Old Winchester Restoration

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I bought the old Winchester single shot with an idea to fully restore it 'one day'. The barrel was pitted, the stock repaired after splitting, none of the original finish left. Recently I started importing barrel liners from TJ Enterprises and decided to give the old girl a facelift. I also had an original Winchester WCF boolit mould which made me querious as what level of accuracy could be achieved.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/LowWall_A_zps76604a69.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/LowWall_A_zps76604a69.jpg.html)

The boolits thrown by this mould weigh 118gns and experience has shown that 5.0gns AP70 to be a very consistant and accurate for a chronographed 1252fps.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/32WCFmould_zpsbb9ca731.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/32WCFmould_zpsbb9ca731.jpg.html)

First 10 shot group at 50m with the original boolit mould

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/LowWall_c_zpsc763185f.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/LowWall_c_zpsc763185f.jpg.html)

This 10 shot group with a 120gn commercial boolit and 5.5 gns AP70 for 1342fps. gotta love 7 bulls from 10 shots with open sights! *:onya:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/LowWall_b_zpscf656e57.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/LowWall_b_zpscf656e57.jpg.html)

[Walter Laich]

Not bad at all.
Going ahead with the clean up of it?

[Tatume]

That old gun shoots really nicely.

[heathydee]

I have one of those in 32-20 . Mine has a long barrel - about 28 inches if I can recall correctly . The top of the barrel is inscribed "The Daisy Single Shot Rifle "
The bore is pretty poor and fouls badly with lubed lead boolits but paper patching a 120 grain 308 bullet up to about .320"and loading it in front of 4 or 5 grains of AP70 gives 1 to 2 inch groups at 25 metres with the iron sights and no fouling .

101430

[helice]

Those old Browning/Winchester single shots are so beautiful. In 60 + years I have only had the joy of holding a couple. Lasting memories.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Rehabilitating and shooting old negleted firearms is pure fun !
I highly recommend you cast up a batch from that origonal mold using 30-1 to 40-1.
Find out what the OAL of a round is so the boolit just kisses the rifling and use that length.
Sizing.. if it will go hunting I size (just a short neck size) only enough so the after sizing belled case just holds the boolit tight enough so it will not fall out. For bench.. no sizing .. none. Use the fired case as is.
Load the cases with 3F so the seated boolit compreses the 3F about 1-16 of an inch with a cereal box wad on top of the 3F powder. Use standard rifle primers.
I use a home made 45% olive oil 55% bees wax lube.
I will be surprised if this load will not easily beat your best smokeless load. A little tweeking with seating length (longer) and you will have you one fine ground hog basher.
Now try to beat your best 3F load with smokeless but do not get too frustrated trying.
With old BP barrels this is my first try at accuracy to know what a barrel will do. I have yet to be dissapointed.
Mike in Peru

[rollmyown]

Not bad groups at all. It's amazing what some really bad barrels can do.

[John Taylor]

A few years back a customer and I were talking high walls and I said I would like to have one but they are out of range for me. A few weeks later he called and asked if I was still interested in a high wall and I told him I didn't have any money to spend, after all it was close to Christmas. Next day I got a package that had been shipped overnight with a rough high wall and a note saying marry Christmas. The barrel was off of a Krag and the stock had been repaired but the action was in good shape. Now it has a 38-55 barrel, a better stock and a tang sight. Someday I will get to the range to try it out. He did say if I ever go to sell it that he wants first chance.

[pietro]

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Pretty neat - I really like those Winchester Low-Wall 1885's.

I once had a pristine M1885 Winder Musket .22RF, but since it was a High-Wall, I thought it too heavy with all that wood, for a .22, and sold it. :violin:



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