in New Mexico. It seemed that only the real gun cranks carried the .30-06 and .270 rifles.

I miss Frank Marshall's writing and appreciate the reprints of his articles in the Fouling Shot. Frank wrote “Choosing the optimum bullet boosts the .30-30 for big gameâ€? for his “Speaking Frankly” column in the #33 issue of the FS.

I enjoyed this article for several good quotes: “It takes about 50 years of woods wandering, but most outdoorsmen gradually gravitate towards the minimum effort to accomplish their objective. This usually means no frills.â€?

 

“As you know, today's armament in most Eastern hunting camps is high powered, heavy at both ends and hot in the middle, under your eye balls, and over-burdened with glass of wondrous power; most useful for moon gazing or bird watching in the off season. Such hardware requires stout-carved totin' straps, thick recoil pads, gold triggers, and highly polished woodwork.â€?

 

“In our camp, young Aspirants or even guests will occasionally offer me the loan of their spare scoped fusil, rather than turn me loose in the wild woods only “half ready” with cast loads, in a .30-30 at that, which shows them I never read gun books.

Naturally, I encourage this controversy.�

 

“As satisfying as this can be, seen three times life size in the eyes of young beholders, “hep” cast bulleteers know that there's really nothing to it. It only takes a load exactly right for the job. I have known for about fifty winters that a proper cast load in a .30-30 carbine will put more deer down in the woodsy East than most of the over-rated .30 caliber hotshotsâ€?

 

Frank wrote like my “Hunting Unclesâ€? spoke, clear and to the point. Who would not want to be a “hep cast bulleteer?â€? You can shoot a .30-30 rifle a long time and still not explore all it has to offer.

Slim

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Ed Harris posted this 22 June 2007

Thanks, I enjoyed reading yours too.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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CB posted this 22 June 2007

Guys this is great stuff! In my short 30+ years of hunting I have seen more deer taken with a 30-30 than any other.

Although I do not hunt with one, only because in my youth I had the opportunity to purchase a Rem 760 in 300 Savage of 1954 vintage from a elderly fellow down the street for a very good price, I have always liked lever action guns and now have several in 30-30 and 45 colt.

Thanks for sharing this with us!

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shdwlkr posted this 09 July 2007

Well I am with the lever action rifle guys. I have 7 lever actions now almost one is still being built for me. I have 2mdl 94 in 30-30 with a 24 and 26 inch barrels 2 mdl 94 BB in .375 winchester one is in almost new condition and the other one  has been customized for me with a 26 inch octagon barrel and full tube mag and curved butt stock and all done in a brown finish. Yes it is a little on the heavy side but I like it very much. They are both early models don't like the newer 375,s. They were made I think in 78-79. I have 2 model 92 one in 32-20 the other still being built in 256 winchester mag and they have 24 inch barrels. Looking for a mdl 94 in a 20 inch barrel that just suits me(meaning it is old or has some other unusual thing about it). Yes I am getting older as I retired 4 years ago and don't know how long retired I will stay but collecting lever action firearms will go until I can't do it anymore. I just like the way they work for me. my 3 cents

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Mnshooter posted this 09 August 2007

Loved the articles in this thread. Due to my choice of living in the Northwoods I've known and talked to a lot of “woodsies” that have carried lever guns. One collects 99 Savages and prefers the 300 Savage for deer. His comment was that these bigger guns ie 30-06 and 270's clean em as well as kill em. They waste too much meat. A popular conversion further North was to put 24 inch barrels on the Marlins and Winc. for longer range. Probably the longer sighting radius. Many liked the Williams 5-d peep sight but threw away the aperature. Personally I feel that the editorializing in the book Cartridges of the World has had a play in some of thae attitudes towards the 30-30. Every cartidge is compared to the 30-30 and is said to be better (even the 7.62 X 39, gimme a break). Yet the 30-30 has killed elk, moose and in one case the fifth largest grizzly (shot in the head at close range). I have not seen a Winchester that shoots bad with cast bullets, but have a fondness for Marlins as they have a smoother action. One I had I sometimes checked to see if I had a cartridge in the chamber as it didn't feel like it chambered. It did. The micro groove did not work too well in a 45-70 I had, but the reintroduction of the Ballard rifling is great. I have a Cowboy model in 30-30 that shoots just fine with cast with the Ballard rifling. I got it back from my daughter who shot five deer with it when I let her start hunting at 13 or 14 and wanted to let her use a rifle without too much recoil. My pride took a beating as I had to cajole, beg and bribe to get it back. She now has a 300 Savage bolt/scope that should suit her type of hunting as well as the lever gun.

Mnshooter

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Ed Harris posted this 09 August 2007

I have one .30-30 Marlin which was refit with 24” barrel for the longer sight radius with irons. It does make a difference. Using factory loads you pick up about 100-120 f.p.s. over the typical 20” carbine. Less velocity gain with powders faster than 4198 or RL-7, but still useful.

A friend has an 1894 .25-25 with 26” barrel which is impressively accurate. The smaller .25 cal. bore makes for a more rigid barrel.

