winchester 1885

[bigted]

ordered a spiffy 1885 winny and it is new in box. it is a "davidson's exclusive special edition". 45/70 , 28 inch oct barrel , straight grip butt w/ cresent plate , snable forend , marples looking tang sight , blade front sight , buckhorn rear sight.

i got a smokin deal on this rifle and want to know if it is the same as the browning b-78 model of a few years ago? reasson i ask is that i think ive seen this model 4-sale in 375 h&h , and if so, then i should be able to run handloads for the #1 ruger in it if i so desire. in the "old" days the older hornaday books read that it uses the ruger, b-78 and siamese bolts for its data in the ruger section of loads.

not that im gonna want to run 500 gr boolits at 1800 fps thru it...well not for the long haul anyway...but i want to know if they are proof tested for these preassures.

this is NOT a bpcr gun. this has the shorter barrel [ shorter then the bpcr barrel model ] so im wondering if i can run some hot loads thru her ? anybody have insight into this winchester model? wont break my heart if i cant run "hot" loads thru her but i wanna know what im looking at and what is permissable.

thanks all. ive posted this question before in others posts but never got a reply so thanks for the reply's on this post in advance.:smile::?::lovebooli

[August]

In terms of strength, I expect it is the same as the B-78. The B-78, however, did not have a top tang that extends back into the stock. They've done this on later models (hunters and other special editions) in order to accommodate a tang sight.

[Doc Highwall]

The triggers are also different. You should check out Texas Macs book on the 1885.

[NickSS]

It would probably be safe to load up marlin type loads but with a creasent butt plate you are looking at lots of potential pain for your troubles. So make sure you either use a slip on limb saver or a good magnum level recoil shield when you try it.

[Dale53]

I have some experience with the NEW 1885 Winchester and Browning single shot rifles. They are NOT at all like the B-78 on the interior but they will take modern bolt action pressures. The triggers are adjustable (send your Email to me with a request for my article on "The Browning Trigger Fix" and in two weeks or so I'll send you a copy by attachment {I am going to be out of town for a couple of weeks}). You can get a fine 2½ poiund trigger pull with the "fix".

These are really excellent rifles. I have the BPCR Silhouette rifle in 40/65 and the 45/90 Creedmoor.

NIckSS suggestions on the recoil pad should be "well taken". I kept the shotgun steel buttplate on my rifles but would have been MUCH happier had I fitted a good Limb Saver recoil pad to mine. If you shoot them 50-100 rounds at one time they can "get to you". I shot mine with Swiss 1½ Black Powder and even with black they will get your attention.

FWIW
Dale53

[bigted]

doc,,, thanks for the turnon of the book. i ordered it just now.

dale53,,, i sent a pm to you...thanks sir.

im looking forward to learning as much about this rifle as i can. very sexy rifle if i say so. its the traditional hunter model. gonna try to get hold of a pistolgrip stock with the shotgun buttplate.

[TonyT]

Dale,
Could youn please send me a copy of your trigger fix for the Browning BPCR. Love the rifle but hate the trigger.
Tony
ajtkmi@yahoo.com

I have some experience with the NEW 1885 Winchester and Browning single shot rifles. They are NOT at all like the B-78 on the interior but they will take modern bolt action pressures. The triggers are adjustable (send your Email to me with a request for my article on "The Browning Trigger Fix" and in two weeks or so I'll send you a copy by attachment {I am going to be out of town for a couple of weeks}). You can get a fine 2½ poiund trigger pull with the "fix".

These are really excellent rifles. I have the BPCR Silhouette rifle in 40/65 and the 45/90 Creedmoor.

NIckSS suggestions on the recoil pad should be "well taken". I kept the shotgun steel buttplate on my rifles but would have been MUCH happier had I fitted a good Limb Saver recoil pad to mine. If you shoot them 50-100 rounds at one time they can "get to you". I shot mine with Swiss 1½ Black Powder and even with black they will get your attention.

