Q: In a book I read there was mention made of a Winchester Model 1886 chambered in .33 WCF, which saw a lot of use by an old American bear and lion hunter called Ben Lilley. I believe this character also turned up in the series Lonesome Dove.
I’d like to have a Marlin lever-action .45-70 rebarrelled to .33 WCF, but only if cases and bullets are still available for it. What can you tell me about the .33 WCF?
Robert Scott
A: Introduced in 1902 for the Winchester Model 86, the .33 WCF was discontinued together with the rifle in 1936. The factory load had a 200gn FN bullet at 671m/s (2200fps).
Cartridge cases can be formed from .45-70 brass. RCBS makes both forming and full-length dies. The form set number 40033 consists of a forming die and trim die. The full-length sizing set is number 30501, and you’ll need the RCBS 14 shell holder.
Case forming requires a fair amount of force, which calls for a powerful single-stage press like my RCBS Big Max. If you decide to go ahead, use plenty of case lube and avoid any .45-70 cases that have a cannelure at the middle of the body, as they are likely to collapse.
Trimming is easily done with a flat, mill-cut file.
Woodleigh makes a 200gn FN SN for the .33 WCF, so bullets are available.
You can duplicate the factory velocity of 2200fps with 45gn of AR2206H.
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