Winchester 38-55 High Wall

[waltp]

Need some advise. I have my eye on a Winchester High Wall 38-55. I believe they have been discontinued. The price is in the $1,300-$1,500 area. I shoot cast bullets,reduced smokeless in an original Ballard #9 38-55. I breech seat because the groove diameter is .386 and the bore is .380. This is not unusual in the oldtimers; they shot pure lead and black powder and assumed they would get dirty fast; therefore the big grooves. I would like to shoot easy fixed cast ammo in a 38-55. Just love that caliber! Question, is the Winchester worth the price? Thanks guys.

[hivoltfl]

last one I saw at a gun show was in that price range, must be typical.

Rick

[AkMike]

It worth the price if you want it bad enough! My High Thickwall, 1st year prod. 38-55 was alot less than that though..

[boommer]

waltp current 1885 winchester hi walls are great rifles I have one in 45-90 will out shoot me! buffalo arms has 38-55 for about 1150.00 but those cresent butt plates are a bear!!! in 45-90 38-55 piece of cake

[MT Chambers]

Are we talking about orig. rifles or Italian knockoffs? Orig's. in good condition go for alot more than the figures here.

[Dale53]

It sounds like they are talking modern Browning or Winchester 1885's. I have two of them (a Browning BPCR in .40/65 and a Browning Creedmoor in .45/90). Both are superbly accurate and fine rifles in every regard.

However, all of those need a "McGee Trigger Fix". After the "fix" you will have a VERY nice 2-2 1/4 lbs crisp, creep free trigger pull.

Dale53

[waltp]

MTChambers-It is a modern Winchester 1885

[waltp]

Dale53- Pardon my ignorance, but what is a "McGee Trigger Fix"?

[boommer]

waltp the one that I seen at buffalo arms is a limited edition run from winchester out of their miroku plant in japan I have one in 45-90 fit and finish is really nice. nice smooth action 4 pound trigger good for hunting and mines very accurate with black loads 500+pills. a original winchester high wall in 38-55 around my neck of the woods would run you 2500+ for something shootable it would be a good investment
If you buy it right the Brownings and winchesters have been coming from the MIROKU plant from the 70's I believe

[Gussy]

Price sounds high to me. I have the Browning, bought used under $1000.00 last year. Brownings have better wood and finish. I'd look for one of them even at a higher price. I've seen the Wins at around $1200.00.
Gus

[boommer]

with the brownings you really to not make the mistake on buying the b78 model because of no tang and do know you can put a tang sight but it's not correct and I'AM not sure they made them 38-55 but they made them 45-70 those you can pick up 600.00 to 900.00 I KNOW where there is two new B78 45-70 on the shelf 950.00 each and they been there a long time nothing wrong with B78 but you are for the most part going to scope it at least for me.

IN MY EARLIER POST WHAT MENT TO SAY 2500.00+ FOR A PRE MIROKU HIGH WALL

[August]

Not clear what model you're talking about. If it's the "Traditional Hunter" variation of the theme, it has a blued receiver and a tang with a Marbles aperture sight -- along with a dovetailed open sight on the barrel and a bead on the front.

Those typically go for 1000 bucks. However, they are rare as hen's teeth and very desirable because of the low recoil associated with the 38-55 caliber. The crescent buttplate is no problem in this caliber because it is relatively mild.

[Dale53]

The "McGee Trigger Fix" is outlined in an article I wrote a number of years ago. It is a step by step "do it yourself" project (or you can take the article to your favorite gunsmith for the completion). If you get the rifle or have a modern Browning or Winchester 1885 (including the .22 rimfire low-wall) just send me a PM and I'll e-mail you a copy of the article. If you follow the directions EXACTLY, step by step you will end up with a 2 1/4-2½ lb trigger pull with zero creep.

After I got my eagerly awaited Browning BPCR (one of the early ones) I was MUCH dissatisfied with the trigger. The supplied adjustment was a joke. Typical "lawyer trigger". I knew better than to take the action apart. It is VERY difficult to reassemble- DO NOT GO THERE. However, to better see the action "innerds" I pulled the wood off. Careful examination showed me a way....

