Have not posted in some time , hope all are well . Thought some may be interested in the old 1876 Winchester I have been shooting . It's a 3rd. Model Circa 1884 , 26 " Oct. Barrel with a faster than normal taper . Very light !!! The bore is one of the best that I have near perfect . The load it likes best so far , Original Winchester bullet cast with WW @ 210 Gr. .406" Lubed with SPG . Jamison Brass , Winchester LG. rifle Primer , Compressed 61 Gr. ffg Swiss thin card wad under bullet . With this load the rifle is very accurate , and is a pleasure to shoot . Now that the weather is starting to Cool a bit , the rifle will soon be introduced to the local Wild Hog population !!! Anyhow like I said Hope all of you are doing well through the Crazy Times we are going through . Here is a pic of the Old Rifle .,,,DT
What an interesting '76. Would you call that a 'short rifle' of some persuasion? Also, I was surprised at the use of "WW" for a bullet alloy. Conventional wisdom (which ain't always wise - lol) would indicate use of a soft bullet for BP hand loads. On the other hand, if that bullet shoots good more power to ya!
Dave
Quote from: Dave T on October 19, 2020, 09:25:24 AM
What an interesting '76. Would you call that a 'short rifle' of some persuasion? Also, I was surprised at the use of "WW" for a bullet alloy. Conventional wisdom (which ain't always wise - lol) would indicate use of a soft bullet for BP hand loads. On the other hand, if that bullet shoots good more power to ya!
Dave
Hello Dave , Thanks for the comment . Not a Short Rifle but not Standard . The Forearm is the Standard length . The 26 " barrel is 2 " shorter than Standard and my guess is that they selected a lighter weight barrel being it was a .40 Cal. and the shorter length option . The WW shoot good in the rifle a bit on the hard side but the Groove is .405 " and the bullet @ .406" get along real well . A friend gave me three , 5Gallon buckets of WW and they cast decent bullets , so I'm using them .
Is this one a new-to-you rifle, or one you've had a while? Look's nice.
It's new to me , got it about five or six months ago . I cant post very good pictures having to shrink them so much . The rifle has hardly any finish left , no cracks in wood or shrinkage . The bore is very nice and sharp . ,,,DT
That's a beauty! Having an excellent bore is a rarity and I bet that shorter, lightweight barrel makes is a real treat to carry.
Quote from: ndnchf on October 19, 2020, 02:27:39 PM
That's a beauty! Having an excellent bore is a rarity and I bet that shorter, lightweight barrel makes is a real treat to carry.
The bore is the best part of it , shoots very accurate .,,,DT
An original '76 is one of the top items on my bucket list. That's a beauty. I know you'll both enjoy it and preserve it for the future.
Get you one , you will like it . I look at it like you do , I'm the current caretaker .,,,DT
Dusty,
I read some where that the 40-60 cartridge was considered something of a failure by Winchester. To light for big game and for the size and weight of the '76. Could you comment on the ballistics and performance of that cartridge, particularly in the '76? My own experience was only with the 45-60.
Dave
Quote from: Dave T on October 20, 2020, 09:11:17 AM
Dusty,
I read some where that the 40-60 cartridge was considered something of a failure by Winchester. To light for big game and for the size and weight of the '76. Could you comment on the ballistics and performance of that cartridge, particularly in the '76? My own experience was only with the 45-60.
Dave
Considered a failure by Winchester , that question would be better ask of Winchester or one of the experts , not me . As for it being light for big game , I can only comment on my experience using it and not on what others have said or written about it . My comments are made after actually using it on game animals in the field . I have shot several deer and wild hog and a few other critters with the 40-60 WCF with some of the hogs in excess of 275 Lb. and never have had to shoot an animal more than once , or lost one . With that said it would not be my first choice for game larger than what I have described . If it is used for what it was designed Medium thin skinned game at iron sight ranges , I think it's OK for a cartridge rifle combo designed in the 1800 s . Ballistics listed for the 40-60 WCF are very close to what I am seeing with my near as I can make factory Bp. loads in my 1876 28 " barrel gun and not much less in the 26" or the 22" gun . And last , I have and shoot all four cartridges that the 1876 Winchester was chambered for on a regular basis , and have taken game with all of them .The 45-75 WCF is my favorite and has never failed me . The 40-60 WCF gets used the most because it is best suited for the type of game I hunt 90 percent of the time ,,,,DT
Thanks Dusty. I wanted to hear from someone who actually owns a 40-60 and has used it "in the field" rather than believe what someone writes in a book or magazine.
Dave
Quote from: Dave T on October 20, 2020, 02:49:33 PM
Thanks Dusty. I wanted to hear from someone who actually owns a 40-60 and has used it "in the field" rather than believe what someone writes in a book or magazine.
Dave
You are certainly welcome Dave , glad to offer my opinion about the 40-60 WCF in the Winchester 1876 rifle being used in the hunting field . Actually I was hoping you were a fellow 40-60 WCF hunter . Don't get to converse much with anyone who has actually hunted with one , and the chances of that happening is getting less and less . A friend here Slamfire is a 40-60 WCF fan although he does not hunt with his , he does use it for target shooting so we get to compare back and forth about the cartridge and loading for it . ,,,,,DT
DT,, well explained !! I love shooting my 40-60 !!!
coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.
