By Jay Pinsky
Side by side: the Winchester Model 71, born in 1935 from Browning’s 1886 action, and the Browning-Miroku Model 71 revival of the 1980s. Different eras, same big-woods authority.
Some lever-action rifles were born out of necessity. Others evolved out of practicality. And then there are those which evolved from the genius of John Moses Browning like my favorite: the Model 71.
The Model 71’s roots stretch back to the Model 1886, where John Moses Browning introduced his famously strong, dual-locking-lug lever-action, chambered for hard-hitting rounds like the .45-70 and .50-110.
By the 1930s, Winchester needed a modern rifle to match the popularity of bolt-action models. Instead of reinventing the wheel, engineers refined Browning’s masterpiece. They used stronger steel, gave it a trimmer profile, added a pistol-grip stock option, and, most importantly, introduced the .348 Winchester cartridge. The result was the Model 71, a rifle with Browning’s DNA and Winchester’s push for modernization.
What exactly was the .348 Winchester?
Hornady is one of the few factory ammunition makers who still produce .348 Winchester ammunition.
As Andy Larsson of Skinner Sights put it: “The .348 Winchester wasn’t a mistake; it was just more of a cartridge appreciated by professionals and the more experienced, a bit too much for some casual shooters. The Model 71 was an 1886 action with some specific stock and lever differences. Again, changes the more experienced and discerning shooters would notice, not the average shooter.”
Diving more into the math of it all, the .348 Winchester offers ballistic performance similar to the 35 Whelen, though specifically designed for lever-action rifles, and its power is comparable to the modern 358 Winchester cartridge, but with a slightly narrower case profile, and the need for .348 Winchester lovers to be (far) more resourceful in sourcing ammunition.
When Winchester unveiled the Model 71 in 1935, it wasn’t just recycling the past. It was designed for hunters who went where the animals fought back.
The author’s Browning Model 71 carbine fitted with a Trijicon SRO red-dot optic, proof that John Browning’s 19th-century design still thrives in the 21st.
Nearly 100 years later, the 71 still has its fans.
Tim Sundles of Buffalo Bore Ammunition is one of them.
“First, I like the action. The Model 71 is essentially a Model 1886 with some minor upgrades, resulting in a very strong and classy action,” said Sundles. “Second, the .348 is a stomper out to 200 yards with 250-grain bullets at 2,200 feet per second and was a favorite in Alaska for decades and is still used quite a bit in the Alaskan bush. If you are a hand loader, there is no problem pushing that same bullet at 2,350 feet per second. The .348 Winchester is the parent case of the .50 AK and .500 Linebaugh.”
Nearly every rifle, but not all, left the factory in .348, built either as a standard 24-inch rifle or a shorter 20-inch carbine. On that note, I urge you to read Bert Hartman’s spectacular article, The Winchester Model 71: A History and Analysis Revised, which reveals that there were a handful of Model 71s factory chambered in 33 W.C.F., 45-70, and even the 308 W.C.F.
Both versions hit like a hammer, but neither came cheap. Production continued until 1958, with approximately 47,000 rifles manufactured. Sales were modest, but its reputation as one of the finest, hardest-hitting lever actions ever made has only grown.
By the 1980s, lever-action rifles such as the Winchester Model 71 had slipped into collector status, eclipsed by bolt-action and semi-automatic rifles. But Browning wasn’t done with it. In 1986–87, the company partnered with Miroku in Japan to resurrect the Model 71. Roughly 13,000 rifles and carbines, shorter-barreled versions, rolled out, beautifully finished and true to the original design. These weren’t knock-offs; they were faithful homages that put the 71 back in hunters’ hands.
In a sense, Browning brought things full circle. The rifle that originated from his 1886 design returned under his name, this time enhanced by Miroku’s meticulous craftsmanship.
Two legends, one lineage: Winchester’s Model 71 and Browning’s Miroku-built 71. Few rifles carry history and power this well.
I count myself lucky to own both versions: an original Winchester 71 and Browning’s carbine. The Winchester hooked me the first time I cycled a round. The Browning carbine was bought unfired until I put it to work, and it quickly became my favorite lever-action rifle. Truth be told, it’s damn near my favorite rifle, second only to my trusty “Mighty Cujo,” a .243 Winchester Model Seven that has written its own legacy in my hunting life.
The Model 71 may not be as famous as the 73 or 94, but it doesn’t need to be. It stands apart as the last of the great big-game lever guns, uncompromising, overbuilt, and unapologetically made for the hunt.
“In my opinion, the Winchester Model 71 represents the very last vestige of pre-war American lever-action sporting arms, and after that, it was all downhill,” said Bradley Johnson of Safari Specialty Importers. “We peaked at the 71.”
Maybe, we did, Bradley. Or maybe the best is yet to come. Not every gun maker has abandoned their lever-gun legacy yet ...
