The .348 Winchester is an American rifle cartridge. It was introduced in 1936, and developed for the Winchester Model 71 lever action rifle. The .348 was one of the most powerful rimmed rounds ever used in a lever action rifle.[3]

.348 Winchester
.348 Winchester
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerWinchester
Produced1936–present
Specifications
Parent case.50-110 WCF
Case typeRimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.348 in (8.8 mm)[1]
Land diameter.340 in (8.6 mm)[1]
Neck diameter.3785 in (9.61 mm)
Shoulder diameter.485 in (12.3 mm)
Base diameter.553 in (14.0 mm)
Rim diameter.610 in (15.5 mm)
Rim thickness.070 in (1.8 mm)
Case length2.255 in (57.3 mm)
Overall length2.795 in (71.0 mm)
Rifling twist1 in 12
Primer typeLarge rifle
Maximum pressure (CIP)46,000 psi (320 MPa)
Maximum CUP40,000[2] CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
150 gr (10 g) 2,890 ft/s (880 m/s) 2,780 ft⋅lbf (3,770 J)
200 gr (13 g) 2,530 ft/s (770 m/s) 2,840 ft⋅lbf (3,850 J)
250 gr (16 g) 200 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s) 3,060 ft⋅lbf (4,150 J)
200 gr FTX 2,630 ft/s (800 m/s) 3,072 ft⋅lbf (4,165 J)
Test barrel length: 24

Performance edit

It is excellent for any North American big game in woods or brush, if the 250 grain bullet is used, but not especially suited to long range (400 yards and beyond) as a result of the need to use flat-nose slugs due to the Model 71's tubular magazine. Until Hornady's FTX flex tip pointed bullets, 300 yards with a good peep sight is a fairly easy shot (Factory-loaded, midrange trajectory at 200 yards (180 m) is 2.9 in (7.4 cm) for the 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet, 3.6 in (9.1 cm) for the 200-grain (13 g) round, and 4.4 in (11 cm) for the 250-grain (16 g) slug.) The 200-and-250-grain (13 and 16 g) loadings are preferred for anything past 100 yd (91 m).

In 1962, Winchester dropped the factory 150 gr and 250 gr loads, retaining only the 200 gr. No other rifle was ever offered in .348 by Winchester (although Uberti has made some 400 rifles chambered for the .348 in the Cimarron 1885 Hi-Wall in the mid-2000s), and it has been supplanted by the .358 Winchester (in the Model 88). (The Model 71 was discontinued in 1958.)

 
The .348 Winchester cartridge.

In 1987, Browning produced a modern version of the Model 71 in Japan.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

The case of the .348 was used to produce the 8-348w wildcat, used to rechamber World War 1-era rifles such as Lebel or Berthier, instead of the original 8x50mmR, which at the time of such conversions were still considered war materiel in France and therefore strictly regulated.[citation needed] The .348 is also the basis for the .348 Ackley Improved, The .348 Ackley improved has about a 200 fps advantage over the standard pushing the 200 grain FTX bullet at 2800 feet a second with some of the new hybrid powders. The .348 also served as the basis for the .50 Alaskan and .500 Linebaugh cartridges.[4][5]

Dimensions edit

SAAMI rates the standard pressure of the cartridge at 40,000 CUP.[6] The C.I.P rates the max standard pressure at a "Pmax = 3200 bar"[7] or 46,412 psi.

 

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "C.I.P. TDCC sheet 348 Win" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  2. ^ Saami pressures. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://leverguns.com/articles/saami_pressures.htm
  3. ^ Barnes, Frank C., ed. by John T. Amber. "Cartridges of the World". Northfield, IL: DBI Books, 1972. pg 52
  4. ^ Barnes, Frank C., ed. by W. Todd Woodard. "Cartridges of the World 14th Edition". Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books, 2014. pg 412
  5. ^ Simpson, Layne. ".50-Caliber Dream Come True" (PDF). B&M Rifles and Cartridges. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Voluntary Industry Performance Standards for Pressure and Velocity of Centerfire Rifle Ammunition for the Use of Commercial Manufacturers" (PDF). SAAMI. 2015. p. 20.
  7. ^ "iical-en-page85.pdf" (PDF). cip-bopb. Retrieved 18 May 2022.

External links edit