40-82 Winchester Ammo?

D

DiffyDoc

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Great news for me! I acquired a 40-82 Winchester from my Dad that has been pretty well taken care of. I have no ammo or brass or loading info. Is any of that stuff out there? I would love to shoot this beautiful lever gun, but need something to shoot out of it. Any threads, ideas, suppliers would be great. Thanks.
 
If you get to loading for it,you might contact Mount Baldy Bullets.He has a pretty good idea of just what alloy your 86 will like.
The caution is those barrels were real soft steel and too hard of a bullet can hurt them.

I beleive Mike Venturino wrote a book on "Shooting Old Lever Action Rifles" or similar.Midway may have it.I suggest you order a copy and read it.

Of course,as your Dad's fine old rifle,it is priceless already,but if you have access to a Gun Trader's Guide,you might try to learn just what you have..perhaps for insurance reasons.Like,it might be a Lightweight,octagon barrel,color case hardened takedown and you might be looking at more than $10,000

I am not the guy to teach you,but there is some to learn before you shoot it.

Good for you!!
 
Yes, Mike Venturino's book Shooting Lever Guns of the Old West is a good source.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...ike+venturino&sprefix=Mike+Ven,stripbooks,300

The 1886 action is amply strong for smokeless powder but if it is not a nickel steel barrel, I would stick to cast bullets at moderate velocity for any amount of shooting. A 260 gr lead bullet at 1200-1400 fps will do anything necessary to a target... or a deer.

A box or two of jacketed just to say you had shot the gun will not hurt it. Jacketed bullets were available in the late years of the caliber's production.
 
If it's not a nickel steel barrel I wouldn't shoot any smokeless or jacketed bullets out of it at all.

You can do an amazing amount of damage to an old soft steel bore in short order with smokeless powder and jacketed bullets.
 
Thanks y'all, I will look into the info and the book. I had no idea where to start looking:o. But this is a great forum with great info. Thanks.
 
this may sound like a stupid question but what does "40-82" Winchester actually mean....I understand it is caliber but what number represents what? Thank you for overlooking my ignorance.....
 
The second number on those old black powder cartridges represents the weight of the black powder charge in grains. Sometimes there is a third number, indicating the bullet weight, also in grains.

Jim
 
Wow, I wonder what it could be relined to? depending on the value of the gun of course.
Even the brass is expensive.
How about a picture of this jewel!
 
I've read that the .40-80 bottleneck (a bit different cartridge of the same class) as used in match rifles held the record for smallest grouping at 1,000 yards till the development of the .25-06.
 
Lining, reboring and re-rifling, and re-barrelling are all options, but ones that should not be used unless the bore is really, really bad. Any of those options will completely destroy the collector value of an old gun if it is in anything like decent condition. Only if it is a shot-out clunker would I consider barrel work, but then the work could cost more than the gun is worth.

Jim
 
I did find out the bores were .408,and,for some reason,the factory load used .406 bulletes.(Cartridges of the World)I think 255 gr,IIRC.Likely twist will be too slow for heavy bullets.

Look to Bufffalo Arms for some sources,I believe the cases can be formed from 45-90.Likely they have dies.Starline sells good 45-90 brass.

It would not be wrong to load it with black powder.You will need to clean it properly the same day you shoot,and wash your brass.Black powder cartridge has its own set of rules to learn.It is a fun education.

Subscribe to Black Powder Cartridge News.Great magazine!You will learn a lot.

From your post,its not clear to me,is it still possible to discuss shooting the rifle,loading for it,etc,with your dad?
 
According to Lloyd (the Dad) this rifle had less than one box of shells ran through it. I cleaned the bore and the action up pretty good and it looks pristine down the bore. No pits or shot out chamber. The stock is not broken, but it has some scratches and wear. I will get some pics and post them for y'all to drool over. I have that problem too....I drool alot when I get around this rifle:D:D:D
 
"The second number on those old black powder cartridges represents the weight of the black powder charge in grains. Sometimes there is a third number, indicating the bullet weight, also in grains."

Occasionally you'll also find a fourth set of numbers, as well -- the case length in inches.

During the black powder era (just as today) some people had VERY definitive ideas about what made for a proper, accurate cartridge.

Some absolutely refused to accept a bottlenecked round, believing that the bottleneck degraded accuracy.

So, manufacturers often had two cases, or two companies both offered a similar cartridge, but one was necked, the other straight...

A good example is the .40-70 Sharps.

The necked case was 2.25 inches long, while the straight case was 2.5 inches long.
 
I found 250 pcs of Buffalo Arms brand 40-82 brass,new,in 50 ct bags,with the Buffalo Arms tag.It is reformed Starline 45-90.I have it in my possession.
Buffalo Arms says "currently unavailable" In a qty of 50,they ask $1.82 apiece

I don't think we're supposed to buy/sell in this section .Those who need some may PM me.
 
40-82

Hello again.
The past week has been really tough. The Dad is passing away quicker than I planned. So much for planning. Please e-mail me about buying the brass from you for this 40-82. burdickx4@gmail.com
Thanks
 
I copied your address,will write soon.In the future,I suggest use "search" on my handle and send a PM.
For now,go ahead and edit your e-mail address off of the public forum,it will save you some spam.

My respects with you and your dad.
 
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