Eric with his Original Takedown Model 1894 Winchester in .30-30 (mfd in 1895)

This rifle is an original model 1894 takedown Winchester in .30-30 and displays the serial number 16,016, which puts it at early 1895. This rifle was originally owned by Mr. Steinhoff, who was one of the founders of Cuddy Valley (outside of Frazier Park, CA, where I live) and after whom Steinhoff Road was named. I have not shot modern factory rounds in the rifle and don't plan to. Although I think factory rounds would be OK, I am simply not comfortable with it being that this piece is so early. In fact, there was another rifle for sale also previously owned by Mr. Steinhoff, manufactured in 1912, with an octagon barrel, that had stamped on it that it was specifically designed and reinforced for smokeless powder. However, being primarily a black powder shooter of originals, I was more drawn to this early 1895 iteration of the Winchester 1894. I know this rifle has always been designed for smokeless powder but am not sure of what grade or at what pressures. Besides, I did shoot factory ammo in the 1912 rifle ( they do pack a wallop compared to my standards) but found that I wasn't as effective at the 80-to-120-yard range as I am with my own reloads. Call me weird, but I really wanted the early 1895 iteration and was not in the position to buy both that and the octagon-barrel one manufactured in 1912.

The slugs that I have cast for this rifle are of mostly lead, tin, and antimony, which makes them pretty hard. (We call it "trash lead" at the range and generally find it unsuitable for black powder rifle cartridges, which we shoot 99% of the time). The slugs are 174 grains and are sized down to .308 inch in diameter. As you can see, I've added a gas check on the end of each slug since the .30-30 round was originally all copper jacketed to my knowledge, and not doing so will leave lead in the bore, further making each subsequent shot more and more inaccurate. The higher temperature explosion of this higher-performing smokeless powder is just too hot for hard cast lead and will produce some melting, resulting in some leading of the bore. The charge that I have used could be labeled rather anemic in comparison to today's standard ( 19.1 grains of IMR 4227), but I have found it to be effective for the target applications of the ranges involved in this trial-walk match. The lubrication that I have used is harder than the one I use for black powder slugs, about 80% beeswax and 20% olive oil compared to a 50/50 mix, which I primarily use.

Lastly, I'd like to thank my good friend, Joe, for filming these videos of me goofing off with these pieces. Without his iPhone work, none of my videos would be possible.

Тэги:

#.30-30 #Winchester #Model_1894 #1894 #woods_walk #original #reload

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