.348 Winchester
Encyclopedia
The .348 Winchester is an American rifle
cartridge
. It was introduced in 1936, and developed for the Winchester Model 71
lever
rifle. The .348 was one of the most powerful rimmed rounds ever used in a lever rifle.
in woods or brush, if the 250 grain bullet is used, but not especially suited to long range, as a result of the need to use flat-nose slugs due to the Model 71's tubular magazine. (Factory-loaded, midrange trajectory at 200 yards is 2.9 in (7.4 cm) for the 150 gr bullet, 3.6 in (9.1 cm) for the 200 gr round, and 4.4 in (11.2 cm) for the 250 gr slug.) The 200 gr loadings are preferred for anything past 100 yards.
In 1962, Winchester
dropped the factory 150 gr and 250 gr, retaining only the 200 gr. No other rifle ever was ever offered in .348, and it has been supplanted by the .358 Winchester
(in the Model 88). (The Model 71 was discontinued in 1958.)
In 1987 Browning
produced a modern version of the Model 71 that was made in Japan. These have different thread sizes in places, most notably the barrels, and many parts will not interchange with the originals. The Browning version was a limited production model only.
The case of the .348 is used to produce a wildcat called 8-348w that is quite popular in France to rechamber world war 1 era rifles such as Lebel or Berthier, instead of the original 8x50 "French" that is still considered in France as war material and therefore strictly regulated.
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
cartridge
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
. It was introduced in 1936, and developed for the Winchester Model 71
Winchester Model 71
The Winchester Model 71 was a lever-action rifle introduced in 1936 and discontinued in 1958. A slightly modified version of the Browning designed Model 1886, it was only chambered for the .348 Winchester round; it was also the only firearm that ever used that cartridge...
lever
Lever-action
Lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area, to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. Most lever-action firearms are rifles, but lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made...
rifle. The .348 was one of the most powerful rimmed rounds ever used in a lever rifle.
Performance
It is excellent for any North American big gameBig game hunting
Big game hunting is the hunting of large game. The term is historically associated with the hunting of Africa's Big Five game , and with tigers and rhinos on the Indian subcontinent. In North America, animals such as bears and bison were hunted...
in woods or brush, if the 250 grain bullet is used, but not especially suited to long range, as a result of the need to use flat-nose slugs due to the Model 71's tubular magazine. (Factory-loaded, midrange trajectory at 200 yards is 2.9 in (7.4 cm) for the 150 gr bullet, 3.6 in (9.1 cm) for the 200 gr round, and 4.4 in (11.2 cm) for the 250 gr slug.) The 200 gr loadings are preferred for anything past 100 yards.
In 1962, Winchester
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
dropped the factory 150 gr and 250 gr, retaining only the 200 gr. No other rifle ever was ever offered in .348, and it has been supplanted by the .358 Winchester
.358 Winchester
The .358 Winchester is a .35 caliber rifle cartridge based on a necked up .308 Winchester created by Winchester in 1955. The cartridge is also known in Europe as the 8.8x51mm. -History:...
(in the Model 88). (The Model 71 was discontinued in 1958.)
In 1987 Browning
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company is a maker of firearms, bows and fishing gear. Founded in Utah in 1927, it offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms and sport bows, as well as fishing rods and reels....
produced a modern version of the Model 71 that was made in Japan. These have different thread sizes in places, most notably the barrels, and many parts will not interchange with the originals. The Browning version was a limited production model only.
The case of the .348 is used to produce a wildcat called 8-348w that is quite popular in France to rechamber world war 1 era rifles such as Lebel or Berthier, instead of the original 8x50 "French" that is still considered in France as war material and therefore strictly regulated.