Taylor's & Co. Win 1866 "Musket" .44-40 on Special Order List...

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   A 'phone call to Tammy at Taylor's & Co. has confirmed a wish: the Winchester 1866
"Musket" (Infantry Rifle) chambered for the .44-40 ctg is available as a Special Order Item
with a 9 to 12 month turn-around, and is currently priced at $1330.00. This Special Order
requires a 1/2 Deposit.
   I was given permission to post this by Tammy, after having read the particulars back to
her for accuracy.
   If you have ever entertained the notion of owning a replica Winchester 1866 Musket,
this might be a great opportunity for you!

                 M.T.Marfield

[Abilene]

Well, that's cool!  Any mention of bayonets?

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   NO! I forgot to ask, although I can guess what the answer would be.
Actually, I've been thinking about bayonets all day since... I wonder if
something from DGW ( or, ? ) could be "jimmyed" to work.

                 M.T.Marfield

[treebeard]

How long is the barrel?

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   Treebeard, Tammy indicated that the barrel is 27" long.

                 M.T.Marfield

[Baltimore Ed]

I made a Trapdoor Springfield bayonet fit my original 1873 musket by completely lining the socket with thinwall brass tubing cutting out where the front sight slides in and out. Worked fine but mounts to the right. The 73 musket bayonet is unusual because it hangs under the barrel. I've shot my musket with both and like the look of the Trapdoor bayonet but either one hung on a rifle with a 30 inch barrel is damn intimidating. There is a bayonets of the world web page that lists every US bayonet with lengths and id's of the sockets that is very useful.

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   Baltimore Ed, you won't believe this, but just such a notion was going through my
head, re: fitting an incorrect bayonet!
   Would you please post details on how you did this, as far as what diameter tubing
you used, soldering / brazing procedure, etc? I would want a bayonet for mine, and
I'm sure that I'm not alone!

                  M.T.Marfield

[Baltimore Ed]

My first unknown socket bayonet that I  bought years ago to use as part of my British RE outfit turned out to be for a Trapdoor Springfield. When I bought my original 73 musket and tried to mount the bayonet to it the socket was too big to fit the Winchester. I had some scrap thinwall brass 3/4 inch OD tubing that had come off a brass bed headboard in my shop. Hint: Never throw things out that might become useful. Let your kids do that after you're dead. I cut it to the correct length of the socket and made a longitudinal cut and filed and fitted until the tubing would compress and force slide into the smaller diameter socket. I then traced the lock slot onto the brass and drove the tubing out with a piece of conduit and cut out the lock slot. The long slit in the brass is to the left of the front sight and the zig zag cut is off the other side. Then I drove it back in and filed the brass back as needed to get it to clear the front sight and fit the barrel. I wasn't sure about gluing it in but as it's a tight fit and the brass is springy it's not moving at all. Here are some pix. The bayonet web page is worldbayonets.com.

[Baltimore Ed]

You want to go to pg 5 of the socket bayonet lists under US to find what you need. Looks like you would need thicker brass than what i used to get it small enough. Maybe someone with a 66 Uberti musket could mic the last 3 inches of bbl and let us know what the actual measurements are. I plan to reline the Trapdoor bayonet's socket to fit the 1866 whenever the musket arrives.

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   Thanks Mucho, B.Ed!

                 M.T.Marfield

[Baltimore Ed]

M.T., just got off the phone with a buddy who has an older 66 Uberti musket. He was nice enough to measure the od of the bbl for me.
.687--- at muzzle
.702-- 2 inches from muzzle
.708--3 inches from muzzle 
But I don't know if these dimensions are what Uberti/Taylors are using now. If they are correct then the Uberti guns are too big for an original 66 bayonet. We won't know our actual dimensions until Santa emails us that our rifles have showed up. The brass tubing that I used is .022 thick. My trapdoor Springfield bayonet socket with this lining would be about .010 too small using his numbers. You could easily remove that much material. Plus there could easily be that much slop between one bayonet socket to another or bbl to bbl. I would say try to find yourself a decent Trapdoor bayonet to use. I'll look in my shop and see if I have any more brass tubing.
B.E.

