40-70 winchester
I bought a winchester model 1886 40-70 and was wondering if anyone knew where I could find ammo for it?
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I think you'll probably have to make it. 0 -
Per George Nonte's old book "The Home Guide to Cartridge Conversions", it is an easy task. Run 45-90 brass thru your 40-70 sizing die. That's it. The length is perfect. If you can't track down 45-90, Midway USA has what they refer to as 45 Basic 2.6", their stock #140-732, currently $56.99 for 20. You can also load using 45-70 brass but it will be about .30 short, so you'll have to load the bullet out some. Hope this helps get your '86 shooting.
yooper0 -
Forgot to add, the Midway 45 Basic will have to be shortened somewhat after sizing in your 40-70 die. Depending on the die, you might have to shorten before sizing and then final trim after, but once you do that on the first loading you are good to go for subsequent loadings.
yooper0 -
HELLO jtdairy! Are you interested in this or did I waste my time looking up information for you. I'm getting sick and tired of spending time referencing answers for questions and not even having the poster acknowledging the response. I'm done with this forum. Buh'bye.
yooper0 -
quote:Originally posted by the yooper
HELLO jtdairy! Are you interested in this or did I waste my time looking up information for you. I'm getting sick and tired of spending time referencing answers for questions and not even having the poster acknowledging the response. I'm done with this forum. Buh'bye.
yooper
Hey there... no good sense in getting your knickers in a wad over a non-response. A fair number of the people who post questions here are short-termers, and they seldom check back after the first couple of replies. If I had a dime for every post I have made over the years that I did not get a response for, I would be a very rich man. My advice to you, is to either grow a thick-skin, or be more forgiving of others. I write my posts & replies for the sheer joy of it... and I do not ever expect anything special in return.0 -
quote:Originally posted by the yooper
HELLO jtdairy! Are you interested in this or did I waste my time looking up information for you. I'm getting sick and tired of spending time referencing answers for questions and not even having the poster acknowledging the response. I'm done with this forum. Buh'bye.
yooper
Just because your posts weren't acknowledged doesn't mean they weren't appreciated. It wasn't me who asked the question but I found your responses informative and stored them away in the back of my head. Who knows, maybe I'll be fortunate enough to get my hands on an 1886 in a .40-70 one day and I'll remember your replies. So if you need a pat on the head here's one from me.0 -
jtdairy,
Speaking as a collector and not a shooter of my antique Winchester's you should know that the caliber of 40/70 for your Winchester model 1886 is a rare caliber for that model, (thus increases it's collector value). You might want to ascertain it's value before you start firring away, at the very least load it with a cartridge load that won't possibly cause damage. Just my opinion!
Regards,
Marty0 -
A rare caliber indeed.
I never even heard of a .40-70 Winchester 1886.
.40-65, .40-72 (an 1895 caliber, right?), and .40-82 we got, but the only .40-70 I know of is the looong Sharps round. Is there a Ballard cartridge of that size? I don't have my books at hand.0 -
Hawk Carse,
Per Arthur Perkle's booklet on the M1886, middle of pg.5, it indicates that 629 were made in that caliber, 0.4% of production. I know that there's controversy that surrounds many of these authors in regards to survey numbers taken to establish these statistics, (re: Madis and his DOM Vs. s/n errors), so in this instance anyway the exact number made is probably less important than the knowledge that not very many WERE made. BTW, the reason I jumped in is because I own a Antique pre-98 Winchester M1886 cal. 40/70 and thought 'jtdairy' should be aware that it may have some added value to collectors before he shoots his rifle and possibly damages it with improper loads.
If Bert jumps back in I'm sure he'd be able to offer more expert info and/or details.
Regards,
Marty0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
A rare caliber indeed.
I never even heard of a .40-70 Winchester 1886.
.40-65, .40-72 (an 1895 caliber, right?), and .40-82 we got, but the only .40-70 I know of is the looong Sharps round. Is there a Ballard cartridge of that size? I don't have my books at hand.
The calibers offered in the Model 1886 are as follows;
33 W.C.F.
38-56 W.C.F.
38-70 W.C.F. (rare)
40-65 W.C.F.
40-70 W.C.F. (rare)
40-82 W.C.F.
45-70
45-90 W.C.F.
50-100 (rare)
50-105 (rare)
50-110 Express
There were three different "40-70" cartridges back in the day...
1. 40-70 Sharps Straight
2. 40-70 Ballard
3. 40-70 W.C.F.
The 40-70 Sharps and 40-70 Ballard are very similar cartridges, and oddly enough, both were standard caliber options in the Winchester Model 1885 Single Shot rifle when it was first introduced.0 -
Thanks.
Is the .40-70 WCF a distinct case and chamber (if so, what length?) or is it something like a .40-82 loaded with a heavier bullet and less powder, barrel rifled quicker for the job?
(I am not a collector, but a BPCR shooter where such things are commonly studied. My .40-65 single shot is nowhere like what was introduced for the 1886, it is loaded with a 400 grain bullet to simulate the .40-70 Sharps Straight in readily available brass.)0 -
quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
Thanks.
Is the .40-70 WCF a distinct case and chamber (if so, what length?) or is it something like a .40-82 loaded with a heavier bullet and less powder, barrel rifled quicker for the job?
(I am not a collector, but a BPCR shooter where such things are commonly studied. My .40-65 single shot is nowhere like what was introduced for the 1886, it is loaded with a 400 grain bullet to simulate the .40-70 Sharps Straight in readily available brass.)
The 40-70 W.C.F. is essentially a 40-82 loaded with a 330-grain bullet (just like the 40-70 Sharps & Ballard), though it does have a slightly shorter length before the bottle neck begins. I will try taking some pictures and post them later.
From left to right; 33 WCF, 38-56 WCF, 40-65 WCF, 38-70 WCF, 40-70 WCF, 40-82 WCF, 45-90 WCF, 50-100-450, and 50-110 EX
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