Good Morning Slamfire , I'll take a cup of that coffee ! ,,,,,DT
The front sight on this 76 is a Lyman Combo with the Ivory bead and Hooded post . The Ivory bead was broken and barley above the metal post it set's in . I drilled out what looked to be an early plastic not sure . I turned a piece of deer antler to just fit the hole a drop of epoxy before if went in did the trick . The Ivory tip and the Semi Buckhorn rear are adjusted to point of aim @ 75 yd. for low light hunting ( Hog ) . The Hooded post and Lyman Tang is set for 125 Yd. for shooting in better light and farther shots . A pic. of the Antler Ivory piece replaced before being filed down and rounded .,,,DT
Now that the weather is finally cooling enough for some backyard shooting , this old 40-60 wcf will be first up . The fit and balance of this one and the sights that it sports make it a pleasure to shoot from bench or at the ear hole of wild swine ! Good Shooting Amigo's ,,,DT
Howdy DT,
I agree with you on the balance of a 26 inch barrel 1876. It seems like the ideal length to me. I have a .40-60 deluxe with 26 inch barrel but unfortunately the bore does not match the rest of the rifle. My guess is that after the original owner died a family member shot it with black powder ammo and put it away without cleaning.
I have owned five different .40-60 rifles over the years and three of them have bores like an old sewer pipe. Black powder ammunition for these guns was available up until just prior to WWII even though they were obsolete. Maybe it just wasn't worth cleaning them for most folks.
Hey Boone, shoot some (about 40-50rds.) PC (powder coated) bullets thru her, might be surprizzzzed.
Be having coffee & wait on your reply. ;D
Boone that's a shame about the bad bore . Sure makes seeing one with a good bore special . Seeing so many with what looks to be just plain mistreated bores make me wonder the same . Maybe they just didn't give any thought or care about cleaning them and most likely would have never dreamed we would be discussing it today . Seeing the old photographs of Winchesters being leaned on like a cane muzzle down in the dirt says a lot about how they were cared for . ,,,,,DT
Has anyone else noticed that a whole lot of weapons from the late frontier era to the 1950s were not cleaned well?
Quote from: Slamfire on September 21, 2022, 11:56:36 AM
Hey Boone, shoot some (about 40-50rds.) PC (powder coated) bullets thru her, might be surprizzzzed.
Be having coffee & wait on your reply. ;D
Have not tried the Powder Coated bullets , but have used Copper Jacketed bullets in two different 45-60 wcf rifles that showed a noticeable improvement in bore condition after shooting the Jacketed bullets . They both shoot the CJB really good .,,,,DT
Howdy Dusty, Christmas Time Greetings to All!
This is my first post!
I had my fill of little hi-speed zippers during my USMC career, so here I am! I got a couple of Uberti carbines but what I really want is a "real" 40-60. I've probably memorized those on the Metz website!
Thanks so much for all the invaluable information!
Semper Fi,
Fred
PS I was an arty guy, so I do love trajectory!
DrummerBoy,
Welcome to the fire. In my opinion, it's worth the money to buy the best rifle your wallet can afford. If you can get one that is complete, working and doesn't need any replacement parts, that is best. Parts are expensive and hard to find. I also prefer rifles that don't show any plier or vice marks on the barrel or receiver. That's a sure sign the barrel has been removed.
I also really like special sights and set triggers. The Model 1876 got a set trigger more than any of the other early levers.
Enjoy the hunt! Model 1876 rifles in .40-60 are not common but they are out there. In addition to Merz, Collector's Firearms usually has a few 1876's in stock.
Your mileage may vary.
Quote from: DrummerBoy on December 27, 2022, 09:45:42 AM
Howdy Dusty, Christmas Time Greetings to All!
This is my first post!
I had my fill of little hi-speed zippers during my USMC career, so here I am! I got a couple of Uberti carbines but what I really want is a "real" 40-60. I've probably memorized those on the Metz website!
Thanks so much for all the invaluable information!
Semper Fi,
Fred
PS I was an arty guy, so I do love trajectory!
Welcome DrummerBoy and Happy Holidays to you and yours also . Shopping for a real 40-60 is half the fun . Keep looking , when the right one comes along grab it ! Good luck with your search and again welcome to the camp , some good and helpful folks here .,,,,,DT
Quote from: matt45 on September 22, 2022, 09:14:18 AM
Has anyone else noticed that a whole lot of weapons from the late frontier era to the 1950s were not cleaned well?
I think it was most likely later owners (kids, grand kids, etc.) who shot the old family rifle and then didn't clean it that destroyed those bores. I know of a local M1 that very thing happened with. Grandpa has somehow managed to sneak it home from World War 2, and the kids took it out one day and shot up old ammunition and put it back in the closet. Needed a new barrel after that.
Old thread, I know, but I sure do miss the pictures.
Where did they all go?
A year or so ago there was a "system upgrade", lost most of the pictures in the process.
I've heard the pictures may still exist, but something additional would need to be done to make them show up in the posts. I have no idea what that would take, but I assume it would be a ton of work.