Original Winchester Model 1873 brings home the venison

[KirkD]

For me, Deer hunting has to be done with a vintage Winchester. It is the feel of history in my hands, old cartridges, and using guns that the homesteaders used. This year, I decided to use my original Winchester Model 1873 chambered in what was originally called the 44 W.C.F., but eventually become known as the 44-40. The Cody records show that this rifle was shipped from the Winchester warehouse in 1889. It is in pretty nice condition with at least 85% of the original finish, and the bore is near mint. Before taking it hunting, I gave it a heavy coat of Conservator's Wax, and then took the can with me to give it more coats as the need arose.

I had cast my own bullets out of clip on wheel weights to get a 200 grain gas checked bullet using a brass mould from Accurate Moulds. Seated over 18 grains of 5744 the muzzle velocity was 1,280 fps, plus or minus depending upon the temperature, which was ranging between freezing to several degrees below freezing with occasional snow flurries. Here is a photo I took of the old '73 on the second day of hunting.



The second day, near dusk, I saw a nice doe slide like a ghost into view about 85 yards away. I could only see the top half of her body, so took careful aim for a lung shot and pulled the trigger. The doe took off and I went over to take a look. Not the faintest trace of blood, but I tracked her until it was too dark to see anything. The following morning I checked the setting on my tang sight and saw to my dismay that it was set to 150 yards! The bullet would have cleared the doe's back by a few inches, so I went back and sighted down the flight path of the bullet to determine where it should have gone if it passed just over the doe, then went to the location where the doe had been and after only a minute or so, found the bullet. It had passed almost through the trunk of a small cedar. When I dug it out, I was mildly disturbed to see that it had not deformed at all. I am using pure clip on wheel weights. My reproduction of the 1896 Winchester catalogue states that they used pure lead bullets. I'm sure those would deform better.

The big lesson, that I'm sure the Old Timers knew very well, is to very carefully check the graduation lines on the tang sight to make sure I'm sighted at the proper range. With a 44 W.C.F., and its arcing trajectory, it makes a big difference if a fellow has the wrong setting. Yesterday, I headed out again into snow squalls, but checked the setting on my tang sight numerous times. This time it was set to 100 yards. I was looking down along the edge of the half overgrown meadow when a nice doe emerged about 50 yards ahead of me, roughly where those two smaller spruce trees are in the centre of the photo below.



I squeezed the trigger and she took off, straight toward me, then veered 90 degrees into the brush and long grass. I started tracking her and found her piled up in a Cedar swamp 150 yards away. The bullet had gone right through both lungs and exited out the opposite side. I've never had a deer run that far before. I figure if I had used a pure lead bullet, like Winchester used to sell for these Model 1873's, it would have expanded and the deer would have dropped sooner. Here is a photo of the deer before tagging and cleaning it. Live weight would have been an easy 200 pounds. (there are reflections of the sky and tree branches on the old rifle's receiver, it looks a lot nicer in real life).



After taking the photo, I put this classic old Winchester back into its soft gun sock and then into its hard case to protect it during the long haul back to the farmyard of the friends where my wife and I are staying. It was an hour and a half to haul the deer back after I had gutted it. I would drag it for 15 to 25 yards, depending upon the terrain, and then get my cased gun. Total distance was about ¼ mile through swamp, fallen trees and, finally, grassy or leaf covered trails. Right now, it is skinned and hanging off a large branch on an Old Sugar Maple. Tomorrow, my wife and I will cut and wrap the meat.

Here is an older photo of the rifle that I took shortly after I acquired it. As far as I am concerned, this was its last hunt. From now on, its job will be to look pretty on the wall ...

[King Medallion]

Great story! Glad you missed the 1st deer clean, better than a wounded lost deer. These fat does are the best eating as far as I'm concerned, cant eat antlers. I would say not to retire the rifle, keep hunting with it. I would. Congrates!

[Shotgun Franklin]

I figure if I had used a pure lead bullet, like Winchester used to sell for these Model 1873's,

The actual alloy was 1 part tin to 15 parts lead.

[KirkD]

The actual alloy was 1 part tin to 15 parts lead.

I was just going by the 1896 catalogue where it states under the cartridge specs at the back of the catalogue that the bullet was pure lead. I imagine that the alloy was hardened up a bit, especially when they introduced the 'HV' (high velocity) version for the Winchester 1892.

[dusty texian]

Very good story and photo's ,KirkD. Congratulation's on harvesting a very fine wt. doe the old way. I to hunt only with the old firearms .Just seem's more sporting and feel's right. Having shot animals with the old cartridges and the hi- velocity modern ones. I think the old cartridges may kill a bit slower ,with lung shot's. But they can and will do the job . And like my Pard Buckskin Billy say's you can eat right up to the hole.Great job and thank's fer sharring.,,,,,,,,,,,Dusty

[Rowdy Fulcher]

KirkD
Congratulations on your successful hunt . Thanks for sharing the pictures and story .

[PJ Hardtack]

Congrats on both the rifle and the deer! I'm sure we're all envious on both counts.

