New 1886 Winchester Miroku .45-70

[sestoppelman]

I took delivery today of a very nice '86, the so called Short Rifle with 24" barrel. Pre owned but NIB, unfired. Discovered about 10 boxes of .45-70 factory ammo the other day kicking around and reasoned (?) I needed a new rifle to shoot it out of!

 

[mark-hunter]

I guess, selling the ammo was not an option?
Congrats on new acquisition!

 

[sestoppelman]

LOL! Sell ammo? These days? "That'll be the day".

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Nice rifle.

 

[1dirthawker]

a nice rifle, and you can shoot pretty stiff loads in it with the '86', but... the recoil will be substantial in such a light rifle, good shooting!

 

[PaulT]

Nice gun Ses, just not sure about that curved but-plate.
Maybe get a barrel band swivel attachment put on then you can attach a sling from the gun to your bootlaces to stop it from going over your shoulder

 

[spike.t]

Nice but as paul says that curve looks like it would ramp up the ouch factor a bit....

 

[TOBY458]

Just line up the bottom point of the butt plate with the ball of your shoulder and touch off a 400 grain load around 1950 fps. Makes a 500 Jeffery seem like child's play! Hahaha!

 

[Ridgewalker]

Discovered about 10 boxes of .45-70 factory ammo the other day kicking around and reasoned (?) I needed a new rifle to shoot it out of!

I like your reasoning! Handsome tool of the hunter’s trade!

 

[crs]

SES,
You are experienced enough to not let the recoil sissies and inexperienced 1886 shooters dissuade you from having fun with your new rifle. It likely weighs a bit less than my 1886 with 26 inch barrel, but mounted properly, it will be fun to shoot.
One interesting thing that I discovered was that even a 300 grain .458 bullet is big medicine for most thin skinned game from deer up through Nilgai and leopard. For Bison, Cape Buff, and ele, you will need 400 grain and up bullets of appropriate construction. A 450 grain Kodiak FMJ at 2150 fps does recoil a bit, but it is very effective on big bad critters.
Good hunting.

 

[hammz]

I have the 1886 Deluxe. You will love that rifle. It is super fun to shoot and the curved buttplate isn't as bad as it seems on your shoulder. The action is much stronger than the Marlin '95 so you can shoot some really hot loads out of it. The current '86 action is rated up to 50k PSI so you can really squeeze a lot of power out of it.

 

[sestoppelman]

Thanks guys, Am well familiar with curved butt plates, don't care for them and this will be shot with standard velocity loads for the most part as I have no need to run it up, none. I have a strained right shoulder already and will try maybe one round with factory loads to see how it is, but will likely use a sissy pad for most of the shooting. Rifle weighs 8.5# empty so its not exactly a lightweight.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Nice rifle. It will kick about like a 20 gauge shotgun. You shouldn't even worry about it. I have experience in this rifle setup. I have no idea what these people are talking about anticipating problems. The cool part about this one is it pays down a lot of power without the recoil and harsh noise. It's a pleasant boom. Enjoy!

Side note: Hornady Lever revolution brass will be annoyingly shorter than regular .45-70. keep that in mind for reloading.

 

[Rob404]

I fired one a few years ago it will definitely get your attention

 

[sestoppelman]

Got lots of Win brass and others. Have owned many rifles in this caliber so I have a pretty good idea what it will do, though I have no plans to hunt this rifle or modify it in any way.

 

[ZG47]

Just get your local canvas guy to make up a properly shaped pad with some closed cell foam, i.e. yoga mat material inside it.

 

[sestoppelman]

I just strap on a PAST sissy pad for the kickers.

 

[ZG47]

I just strap on a PAST sissy pad for the kickers.

And ... you saved that info just to wind up the crescent butt plate haters?

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I took delivery today of a very nice '86, the so called Short Rifle with 24" barrel. Pre owned but NIB, unfired. Discovered about 10 boxes of .45-70 factory ammo the other day kicking around and reasoned (?) I needed a new rifle to shoot it out of!
View attachment 368730

@ sestoppelman
With full power loads and that but plate it is going to kick lick a bitch.
Bob.

 

[sestoppelman]

Sigh......