Older Gun With Newer Ammo: A Centerfire Winchester 1866 (Ad-free)
Added 2022-10-19 13:00:08 +0000 UTCThe Winchester 1866 was chambered for the .44 Henry rimfire cartridge, like the Henry rifle before it. Before too long, however, centerfire ammunition began to take over as the best and most common type of cartridge. The Model 1866 continued to sell for decades, but some buyers wanted to use centerfire ammunition in them. A centerfire version of the .44 Henry was developed, and conversions of the 1866 were done by both the Winchester factory and professional gunsmiths. Mechanically, the change was quite simple; just replacing the two rimfire firing pins with a single central one, and replacing the bolt face with an insert with a hole for that new firing pin.
Winchester factory example are typically found in the 140,000 serial number range and later. The best-documented batch was a sale of 1,020 centerfire 1866 rifles to Brazil in 1891, with numbers in the 167,000-169,000 range.
Comments
I'm wondering: how close are the RF and CF cartridges dimensionally? Would it be possible to keep the RF firing pin at hand and swap them back and forth depending on the ammo available?
2022-10-23 10:15:14 +0000 UTCAs far as know, there is no special ejector in these early Winchesters: The ejection is done by the top of the carrier, which goes up at the end of the lever throw (and carries fresh round in its inner space.)
2022-10-23 10:13:01 +0000 UTCTwo extractors, but I missed the ejector?8
Patrick Moran
2022-10-21 00:35:58 +0000 UTCIt's good to hear about a successful system was so easily adaptable to a new cartridge.
EyeBall
2022-10-19 22:08:52 +0000 UTClooks to have had a looong hard life. cool. well only 7 but 7 critical years in progress to the 73s.
Guido Schriewer
2022-10-19 20:44:00 +0000 UTCgreat info as always
Mrgunsngear
2022-10-19 16:01:59 +0000 UTCNope. The .44-40 is every so slightly bigger around in the body and rim and quite noticeable longer... about 10mm longer.
AuroranFilms
2022-10-19 15:15:49 +0000 UTCSee reply #7 in link for a PICTURE of the .44 Henry center fire cartridge vs. the rim fire version. Exterior case dimensions are identical to the rim fire cases, the thicker case head/web to hold primer pocket means a bit LESS case volume for powder- https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=53922.0 In comparison the .44WCF/44-40 is a rather larger, longer and higher case capacity round than the Henry, Henry is on LEFT in linked image: https://americanhandgunner.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/EGG_winchester_ammo.jpg
Robert Rowe
2022-10-19 15:08:57 +0000 UTCThanks for this one Ian. I hadn't known that the 1866 Winchester was produced in numbers as a rimfire. Winchester caliber variety is probably worth a video all by itself. I have met a lot of people who think all lever-actions are "30-30s". Many of them think all Winchesters are Model 94s which says something about the modern popularity to that rifle and caliber. I have a Model 92(.38-40), Model 95 Carbine(.30-40) and Model 94 Carbine(.32 Spl.).
Dana Arbeit
2022-10-19 14:55:02 +0000 UTCDer Gun? Sprechen wir jetzt Deutsch, jawohl? :D
Alexander Thomas
2022-10-19 14:19:53 +0000 UTCIs the 44 Centerfire the 44-40? Can these converted guns shoot 44-40 black powder loads?
2022-10-19 13:53:32 +0000 UTCTypo in title Ian
zspikez
2022-10-19 13:07:26 +0000 UTC
