The 71 is an amazing rifle. I have 2. The deluxe in the picture and a standard one. Both prewar long tang bolt peeps. The standard model belonged to a family friend who decided he was tired of playing cowboy in 30s central Texas and wanted to see snow. So he disappeared to Alaska for almost a decade before coming home to be a pilot in ww2. The colonel could tell some amazing stories. I have always heard the 348 kicked hard, but I find them a joy to shoot.

Here is Harry shooting my Whitney 32 caliber.

Jim the 7X57 is my all time favorite caliber and at one time I had five rifles so chambered now I'm down to three:shock: My two favorites are the Pre 64 M70 carbine and a custom rifle I had marked as a 275 Rigby just to be different and that I had it built along the lines of a 1930's era Rigby stalking rifle.

I had a nice M71 deluxe a great rifle that I shot very little. I bought it cheap and it went into a multi gun trade for a Purdey 16ga two barrel set.

Some of my favorites are my Springfield Armory sporters, both original and custom, Springfield prewar customs, 1917 Enfield customs, and early Model 70s and 54s in 30-06, both factory and custom. Why, you ask? Well 30-06 ammo is available at every corner store and at every country gun auction, on the cheap. I also have customs in .375 H&H, .348, 25-20, .22 Long Rifle, .22-250, .220 Swift, .45-70, .25-06, and .219 Donaldson Wasp. My taste in rifles and Parker and Purdey shotguns closely parallels Rich Anderson's, but I have the advantage of a few years on him. He has to worry about when I'm going to go belly up, and I have no such worry about his guns. I will be gone and he will be even more "gun poor" than I am or ever will be. There is a disadvantage to being the "Last man standing".

Bill,

My father customized a 1917 Enfield and took it to Africa in 1956 as his main rifle. He hunted Kenya and Tanganyika. Unfortunately he sold it for something else. I was a very poor manager of my inheritance.

Harry

My smith has a single shot action with a side lever, I think it's a Lancaster but won't swear to it. He thinks he's going to build something but he never will. I'm trying to get it off him and have him build me something special. If he does it I'm leaning towards a 300 H&H.

I have a very nice condition 1886 45-90 antique, great bore. Having difficulty getting a Nitro for black load to pattern with lead bullets 300 grains to 330 grains. Anyone have a good load for me to try??

Try the 45-70 loads using AA XMP-5744 . I’ll push cast just like jacketed if the cast has a gas check . You can also try 45-70 data using H322 . I’ve loaded a pile of 444 and 45-70 pushing them pretty well with H322 .

My favorite firearm is the one I have in my hands at that moment, and most of the time it is older than I am.

Craig,

If I remember correctly, Ross Seyfried used H4198 as a substitute for BP. His formula was 40%-46% of the Black Powder charge with a compressed Dacron polyester filler. He cautioned against any other filler such as serial, plastic, or foam.

Harry