1886 LW 40-82 arrived today.

[Mike D.]

I decided to change the tltle from "Call me crazy, but..." The gun did come today via USPS and it is exactly as described, a fun fantasy rifle that I won't have to worry about traipsing around the country and devaluing. There are no doubts that it will be a fine shooter.

[3leggedturtle]

Gawd that a gorgeous rifle!! What is the history on it, original or a rebore,I cant remember. Todd

[Mike D.]

Not original, it was a .33 but bored to .40-82 recently.

[olyinaz]

That is a great lookin rifle Mike!

Oly

[M. M. Wright]

Gosh Mike, that's beautiful! Can't wait for you to report that it's a tack-driver.

[Pitchy]

Nice, i see them at gun shows over the years and something keeps telling me to buy a original in 45-70

[Mossyoak1957]

Very nice!

[Sixgun]

Ah man, was I beginning to get extremely jealous! A LW in 40-82! Nice professional job whoever did it.

BTW, was it relined or rerifled and chambered? Twist? With a nice smooth barrel condition with the nickel steel barrel, that baby ought to shoot. Mine like the NEI 275 grain gc.-----------Sixgun

[Mike D.]

Original barrel bored to .40 caliber with what appears to be 1 in 22" twist. Now, I gotta get me some proper jacketed bullets of .406-.408 diameter. Maybe I can get Barnes to make some .406 TSXs. Well, a guy can dream, can't he?

[rangerider7]

Looks like the fun will begin. I like to take this old 33 Winchester hog hunting.

[Mike D.]

Jack, I use my .33s often, but need some TSX bullets for them. The time has come to cut down some of their .338 210 or 225 grainers to FN shape.

[RIHMFIRE]

Congrats Mike
What a beauty....
Looking forward to the range and future hunting reports!
Have Fun!

[Mike D.]

The person who did the job also lowered the little ramp on the barrel to the correct height for the caliber. Little attention to details like that make all the difference.
You can see the difference in ramps in the attached photo. The top barrel is a .33 W.C.F and the ramp is much taller.

[jd45]

What a beeeutiful rifle Mike! You can surely be proud. BTW, what does LW stand for. I know the caliber is a black-powder....40 sittin atop 82grs of coal. Just curious, jd45

[1894c]

you guys are killing me...nice levergun... :)

[Sixgun]

Mike,
In case you don't have 40-82 brass, just run a 45-90 into a 40-82 fls. PM me your addy and I'll get you some of my NEI 275 grain gc to try out---sized .406 or .408---let me know. On another note I believe Buffalo Arms has .406 jacketed.

Its a terrible feeling having a shootin' iron to try out and no ammo --------------------Sixgun

[Mike D.]

What a beeeutiful rifle Mike! You can surely be proud. BTW, what does LW stand for. I know the caliber is a black-powder....40 sittin atop 82grs of coal. Just curious, jd45

LW is an acronym for Lightweight. This rifle has a nickel steel barrel so the coal burning cartridge can be change to burn high test.

[Mike D.]

I'm waiting for a set of Redding dies for the .40-82. RCBS is far too expensive for the quality received.

[FLINT]

What a sweet rifle!

Hawk sells both .406 and .408 jacketed bullets in several weights and jacket thicknesses.

http://www.hawkbullets.com/Pricelist.htm

[Mike D.]

I asked Barnes to make the TSX in .406 and Ryan said that he would put in a formal request for me. That's all that I can do.

[3855]

Mike D

Better take Sixgun up on his offer for some NEI 275 gr gc lead bullets. He did the same for me recently when I was load developing for a couple 40-65's and 40-82's. I had previously been having problems getting a bullet large enough to shoot well and still chamber without inside neck reaming. The .408 diameters worked great in all. That diameter and the nose shape of this mould really assists getting these bullets to feed and chamber without a hitch. Best of all, they really shoot well.

The group shot below was the first tried with these bullets....from an original Winchester 1886 on the long side of 115 years old.

I have not thanked Jack publically.... till now. Thanks bud.

[Sixgun]

Mike D
I have not thanked Jack publically.... till now. Thanks bud.

Mark,
Your welcome. Thats a nice group there partner! This is what those bullets will do at 300 meters. The first 5 shots (the bullet holes on the left) went into 5 inches, then the wind started to blow. (from left to right) The next six shots were also in about 5 inches. This 40-65 is my best shooting '86. A heavy barreled 1881 Marlin in 40-60 Marlin will keep up with it.

My personal opinion is that the 40 calibers combine the best of weight and milder recoil to be the most pleasant, while still powerful of all of the calibers.-----------Sixgun

[Mike D.]

I'm going to try some loads that would've made old Snooky Williams quake.

[pricedo]

I'm waiting for a set of Redding dies for the .40-82. RCBS is far too expensive for the quality received.

RCBS like some other fallen icons (Remington, Marlin) in the firearms manufacturing industry has slipped significantly in regards to quality in the past few years.

[southfork]

Those NEI GC bullets sure look to be accurate! So, where can a guy buy some of them in .408? Or, do you have to buy a mold? I'm going to start reloading for my 40-82 1886 Winchester.

[3855]

I'm not sure you can buy those bullets anywhere. NEI however still produces the mould that Sixgun has. Accurate Moulds, a outfit out of Utah, (just google it), has the capability of making any mould you want and can duplicate the NEI mould exactly or with any variation you desire. Turn around time for the Accurate Moulds is short and Tom is very knowledgeable and helpful getting you the mould you want.

If you are not into casting now, it is really not that hard or expensive to get into. A mould with a set of handles, a cheap gas camp stove, an old pot, a ladle and some lead alloy and you are good to get started. Later on you might want a lubrisizer etc after you decide if you enjoy it or not.

[3855]

Mike D

If you are going to out do some of Snooky's loads you had better have a stout recoil pad added to your rifle . As you know, some of them were really top end. I tried a few in my younger reloading days and while the rifles and I survived them, I have long since backed away from them.

With your new rifle being nickel steel, you do have the capability to run it a little harder though. Keep us posted.

[Mike D.]

I wasn't serious about running Snooky's loads, but should be to easily get 1900 FPS and great accuracy. I do need to slug the bore to determine the EXACT diameter, but a micrometer shows .405.

[3855]

I knew you weren't serious.

I have a friend and fellow collector who knew Snooky personally. He says, just a little tongue in cheek, that when working up and shooting his loads, Snooky had to occasionally stop to wipe away the blood.

Why probably not entirely truthful, suffice to say, Snooky really ran his 86's hard. I never heard of him blowing one up but it's very likely some of his loads were a bit in excess of what you should push a pre-nickel steel 86.

Snooky was a pioneer in the field though. A entertaining writer and a great ambassador of Winchesters. A tip of the hat to him.