FWIW
Dale53

[bigted]

here is another dilema i run into. after shooting this dandy rifle i agree with the curved buttplate being a tad over the top. so it occured to me that the bpcr rifles have a pistolgrip butt and a shotgun plate so....whay not try to order a buttstock complete from winchester or miroku....guess what...i dont seem to find a parts list for these riflrs let alone a buttstock. ive googled it and mailed several stockmakers to no avail...everybody says they dont make stocks for these rifles.

question i have is WHY??? i work some wood and have built several bp muzzleloaders so i know a small bit about wood and cant figure out what is so special about these rifles and the fitting they require.

any thoughts would be apreciated and if there is a spot that ive overlooked for these buttstocks please do pass along the info.

thanks
Ted

[Don McDowell]

About the biggest problem you'll run into is boring the stock bolt hole.
If you look under Browning parts on Brownells and Midway you can find those stocks, but better make sure your checkbook is uptodate on blood pressure meds and sitting down.....

[bigted]

yep,,,just went to midway and maybe found the stock but with no picture and before i spend anywhere near 591.00 ill damn sure see what im buying....guess i wasnt sittig clear down when i found the price HOLY &*^$ must be made of gold huh? and then it didnt say if it was complete with the buttplate and gripcap...plus im betting that the "browning " stock will have to be inletted for the longer top tang that is on the winchesters...wowwwww!!!

[montana_charlie]

Back when you started this thread I didn't know what a 'davidson's special' might be. So, I Googled up this page http://gungenie.com/genie/default.aspx?pg=list&mfg=Winchester&mdl=1885&cat=2&type=All&cal=All&fin=Blue&sit=All .

It clearly shows Winchester 1885s with shotgun butts, so I have been wondering (all along) why you didn't order one to start with.

Now that you have a butt that you started regretting in Post #6, you might like to check Treebone Carving (dot com) to see the stocks he has available for the Winchester Single Shot.
CM

[Dale53]

Master Stock Maker, Bernie Harrell in Springboro, Ohio can build any stock you require. He had done a couple of stocks for me and they are exactly as I specified.

I am away from home for a couple of weeks so can't give you more specific information (call Information for his phone number).

Dale53

[bigted]

montana charlie,,, as you pointed out there are a number of bpcr's out there for sale. problems i have with them is i wanted a rifle i could actually pack in the field to hunt with [already have a sharps that weighs 12+ lbs]. the other factor is the price i got this rifle for.......well under half the asking price of a bpcr.

as for treebone carving allow me to pass along my experience with him. i wrote him asking for the stock i want and his reply was that he didnt offer a stock for my rifle becouse of the differences between the us made hiwall and the miroku hiwall. upon getting this bit of information i ...being inquisitive,,,asked him what the difference was as i am fairly competent with small inletting jobs [ figuring that i may purchase a un-inletted stock to carve on myself] wherupon his reply to me was
"just take my word for it".

since im not used to being a pup anymore i regret being "talked" to in this fassion so i will NOT be using treebone for any stock work i have in the future.

but thanks for your interest in my dilema. this may not make sense to you but if i fail to find a stock that i wish for ill arrange to use it the way it is as i love the rifle and the accuracy is everything i hoped it would be. the adjustable trigger makes an acceptable trigger pull for me and i see moose and black bear in its future.

dale 53,,, i look forward to writing bernie harrel and finding out what he has to offer in the line im looking for. thanks

[montana_charlie]

the other factor is the price i got this rifle for.......well under half the asking price of a bpcr.
I see...
The Winchesters on the page I linked to all fall in the 1400 to 1500 dollar range, with the shotgun butted ones at the low end of that.
If you got yours for (something like) $700, that leaves you in good shape to buy a buttstock that suits you...if you can locate one.

