What Should I Do With This Browning Model 71?

I agree with you on all those versions of the .348 case. They would be useful hard hitters. BUT M71 style lever actions are expensive to make plus they can't be scoped and are interesting to a limited number of shooters. The cheap bolt action guns and equivalent cartridges will satisfy the majority of hunters. So I doubt anything huge in the lever action catigory will be coming around much anymore. The Levereverlotion was great. The last big improvements were the Win .307/356. They went nowhere. The .375Win died and the Marlin 450 Mag was nothing but a shortened 45/70 hot loaded. I like having my M71 in .348. Good luck on what you do. I like My .444 Marlin too.

Eyeballing a late model Marlin .444 XLR real hard. The later 1-20" twist makes stabilizing 405gr bullets possible and that makes for some interesting comparisons to the ubiquitous .45-70.

The Beartooth 405gr has two crimp grooves. In a bone stock rifle, crimped in the upper groove, 1830fps. If the action is modified to feed longer bullets, crimped in the lower groove, 2150fps.

A NIB 71? I would keep it as is, and keep it stored with lots of TLC unfired for ten years, then sell it!

If you want to shoot it, I would still keep it as it is; with the right bullets it is capable of taking any game in North America.

Llama Bob said:

That's very respectable. Pretty much a .404J. In fact it's probably the only time I've looked at an 1895/336 and though "well, maybe...". Do you know what the OAL is at the lower groove?

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That information I'll have to find. Been a while since I looked into it. I stopped when all the Remlin QC rumors started. The new 1895 I bought a few months ago has me thinking about it again. Plus the one in the shop is a used XLR with the 24" barrel/half magazine and that's a sweet configuration.

I can't find the article where he had the Marlin modified for a longer COAL.

https://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/28

That is the bullet. If you order from Beartooth, be prepared to wait a while but their bullets are excellent.

Yep, if you compare bullets of similar sectional density, you actually get more performance out of the .444 than the .45-70. Sort of bridges the gap between the 400gr .405WCF and 500gr .45-70.

Interesting question on the Browning Model 71. If you plan to hunt deer occasionally-leave it stock as is. For bear, elk or still hunting moose-
there is an interesting way to equal the energy of the 35 Whelen in your rifle. It's called the 348 Ackley Improved. I have one on an original M-71.
It boosts energy and increases 348 bullet velocity about 185 FPS. Not expensive and the rechambering is easy. Set of new dies and off you go.
Same bullet-same barrel. Just a new case that REALLY holds more.

Brass is getting hard to come by and-expensive. Its your call.

While entering this discussion late, it does appear that few have really owned or hunted extensively with the Winchester Model 71.
This rifle was designed to continue the best application of timber or still hunting as it once was called. In fact, there is a turn of the century book by Van Dyke of the same name.
The 1886 rapid taper 33 WCF/Model 71 were designed for ranges really up to 125-150 yards utilizing iron sights.
The Model 71 is very fast handling in experienced hands. No current bolt action can keep up with a Model 71
in repeat shots or moving shots in the timber hunts. I currently own 6 Winchester Model 71s, 5 of which are pre-war long tang
versions. Many think only the comb and tang length were changed after SN approximately 16,000. Not so. Put both
rifles ,early and later short tang-next to each other. Place both on half cocked hammer; notice the difference if you attempt to
move the trigger. Sometimes the later rifles have that audible moving trigger.
Then there is the fit and finish of the earlier pre-war rifles.

Two of my rifles are 450 wildcats. The Alaskan-Fuller chamberings as described by PO Ackley are superior for really dangerous game like
grizzlies or brown bears in Alaska. The 45/348 Ackley requires internal modification, as does the 50 Alaskan.
The JKR original 450 Alaskan/Fuller generally did not. As long as the internals are done by professional riflesmiths, you may have no problems. Jams or failures-to-feed in a dangerous game rifle are unacceptable for obvious reasons. Get it done right. I have killed moose and deer
in three states and Alaska with the Winchester Model 71 rifle.

Brass is available for the 348 and its wildcats. Bullets of the premium variety put the 348 WCF in a class of its own.
The North Fork 230 gr bullet is about perfect due to weight and bonded construction. The Hawk Bullets have the best variation in bullet weight choice.

Llama Bob said:

The gun's being re-worked as a .50-110 and there should be an update in a week or two.

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That's a shame... I would have voted to keep it stock and just add a peep sight to it. The .348 is a very capable cartridge in it's own right.

Charlie98 said:

That's a shame... I would have voted to keep it stock and just add a peep sight to it. The .348 is a very capable cartridge in it's own right.

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It'd be a shame if he kept a gun around that wasn't set up the way he wanted. It's just a thing, might as well make it a thing you like.

Llama Bob said:

The gun's being re-worked as a .50-110 and there should be an update in a week or two. I've got a whole bunch of dies, brass, powder, primers, and bullets ranging from 300gr express bullets to 510gr monolithics from Cutting Edge. Now I just need a gun...

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I'm really looking forward to how this project turns out!

Llama Bob said:

In the event that Hornady comes through with readily available brass, there's lots of 71s out there. I can always get another.

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Yup those NIB Browning 71s are a dime a dozen. Plus all the other ones are so common and cheap you could get a couple for canoe paddles. Hope your conversion turns out great.

As much as I like the 50-110 idea, i think I would do that one in a Sharps and probably leave the 348 alone, but then again if people had left the 30-06 alone we wouldn’t have .270 or .308...and meddling with 308 led to 7-08. Meddle away...but do it with plenty pictures.

WestKentucky said:

As much as I like the 50-110 idea, i think I would do that one in a Sharps and probably leave the 348 alone, but then again if people had left the 30-06 alone we wouldn’t have .270 or .308...and meddling with 308 led to 7-08. Meddle away...but do it with plenty pictures.

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Yeah but the M71 and .348 are a very small amount of firearms produced even with the repos.. Not wide spread like all the others mentioned. But I am interested in the conversion. Maybe I missed it but is it being done by Doug Turnbull?

Keep that bad boy “ As Is” !

Scooter22 said:

Yup those NIB Browning 71s are a dime a dozen.

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Oh, really??? You just steer me towards those .10/12 Browning 71's... particularly those NIB ones.

Personally, I would mod a Browning before I would destroy a true Winchester 71, that's true.

There are 2000 each High Grade Browning rifles and carbines, and 5000 each Browning Grade 1 rifles and carbines (14000 total) if memory serves correct... so, no, they are not a dime a dozen.

GB has a fair number up right now, pricey tho....and when did pedersoli start making a version?