old lever action

[fishing life]

I have a Whitneyville 1879 lever action rifle in 45-60 would like to find out more about this rifle. I was hoping that one of the WC'ers might have some knowledge of this rifle or suggestions of where I might find out more. I have tried the internet and there isn't much there. Any help would be great. Thanks

[Esoxchaser]

http://www.american-firearms.com/ame...20Company.html

If we can believe anything Hollywood says - I watched the "Tom Horn" story yesterday. He shot the 45/60 and was accused wrongly of killing a boy from 300 yards away. Tom Horn said in his defense "My rifle has the trajectory of a rainbow at that distance."

[fishing life]

Just took pictures of gun thought I would add them. The length over all is 46 1/2" barrel is 26 1/2 " weight 15# it would be like holding a cannon to shoot.

[Burr]

The gun weighs 15 lbs???

Kind of an interesting piece. Don't know anything specifically about the gun, looking at the stock design - the drop in the comb is quite large, which was the standard design at the turn of the last century. The steel pad, and large drop will add to the felt recoil quite a bit.

I would anticipate the 45-60 will be a black powder cartridge load for a gun that old. With the recent popularity of cowboy action shooting, it may be a desirable firearm.

It's got quite a bit of wear, looks like it was carried quite a bit at some point in the guns lifetime. If only it could tell stories, there probably are a few.

[Phil T]

Join the forums at 24hourcampfire and/or leverguns.com and ask your questions. There will be people with some actual experience and expertise on one of those sites. It may actually still be a shooter if you can find a gunsmith who can really determine the condition of that neat old levergun.

[fishing life]

Here is picture to give some idea of the size at the muzzle it is 3/4" dia. 12" ruler and a dollar bill.

[fishing life]

Thank you to all who have replied . You have been helpful . Thank you !.

[Burr]

Here's some relevant info from a book I have on obsolete cartridges.

First - since the cartridge is obsolete, you may have to reload for ammo.

"Loading ammunition for blackpowder rifles requires caution if you intend to use smokless powder. Velocity and pressure must be kept at the original level in most rifels as a matter of safety. Jacketed bullets and high velocity are out of the question unless you have a modern action and a smokeless steel barrel."...."The weakest (rifles) of the lot are the US 1866 and 1873 Springfield, Kennedy, Whitney and Winchester models 1873 and 1876. Nothing but very light loads of smokeless powder should be used in these and it is better to stick to blackpowder."

"45-60 Winchester Historical Notes:
The 45-60 is one of several cartridges designed for the Winchester 1876 Centenial model rifle. The 45-60 was introduced in 1879. Winchester continued production of the cartridge until 1935 even though the rifle was discontinued in 1897. The Kennedy lever-action repeating rifle used this cartridge and so did the Colt Lightning slide-action repeater."

"General Comments
The 45-60 was brought out, with others of the Model 1876 cartridge line, to provide greater power than the 44-40 and other short cartridges used in the Model 1873 Winchester. The 45-60 design was probably influenced by the 45-70 Government round. The model 1876 rifle had a medium length action that would not handle the long cartridges used in the single shots of the period. The 45-60 would be a better deer cartridge than the 44 WCF, but it would not be suitable for larger game. Rifles for this cartridge are not strong so one should not attempt to exceed original ballistics. It should be easy to form 45-70 cases to work in these rifles."

"300 gr lead bullet; 25 grs of IMR 4198, Muzzle velocity 1450 fps; Muzzle energy 1410 ft lbs, Source of loading data Lyman #456191."

The Winchester Factory load with the same bullet was a bit slower at 1315 fps - so a lighter load than that documented by Lyman for the smokeless IMR 4198 powder.

[fishing life]

Great info thanks Burr !