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   Thanks for the Info!

                 M.T.Marfield

[Baltimore Ed]

M.T., I GOT THE CALL!  My 66 musket has arrived at Taylors in VA. Now to arrange payment and shipment to my FFL guys. I also will order springs, screws and a decent mainspring and be done with the upgrades. Thought I'd let you know. Maybe I'll get to shoot it in our August  shoot.

[Jake C]

M.T., I GOT THE CALL!  My 66 musket has arrived at Taylors in VA. Now to arrange payment and shipment to my FFL guys. I also will order springs, screws and a decent mainspring and be done with the upgrades. Thought I'd let you know. Maybe I'll get to shoot it in our August  shoot.

You've got to post pictures ASAP! I'm excited to see how these look 

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

  That's fantastic! Perhaps mine is on the way, as well...!

               M.T.Marfield

[mtmarfield]

   Greetings!

   I've received my "Trapdoor Bayonet" that I acquired via eBay; it appears to
be half-way decent, with, say, 85% blue, and not too much in the way of dings...

                M.T.Marfield

[Baltimore Ed]

MT, I own three 73s and the only issues have been the soft italian screws and crazy strong springs. But my musket will be my first 66. In my research I'm reading about the loading gate having issues. Do I have to replace or tinker with the loading gate with this rifle? My rifle should be here next week. Replacement springs came today.

[Coffinmaker]

Baltimore Ed,

I have good news ...... and ...... not so good news.  First, the "not so good."  Unless Uberti has done a major change in the way their 1866 Ladle is made ...... it is KRAP.  It is too shallow in comparison to an original, and uses a bent tab as a cartridge stop.  The bent tab WILL break.  Not if .... when.  500 rounds .. 5 rounds .. just be assured, it will break.  It needs replaced "BEFORE" the rifle goes into service.

Now "The Good!!"  There are very nice replacements available.  VTI Gunparts has a nice deep scoop Ladle that is much better made than the OEM ladle.  Made of much sterner stuff.  Personally, I would still re-inforce the KRAP little tab.  Track of the Wolf also sells nice after-market ladles.  I believe the same Mfgr makes labels for both retailers.

There is much less stress on the KRAP little tab in a 44-40 rifle.  The ladle scoop is the primary cartridge stop.  The heaviest breakage occurs in 38s

Coffinmaker

[Baltimore Ed]

I see on the sass forum/utube where jb weld is used ( which fixed my Marlin jam 100%) but I also see where a piece of steel can be soldered to the ladle. Sounds more permanent. If I've got to reinforce whatever aftermarket ladle let me ask.  Are there any drawings of the dimensions of this reinforcement piece? How big does it need to be? Can a triangle work or would a rectangular shape be better? Someone mentioned using a woodruff key. After 1300.00 I shouldn't have to tinker with anything on a new Uberti but I've read this bitch numerous times in my researching this so I'll hush. After all this is cowboy action but unfortunately a part of that 'action' is the act of repairing our NIB firearms in order to play cas with them. I digress. What does this tab extension have to clear?  And thanks alot for the good-bad news. Glad you're not my brain surgeon.

[Major 2]

My 2 cents

My Pard bought a Brand spank'n' new in box 38 Cal. 66 from Taylors in 2012 ..." slam dam spanking new "
On the second stage of his very first outing it jammed ...Lever would only open about 3/4 inch as well...

removing the side plate these two parts pieces ? fell out ....  at the time it was    WTH

the tab was broken off the ladle  and we surmised  the piece of steel had been soldered to the ladle and failed .
There a minute of solder on the rectangular piece of steel & a spot on the ladle.... (assume this was done at Taylors before it was shipped )
NO clue what the little tab of brass is .... We did not find the ladle tab ( blued steel )

we installed the Track of the Wolf replacement ....  5 years later no issues