I'm looking for a 1885 in 38/55 and I have started to see a problem between the Browning and the Uberti, the Uberti has more furniture and is cheaper but the traditional hunter Browning is finished excellent and will have a correct chamber and bore. Thoughts?
I have three Browning 1885 rifles, in .223, .30-06, and .45-70 (silhouette rifle). All are excellent rifles, fit, finish, rifling, accuracy, etc. The lock-work is NOT the same as an original 1885, and the trigger is not easy to adjust. But the Japanese Browning (and Winchester) 1885 rifles are very nice. I also have a .45 Winchester 1892, Japanese reproduction. The Miroku rifles are probably the best made production rifles on the market today.
There is no internet bad mouthing of the Miroku 1885 in 38-55.
After a lot of research, I have ordered a Uberti 1885 in .45 LC to match a Uberti pistol in the same caliber. It will be a 100 - 150 yard plinker. I expect a less polished but more authentic copy of the 1885 rifle. And maybe more fun. I am older and my eye are not as good as they used to be. 100 yards is a fun target. I am not expecting it to be a Browning, and I am willing to tinker with it.
In short, get the Browning Traditional Hunter.
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C Sharps
Long range rules, the rest drool.
A Browning can be had for $1k
Correct chamber and bore? Never heard that UBerti had the wrong chamber or bore? What do you consider "correct"?Originally Posted by .45Cole
Of your two choices, I'd definitely get the C. Sharps 1885.
Love my Uberti 1885 and the fit and finish is very good. I believe the Uberti is closer to the Winchester original 1885 than the Browning, ect.
Yes the Browning is finished excellent and it's a very nice rifle however the Uberti has the "Correct bore" vs the Browning's smaller .375! This was just discussed in another thread a few days ago and there is a big misconception that the Uberti has an oversized bore when in fact most newer rifles, not just the Browning, chambered in 38-55 actually have a smaller bore than a true 38-55 like the Uberti. Apparently the manufacturers of most new rifles/barrels are already tooled up for the .375 and it's so close to the traditional 38-55 that they just use it instead of retooling to make a slightly different bore for a very small market, can't blame them for that I suppose and besides the .375 will have a much bigger bullet selection to chose from.
Yes it's MUCH closer since it's an almost exact copy of the original while the Browning shares only the model no. and a somewhat similar outward appearance, not a singe part inside the receiver or anywhere else on the rifle is even close to an original (or the Uberti or C Sharps)! The Brownings are a completely new modern and quite complex design having many more small parts than the much simpler original design, this is not to knock them however as they are fine rifles it's just that they are VERY different.
Also C Sharps is probably the best choice out there for an 1885, it is extremely well built and maintains the original design with it's time proven reliability and simplicity.
Last edited by oldred; 09-18-2018 at 08:10 PM.
Statistics show that criminals commit fewer crimes after they have been shot
The Miroku .32-40 that I bird-dogged for my Dad a year or so ago has turned out to be our most accurate cast gun, and it has a fantastic finish, but as has been said, it's not really a true 1885.
I've been trying to get a specific Uberti 1885 Low Wall for about a year, but it's been a case of (1.) correct model not available, (2.) incorrect model shipped and shipped back, and (3.) correct model still not available. Had the correct gun been shipped, I'd have been a happy camper at least based on the visual. Not a show piece, but they did it justice.
With .38-55, I wouldn't pick before I asked the manufacturers or importers about true land and groove diameters as well as twist rates to make sure it's going to do what you want it to do.
WWJMBD?
In the Land of Oz, we cast with wheel weight and 2% Tin, Man.
I've owned a number of Miroku built 1885's and they were all quite accurate. I've never owned an Uberti 1885, but I've heard more than once of people getting rifles that won't shoot.
If I had to choose only between those two I'd pick the Miroku for sure. I'd try to find a used one, the heavier barreled .38-55's that they were selling maybe 5 or so years ago with the shotgun buttplate.
Chris.
I am with old red here. The uberti is more original in almost all respects including bore diameter.
There is a huge difference between my1893 Marlin 38-55 and my rebarreled with a GM barrel Miroku 38-55. The Marlin has the correct .380 diameter groove and the Miroku has the WRONG groove diameter of .375.
Both are very accurate, but, they do NOT use the same boolits.
Huge difference between .375 and .380. If fed the right boolit diameters either one will have accurate potential.
I think this is why some Uberti owners have complained of accuracy problems with the 38-55, they mistakenly assume something is wrong with the rifle when it's nothing more than feeding it the wrong ammo! The newer model Winchester/Browning 1885 manufacturers, and a couple others, seem to have done a huge disservice by opting to use the wrong bore diameter for this caliber simply because that's what they had already so it saved them money since it was "close enough" in their opinion, of course their opinion is greatly influenced by profits and they couldn't care less about the shooter! Some companies, like Uberti to their credit, stayed true to the traditional design and the correct bore diameter while Miroku changed everything about the rifle including the bore in the instance of the 38-55.
Statistics show that criminals commit fewer crimes after they have been shot
Seems that many shooters today consider the smaller .375" bore to be the "correct" size, and the traditional old original bore sizes to be wrong. Nice to see that many here know the difference and appreciate a truly correct (original) bore.
I am somewhat of a traditionalist (dont shoot fake blackpowder = subs) but now and then common sense has to get a bit of a run too - counting myself very fortunate that my Oliver F Winchester 38/55 came out of the factory with the wrong size bore - its a tackhole shooter - I can take my pick of the mob of 375 boolits, molds, ammo, thats available rather than cussing at a pretty gun that wont shoot worth a hoot unless I mess with uncommon sized components. I had thought that the oversized bore thing was just winchester being sloppy wih their machining - not so aparrently - does anyone know for sure at what point the 38/55 became a 37 and a half/55 ?? (the 55 bit is suspect too - no way no how they ever got 55 grains of black in there with a boolit that would cycle, on top of it)
All my .38-55's have bores of .380" or larger. Never had any trouble getting them to shoot extremely accurate, or finding molds to cast bullets for this bore size. My Schoyen Ballard has a .382" groove and a 1:15" twist. I shoot the old Ideal Doc Hudson bullet in it, and it will shoot under 1" at 100 yds. So I'm happy with the original bore sizes myself.
The bore size doesn't really matter. It's pretty easy to get a mold to fit anything you want these days. Of greater concern to me is the quality of the barrel/chambering job, and the rest of the rifle.
Chris.
I have no experience with Uberti rifles, however I do have a Browning Traditional Hunter in 30-30 that I have had for better than 16 years. It is a finely made and highly accurate rifle with cast bullets. It would be one of the very last rifles I would part with.
Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.
A little less easy to do all that if you live south of the equator - expensive shipping - unreasonable customs and import delays for anything gun related - stringent licencing laws ................
I imagine so. I'm in Canada so it's easier than it is for you, but still trickier than for an American. Is it difficult/expensive to get a mold from Buffalo Arms sent to you?
Chris.
Maybe going Uberti would be best if one was looking at a companion marlin 38/55 too. Is there any difference between all the Italian guns for hte 1885 in 38/55 (taylor, uberti, navy arms, cimmarron, ect?)
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