CM

[bigted]

charlie,,,lol...yep i did bring this in just a tad over the 700 mark but then thats why i ordered it. i have a couple listed stock makers on line that im waiting for an answer from but so far nuttin. the "NEW" rifles i found when i was looking were a bit more then those you found but when i found the barrel length i wanted and the weight i stipulated...this one jumped at me as a "NEW" rifle in the box with the origanal paperwork and the "davidsons" parchment as to its authenticity as a special run. this particular rifle is named a "traditional hunter" by the davidsons authority so ill keep the parts i replace to "make it mine" so to speak. what i really wanted was a hunter that was as much fun to shoot as my marlins with a more traditional look and feel and BINGO i got it only that bitplate hurts when i shoulder it quickly for a snap shot...hense the search for a pistolgrip buttstock with the shotgun plate. i also have seen photos of the lever on a early hiwall that had a pistolgrip lever of an 86 i asssume welded onto the lever of the hiwall so if i can locate these i plan to do this alteration as well...if i find a stock first.

till then ill play with it as is and maybe pull over the curved plate a limbsaver to ease the painful missplaced curve into my shoulder.

this is a very nice rifle and im not in the least saddened by bringing it to my home to live.

[blackpowder man]

I have the same gun in .45-70 and the first day at the range shooting 500 grain boolits at black powder velocities I talked dad out of his leather slip on pad. That was last winter and it is still on there. She shoots great. So great I just got another in .38-55 with the 22" barrel just last week.

[bigted]

cool man...this is my next cailibre. i also have a thread here on the 38/55 and im dully tempted to try to land one for fun n games.

[1874Sharps]

Bigted:

I have a Win Highwall in 30-06 with shotgun butt and pistol grip and I truly love it! I have not shot one of these with a crescent butt plate but can certainly understand how it could get painful in 45-70. While you await a new buttstock perhaps BlackPowderMan's idea would be just the ticket. If you know a leather crafter he/she could fit you up with a leather slip-on with some stacked leather inserts inside that would essentially convert it to a shotgun butt. One word of caution, though: Sometimes long-term contact of a slip-on can affect the finish on some rifles that will show when the pad is taken off. Of course if it is put on and removed after use in the field that will never be a problem. I am stating the obvious that you could also reduce the bullet weight to say, 405 grains to help out with the recoil. These great highwalls are not as heavy as the Sharps and so they have more felt recoil, as you cite. Anyways, congratulations on your new procurement and I hope you have alot of fun with it!

[405]

bigted,
Well unless you can sell the existing stock for $offset of what may be an expensive upgrade, might as well use it.... until you can find a reasonable alternative with the shotgun butt. Since most of my guns are either original or, if modern repros, have the crescent butt, I've learned to live with them. The suggestion about a leather butt cover is a good one. I've used the lace-on variety for several of my curved butts. They work extremely well for the heavier hitters like the Sharps 45-110 and the Win 1895 405. The lace-on variety comes with a gel insert that is flat. The problem with the flat insert is that it won't fit a curved butt very well... causing the whole unit to be too wobbly. By eye ball and trial and error I've fashioned curved, laminated, heavy leather inserts that fill the contour of the curved butt. That way when the leather lace-up, slip-over pad is secured it is stable and not wobbly. Since most original buttstock lengths are fairly short by modern standards (shorter length of pull), the added length of the leather lace-up hasn't caused me any problems. Good luck with the new highwall.

[bigted]

well here is a company at last that seems like they want to work with a person without digging into my pocket too badly.

macongunstocks.net

Bryan there has written me back assuring me that they do indeed make a pistolgrip buttstock for my "new" miroku winchester 1885. he sounds as if he wants buisness and i think i will order one of their stocks to play with. they require a little inletting and fit-n-finish as he says but what better way to make this stock my own for sure including the mistakes i will no doubt make. the price seems to be agreeable enough that if i foobar too badly it wont hurt my pocket that badly to just order another.......let the learning begin!!!

[JDL]

Been shooting my B-78 in .45/70 with the cresent buttplate for 34 years. It has supplied me with many pounds of meat and is not hurtful if held properly in shooting positions but, is a might uncormfortable off the bench when shooting 510 grain boolits. Just remember to plant it on the upper arm just below the shoulder and not on the shoulder.
JDL

[jfremder]

well here is a company at last that seems like they want to work with a person without digging into my pocket too badly.

macongunstocks.net

Bryan there has written me back assuring me that they do indeed make a pistolgrip buttstock for my "new" miroku winchester 1885. .......let the learning begin!!!