If you ever have a chance to pick up one of the commemorative Winchesters with the long barrel, don't pass it up just because it is ugly... It be a shooter!

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Mnshooter posted this 10 August 2007

Ed

The longer barrel does seem to make the levers more “user friendly” my Marlin CB has a 24 inch barrel which was the primary reason I bought it in the first place and bribed my daughter to get it back. The Marlin CB series wa made in some great rifles. I shot two deer with one in a 38-55, and am still kicking myself for trading it in for the CB 45-70. The 45-70 was a good shooter but made too light. Even with lead loaded in the butstock and the end of the magazine it kicked like hell. I sold it to a bear hunter with no regrets. I have never been fond of heavy recoil when less works. Have you also noticed that lever action shooters are less inclined to pray and spray even though the rifles permit it. Many of the old timers felt that a box of shells was good for 18-20 deer. I still have a strong prejudice against semi-auto shooters from back when I party hunted in my younger days and heard a lot of noise for no deer from those using them. There is nothing wrong with a Winchester, except that now that they quit making them the prices have sky rocketed in my area. Had Winchester gotten those prices for the 94's they would still be making them. Kind of like when the model 12 went out.

Mnshooter

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Ed Harris posted this 10 August 2007

Agree both on the Model 94 and the Model 12. With modern CNC machinery they could be make like they once were and would be affordable, but not “cheap.” Marlin did well adapting its designs to modern manufacture and has done well maintaining the quality with all machined parts.

I inherited a 26” full choke Model 12 made in 1914. It's actually a parts-gun-hybrid as the barrel is from a Model 97, but it shoots slugs like a rifle and is deadly on squirrels or turkey way out in the trees and for many years kept foxes and hawks away from the henhouse. These days the bacon it brings home is from turkey shoots at the local VFD in WV. It will put two hundred #9 shot in a 3"x5” card at 25 yards, almost ripping it from the post. It also serves as the “hurricane gun” for neighborhood patrol.

To keep this on the cast bullet topic I was wondering if anyone has worked with the Lee 12-ga. slug moulds with the drive key and how well they work?

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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giorgio de galleani posted this 11 August 2007

Dear Ed,

I have worked with 12 ga.lee slugs,both 1 ounce and 7\8,preparig for  wild boar hunting in a no-rifle province of Italy.

They are easy to cast and drop easily from the mould,use soft lead and lubricate the mould following the maker's instructions.

They shot as well as factory Brenneke and Italian Gualandi slugs from a Rem 870 smooth bore up to 50 meters.Never had a chance to shoot a boar.

They would not shoot  accurately in my rem 870 12 ga rifled bore.

In the last three years I went in a province where rifles are allowed and I am using a short 45/70 Marlin  with LBT 400 grainers,( killed three pigs) .

A funny Italian law restricts the shotguns to 2 cartridges in the magazine,while rifles are allowed to 5 rounds.so I gave up shotgun slugs and use my light and handy Guide gun.  

 

  

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Daryl S posted this 12 August 2007

Ed, some time ago, around 1981 and 82, I worked hard at getting a double 12 bore to shoot round balls. The task was doubly difficult as I needed not only good accurae loads, but also for the tubes to shoot together. After a time, I ackomplished just that, with both black powder and with smokeless. : In 1983, Gil Sengel wrote up an article on Handloader on this very subject - a good article it was too. Both our experimentations took the same path as to wad prep and requirements and most importantly, methods. I was able to achieve 4 shot, 8” groups, 2 lefts and 2 rights at 100 meters shooting offhand. I did mount a scope to help with load development, and ended up with an express-type single rear sight with low mounted bead at the front. : I also tried cast slugs, but not form the Lee mound, and found round balls to give much better accuracy and of course, a much more dense projectile. Proper ball size and methods (cup wads)of holding the ball in the centre of the bore on it's travel resulted in good accuracy. : A round ball, 13 bore to 12 bore in size, launched at 1,550fps duplicates the heavy black powder African load of the 1890's. This is achieved with normal pressure and considerably less recoil than the 7 dram BP load used then. Instead of spinning you around on discharge as with black powder loads, the smokeless kick no more than 1 1/4 ounce duck loads.

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Mnshooter posted this 14 November 2007

Getting back to lever guns. I just shot two nice deer with my Marlin CB and peep sights and am finding deer hunting more enjoyable. I am old enough to have been both mentored and have talked to depression era individuals that made a living doing a little farming, a little logging and whatever. Cash was scarce such that they were very conservative with anything they had to buy, such as ammunition. My father talked about buying shotshells by the half box when he was younger (the half box was 12 shells, the store keeper kept the 25th for future sales), 22 shorts were popular because they were a couple of pennies cheaper than long rifles. Far more individuals at this time carried the lever guns and often about everywhere they went. One individual was even known to carry his 32 special to the outhouse in case he saw a deer. Compliance to hunting seasons was rather casual. “Deer season” was a time for friends to get together and spend time in camp. Both deer I shot with the 30-30 went down cleanly, nothing spectacular, but just as well a those I have shot with larger guns. I am hunting again, not just shooting.

Mnshooter

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