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In The Redwood Stumper, 2009, an author named "Waterman" wrote about the 401 Winchester. There is a very unscientific comparison between the .351 and .401 cartridges on a remnant chimney out in the woods. The .351 shattered the bricks, while the .401 vaporized them. It impressed the author. I got one of these last year and finally got a chance to look at it more closely (we had a baby). I need to shoot this thing! I've shot the .351 and I'm a big fan - I've got 4 - but the .401 is intriguing. I can imagine it being hell on car doors and bullet-proof vests. I have collected some old ( its all old) ammo too but probably too valuable and old to shoot.

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Top rifle in photo. The other two, middle .351 ( had 4 others) and a .32 (wasn't really enamored with it and no ammo) were sold to finance other addictions.

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levalois,

If you have a small lathe you can make 401 cases out of a variety of other brass. Including the following,---30-30, 32 win spl, 303 British, 35 Remington and others. The 401 is very powerful for its size. Its about 100 FPS slower than the 35 Rem, with the same grain bullet.

Reloading dies and projectiles are available for the 401.

Same is true for the 32 WSL.

If you don't reload you won't be doing much shooting with these rifles.

If you refer to achieves you will find many posts I made about these rifles.

Jim C

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Jim. I will look for your other posts. I fully intend to reload and I'm collecting equipment - going to build around a generation 1 Rockchucker.

 

Also, I just got another 1910; this time a fancy/deluxe.

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That is a very nice looking deluxe .401.

Had a Winchester 1910 about 30 years ago. Purchased it fairly cheap along with a spare magazine. Previous owner was a gunsmith school student and had used it as a class project. Reblued it

(fairly nice) and replaced damaged wood with a hand carved set. The forend seemed a bit oversized from original. Sure wish I had a picture of it. Hope he got an "A" grade for effort on the stock !

 

Had about 20 rounds of original ammo. Made some cases out of .35 Remington and used .41 Magnum jacketed bullets resized to .401 . Turned a set of crude sizing dies out of graphite impregnated steel and loaded some ammo. Used 2400 powder IIRC. The rifle worked fine, accuracy was almost adequate. The rifle was a thumper ! We plinked at various objects including an old water heater. The .401 of course, punched right through it.

 

Because ammo was such a pain I swapped it off for something else a couple years later. But, the Winchester SLR bug had bit. Have a M1907 now and it is a great shooter. Ammo is a little easier to make and got to love those 10 round magazines !

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Thanks guys!

 

JimC - found it online while looking for .401 ammunition.

 

Ivan - nice .401 memories!

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The economics of this rifle is interesting. A fancy version of the 1910 cost $48 in the 1916 Winchester catalog. If you add a Lyman receiver site ($4.50), lyman ivory bead front sight ($1.00) and Lyman leaf site (1.00) then you are paying $54.50. As a comparison, the average salary for a man in 1915 was $57.25 month. Rent averaged $25 month and food for a family of four was $28 a month. So this rifle costs slightly less than a months salary, or over two months rent, or just about two months of food for the average man. Not an affordable rifle for the middle class. No wonder they didnt sell that many of these in general and there are so few fancy rifles around.
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  • 2 years later...

I got a first year 1910 in 2008 with 2 mags and 16 rounds of ammo for only 600.

Correct me if wrong but wasn't one found in a Dillinger cache with a Maxim can "quiet as a child's pop gun"?

 

I understand they were regarded as the top tier choice for jaguar hunters

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I got a first year 1910 in 2008 with 2 mags and 16 rounds of ammo for only 600.

Correct me if wrong but wasn't one found in a Dillinger cache with a Maxim can "quiet as a child's pop gun"?

 

I understand they were regarded as the top tier choice for jaguar hunters

 

At least four Model 07s (not Model 10s) were seized from three gangs during the Depression Era, two of them from the Dillinger Gang. These mounted Cutts compensators, not Maxim silencers.

 

The Dillinger Gang stole a Model 10 in 1933 but apparently never used it. Model 10s were seized from a number of other mobs, including the Barker-Karpis Gang.

 

Cheers

 

HANS

 

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