"Thus ends the
technical history of the .348 Winchester. Please pardon
us when we say all of that really has little to do with
the "real" history. You see, the story of the .348 WCF
can never truly be told due to its unique purpose.
Designed solely as a powerful hunting cartridge for the
finest big bore lever gun that has ever been, its
history was played out in dim woods and along forested
streams of the cold country. Dark spruce, black water,
and white snow have felt its concussion in places where
weather was bad and ranges short. Elk, moose, and big
bears knew its report, too, but the only witness was the
north wind.
"Those who brought this rifle and cartridge into being
were some of the last men to know what relying on a
rifle really meant. Not head hunting, not killing, but
slipping as through a curtain, alone, into a land that
is big, beautiful, and totally unforgiving. A good
canoe, a favorite pack frame, a big Winchester with
receiver turned dull silver from wear by countless pairs
of mittens are all part of this history.
"Then the sudden violent shaking of the brush. A blood
chilling half-growl, half-roar paralyzes mind and
senses. Quick flashes of brown transform into a
slobbering face of teeth and gray guard hairs standing
erect, accented by eyes turned red with hate for reasons
know only to itself. As death closes the final few feet,
there comes, somehow, the crashing thunder of a Model 71
- again and again.
"Yes, the .348 Winchester truly belongs to another era.
It was created for a place that is part fiction, part
reality, part memory. Unfortunately, we have never been
allowed to glimpse very much of it." -Gil
Sengel, "Handloader" magazine #177, October-November
1995, (with thanks to Rev. J. Kevin Fox, who's wonderful
article on
www.leverguns.com brought it to my attention)
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