I doubt that a softer bullet at 44-40 velocity would have been any more prone to expansion than what you used. I made up some rounds using 15.5 grs of 2400/200 RNFP. The load is pretty perky in my '66 carbine and I would regard it as a 75 yd deer load.

Because of the hard bullets, I would go for a heart or a shoulder shot. I hate tracking animals I've hit. Alternatively, a neck shot which drops deer like lightning.

[Cliff Fendley]

Congrats on the hunt and that is a very nice looking rifle.

[KirkD]

Because of the hard bullets, I would go for a heart or a shoulder shot. I hate tracking animals I've hit. Alternatively, a neck shot which drops deer like lightning.

I was thinking similar if I ever use original 44-40 ballistics again, although at the speed the deer was moving after the shot, she probably covered that 150 yards in about 12 seconds. Still, I don't like to resort to tracking.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Kirk
A neck shot works great . Usually drops them in there tracks . That way there is no chance of gut shot . Plus you want mess up  the shoulders . Also if shot in the heart they will run till they drop , usually at least a 100 yards .

[PJ Hardtack]

I've heart shot two moose, (one going 50 yds before piling up) and nearly all the Mule Deer I've taken. Most dropped in their tracks, only one going as far as 15 yards before piling up. That one was shot head on, low in the chest with a .270 at 65 yds. Messy gutting out .... should have been a neck shot.
A heart shot deer makes a tight circle, snapping at the wound. So do bears. My wife to be at the time was with me when a nice 6 pt Mule Deer showed up at 50 yds. I had to wait until he raised his head to identify his antlers as I didn't have a White Tail tag. When it turned out to be a Muley, I dropped him in his tracks, literally, after a complete circle.

My lady asked why he died so quickly and I told her it was because I heart shot him. She asked how I knew, as I was gutting him out. I handed her the heart with a .308 calibre hole on one side and a much larger hole on t'other. I thought it would gross her out, but she's a home ec teacher and knows that meat doesn't come on a styrofoam tray covered in plastic. She helped me drag that beast several hundred yards down hill to the truck.

Not the last time she's done that with me, one time it was a 400 lb+ black bear she spotted for me on her way home from school.
I call her my 'game finder'. Haven't lucked out yet this fall, but she hasn't been with out with me yet.

[w44wcf]

Kirk,
Great report & photos! Awesome!

Regarding bullet expansion, yes a pure lead bullet (4.2 BHN) would have deformed likely similar to the one below.
By comparison a 8 BHN bullet sailed through 7 jugs with no expansion.



So......you must take it hunting again, only this time with b.p. and pure lead.......just like its original owner did 124 years ago................

w44wcf

[MJN77]

I have taken eleven deer in the last 16 years with the .44-40. All with pure lead bullets, (the first three with "cowboy" loads before I knew better) and none have run more than 10-15 yards before they fell. I don't know if the lead bullets were the reason I didn't have to track any of them, but I didn't.

[KirkD]

I could definitely be tempted to hunt with this old '73 again if I was using Swiss and pure lead bullets. Hmmmmm. It just might happen, but I really need to find some Swiss.

[Cliff Fendley]

It's amazing how a deer will run with a heart shot regardless of caliber.

I've shot them with 7mm mags and when field dressing you wounder how it even moved with no heart or lungs left.

[w44wcf]

I was just going by the 1896 catalogue where it states under the cartridge specs at the back of the catalogue that the bullet was pure lead. I imagine that the alloy was hardened up a bit, especially when they introduced the 'HV' (high velocity) version for the Winchester 1892.

Kirk,
I have Winchester catalog reprints dating from 1875 - 1925 and they all indicate lead. Bullets pulled from original W.R.A. CO. head stamped cartridges tested at pure lead on my hardness tester. Same for U.M.C.



The W.H.V. cartridges used "Metal Patched" (Jacketed) bullets.

w44wcf

[w44wcf]

I could definitely be tempted to hunt with this old '73 again if I was using Swiss and pure lead bullets. Hmmmmm. It just might happen, but I really need to find some Swiss.

Kirk,
You could use Goex which would work aok for about 10 rounds before the accuracy would start to diminish as hard fouling would start building at the end of the barrel. 

w44wcf

[KirkD]

I do have Goes FFg and FFFg. Should I go with the FFFg?

[PJ Hardtack]

Cliff

Are you talkin' White tail or mule deer? All the deer I've shot were Muleys, 'cept for one hybrid. All were heart or neck shot and none took more than a few steps, most dropping in their tracks, especially the neck shot.
Like I said earlier, I've watched both Mule Deer and bears that were heart shot snap at the wound and turning a very tight circle while doing so.
I've watched a pal hit a large Muley with a ML, a lung shot and it did run. We bounced it three times before he got a finishing shot.

It's amazing how a deer will run with a heart shot regardless of caliber.
I've shot them with 7mm mags and when field dressing you wounder how it even moved with no heart or lungs left.

[KirkD]

I have no experience with Mule Deer. A few years ago I was hunting with a fellow who heart shot a medium sized Whitetail Deer at 25 yards with a 7 mm Rem Mag. The heart was blown to doll rags, but that buck ran 85 yards before it dropped.