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Post by missionary on Apr 15, 2017 14:53:46 GMT -7
Greetings I guess I have a weakness for anything caliber 41. Been watching this Winchester model for some years. I guess it is viewed mostly as a collectors item. But I am a shooter / hunter. If it cannot be shot I have little use for it. The Winchester .401 is somewhat rare brass. Has been made from all sorts of others. But more recently 414 Supermag is available, This brass does nor require much work. Plus is we already shoot this caliber in several pistols and a 336 Marlin so we are well equipped to get into a Winchester model 1910. Would sure make a good pig gun !
 
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Post by Bullshop on Apr 17, 2017 17:51:11 GMT -7
That's a Bonnie and Clyde gun. What diameter bullet does it normally use?
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Post by missionary on Apr 17, 2017 18:59:26 GMT -7
Greetings Dan
All the reading I have done says .410 - .411 cast gives good performance. Looking at starting with a 265 grain gas check to work out the pressure / blowback issue to get the cycling working.
I think factory ammo came in .408 -.410 jacketed.
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Post by Bullshop on Apr 18, 2017 8:41:58 GMT -7
I have had a couple of the 351 rifles but never had the 401. I wonder if that is the bullet that Herters based their 401 power mag revolver on.
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Post by missionary on Dec 27, 2018 6:40:38 GMT -7
Good morning While up north this last summer had numerous opportunities to get the Winchester 401 out. They are fun ! A semi-auto caliber 41 !
From previous reading discovered 414 Supermag brass was the easy route to make 401 brass. As we already shoot 41 SM in a Dan Wesson revolver and a336 Marlin (JES Reboring) already have 50 brass sleeping in a box that quickly got trimmed.
Started with a 220 grain gas check. 1st shot was shot with a "helper" standing to the right about 15 feet away to chase down the "if ejected" brass. It was and flew right smartly out to the right. That one shot was followed by 9 more fired under our "A Frame" screen wire brass catcher. They do eject out fast and hard so bounce about under the top area of the A Frame but stay on the table.
Was decided to move up to 250 grain GC as that was the standard load for hunters and Prison Guards. That is the better accuracy load also.
Fired near 200 of those over the weeks we had up north there. I would not hesitate to hunt any critter I will ever see in our East ILLinois river bottoms. 250 grains of flat nosed 50-50 lead cast chugging along at 1750-1800 feet really puts a thwap on whatever gets in the way.
Maybe one year ILLinois will trust us to pop corn crunchers with center fire rifles.
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Post by Bullshop on Dec 27, 2018 18:46:51 GMT -7
That fairly small case is getting some respectable performance. Some of the older very much larger Winchester cartridges like the 40-82 didn't get that much swoosh with the same bullets. The 1886 that housed the 40-82 is a much bigger gun too. Those smaller Winchester SL rifles were dimensioned to handle like a shotgun. They were kind of like an M-1 carbine on steroids. They are quite stout guns too. I knew this clever fellow that even after fair warning went happily on his way shooting 357 mag ammo out of his 351 SL after filing the rims off the brass and never had an issue.
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Post by missionary on Dec 27, 2018 19:19:35 GMT -7
That 351 Winchester was a hot little beast. The load data available today puts it right into the middle of the 357 Max round. That brass easily cuts down to 351 length.
I have little doubt Mr. Elgin Gates took a long lock at these Winchester cartridges when it was time to make his Supermags. The one Winchester overlooked was the caliber 375 variation. But I recon with the 351 and 401 there was not much need to market a 375 version.
Had thought about trying out 41 mag brass but there really was no need. The 401 is one heavy handful to lug about but all that weight is handy when touching off the 250 grainers. The recoil is very manageable and far better than the 336 with 250 grainers at the same power level. But then there is a 3 pound rifle difference also.
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