Did you ever order this stock? How did it turn out?

[bigted]

jfremder,,,

nope i havnt ordered one yet as i been kinda busy with casting and work with just the rite amount of playing with these big lead missles. i have been shooting this hiwall some and ya know im gettin used to that curved buttplate. i took the wrist mounted peep off and added an older full buckhorn to the barrel so this leaves the wrist open to wrap my big hand around and what diff this made i couldnt say but i dont know if ill be ordering a pistolgrip stock after all. i really like the looks of this rifle just the way it sets and i hesitate to change anything at this point.

i also kind of made up my mind that if a pistolgrip hiwall is needed that id just start saving to order another winchester that already has the pistolgrip stock with the shotgun plate.

another option is the snazzy ruger #1 in the 45/70.......decisions decisions...whats a man to do???

[texasmac]

Bigted,

The rifle you have is Winchester’s copy of the Browning 1885 High Wall Traditional Hunter. Remember, Winchester and now a part of Browning. So Win. is making limited series runs of some of the Browning rifles. It is not a copy of the Browning B-78. For the differences I refer you to my web site article at http://www.texas-mac.com/Comparing_Brownings_Model_1885_and_B-78_Rifles.html

Concerning a shotgun butt plate and pistol grip stock, the Browning/Winchester BPCR stock will fit your rifle except for one dimension. The tang on your rifle is 3” long and the tang on a Browning/Winchester BPCR is 3&3/8” long. So you could use the BPCR stock and fill in the 3/8”. You may also have to move the tang screw nut if your tang has a stock mounting screw (I don’t remember). A few months ago a company (affiliated with Browning) by the name of Midwest Gunworks was selling brand new Browning BPCR stocks and forearm sets on eBay. Several were sold in the $125 to $250 range. Some of the buyers have since resold the stocks on eBay. So you might keep an eye peeled on eBay for a Browning BPCR stock.

Another option is to purchase a semi-inletted stock from CPA Corporation. For a reasonable fee they will cut you a stock to fit your rifle. See the link http://www.singleshotrifles.com/Stocks/Other/Browning%20Highwall.htm. If you take this approach, you will need a buttplate and grip cap. I may have a spare color case hardened set for sale if you take this route.
CPA Corporation
RR 2 Box 1012, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328
Phone: (570) 828-1669, Fax: (570) 828-8333
http://www.singleshotrifles.com/
Email: info@cparifles.com

With the above comments said, if you plan on hunting with the rifle, the crescent butt plate should not be a problem due to recoil since your shooting will most likely be in the standing position. It will be a real kicker off the bench and murder in the prone position.

By the way, I’m not surprised to read your comments about Treebone Carving. The response you received is typical because the owner has a grudge against Browning for changing the receiver from the original 1885 design. I received a similar response as have several others when asking him to consider making a stock to fit the Browning’s. I guess he doesn’t need the business nor any other business I might have considered giving him.

Wayne

[C1PNR]

After shooting two or three of them, my Brother was scared to death of his 1885 in 45-70 with anything close to full power loads.

I found a slip on butt pad at Cabelas for about $25 or so, I don't remember exactly. We bought two since I also have one of the 45-70's with the same crescent butt, not to mention several milsurp rifles with steel butt plates.:shock:

After shooting a few rounds with the butt pad from Cabelas, I asked my Brother if he was still thinking about a new butt stock with the shotgun pad. "No way" was his answer.

It's called the "Shooter's Friend Premium Recoil Pad" and, no, I don't have any shares of Cabelas stock.:coffee:

[texasmac]

Certainly not the most attractive buttpad around, but based on other reports I've read it certainly works well. Buffalo Arms has them for $21.19 + shipping. Check out the following link. I'm somewhat surprised they work well with a crescent buttplate.
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,6924.html

Wayne

[45r]

The pad that came with my sporter works great,I can put enough H-322 or Vitt-133 under my BRP 420's to reach 2000 fps easy and not hurt my shoulder.Groups are accurate.Does get your attention and wouldn't want to be too close to the scope.I'd take your stock to a gunsmith and have a quality pad put on.