Dale53

[cabezaverde]

The "McGee Trigger Fix" is outlined in an article I wrote a number of years ago. It is a step by step "do it yourself" project (or you can take the article to your favorite gunsmith for the completion). If you get the rifle or have a modern Browning or Winchester 1885 (including the .22 rimfire low-wall) just send me a PM and I'll e-mail you a copy of the article. If you follow the directions EXACTLY, step by step you will end up with a 2 1/4-2½ lb trigger pull with zero creep.

After I got my eagerly awaited Browning BPCR (one of the early ones) I was MUCH dissatisfied with the trigger. The supplied adjustment was a joke. Typical "lawyer trigger". I knew better than to take the action apart. It is VERY difficult to reassemble- DO NOT GO THERE. However, to better see the action "innerds" I pulled the wood off. Careful examination showed me a way....

Dale53

Hey Dale,

Will that McGee fix work on my Uberti High Wall? If so, I would love a copy of that article.

[McLintock]

I've got the Browning version that I bought in 1999 or 2000, and they're just great rifles, is the best I can say. Sent the trigger to Lee Shaver 3-4 years ago and he put a really nice trigger let off on it; one of 3 he did for me. Came up with what I figure are two really good loads for it; 18 gr of IMR 4227 with 245 gr plain base bullet. Shot this group with it at 100 yards:

It's my up to 250-300 yard load.
Then, for 300 yards and up, I came up with this load, 31 grs of 3031 and a 265 gr gas check like the Lyman one. It shot this group that convinced me it's as good as I can do with my limited rifle shooting abilities.

The barrel slugged at .376 or 7 (can't remember which now), but I shoot .380 plain bases and .381 gas check bullets. Both loads are extremely consistent, and never vary at all, no wild shots or anything like that unless I cause it. The 3031 load was listed as a favorite deer and black bear load for the 38-55 in a 2004 or 5 Gun Digest article on the old timers and good loads for them; I was shooting it long before I saw that article though. I'm still using the factory sights except for putting on a lower front bead so I can reach out to 500 yards or so when it's needed. I've won 2 National Championships for the single shot rifle in Cowboy Action Shooting with that load and I'm trying for a third tomorrow at Ben Avery Shooting Range in Phoenix.
One more thing, I tried the Mcgee Trigger fix on my BPCR, but when I did this, as the trigger was going away and I was trying to get one last shot, I decided to send the triggers to Lee Shaver:

Get the gun, you'll never regret it if you really like single shots.
McLintock

[Nueces]

Best of luck, Sir, and please tell us how it went.

Mark

[McLintock]

Thanks for the encouragement Nueces, I'll probably need a little luck to do well. You don't know the distance, no sighters, you just go out, sit down and shoot ten shots at a target somewhere between 250 and 300 yards, as fast as you can. If your sights aren't set right, you're dead from the get-go. In 2004, I won by less then 1 1/2 seconds over the 2nd place guy, so you don't have much room for error, like dropping rounds, fumbling a chambering, or anything like that. We'll see. By the way, the 265 gr'ers I use came from Texas, Hunter Supply, only place I could find .381 bullets at the time I ordered them. My Lyman mould for the same bullet won't go over .379.
Thanks again,
McLintock

[Nueces]

That does sound like a great rifle match. As the returning Champ, I'd think you to be less worried than anybody else. Here's to a fine day for all of you.

By the way, I did all my military flying training in your area, Willy, Tucson, Luke, 30 years ago. To this day, I have great fondness for south central Arizona. I loved how I could just park the old Scout and head for the hills with a good gun. Nice country.

Mark

Thanks for the encouragement Nueces, I'll probably need a little luck to do well. You don't know the distance, no sighters, you just go out, sit down and shoot ten shots at a target somewhere between 250 and 300 yards, as fast as you can. If your sights aren't set right, you're dead from the get-go. In 2004, I won by less then 1 1/2 seconds over the 2nd place guy, so you don't have much room for error, like dropping rounds, fumbling a chambering, or anything like that. We'll see. By the way, the 265 gr'ers I use came from Texas, Hunter Supply, only place I could find .381 bullets at the time I ordered them. My Lyman mould for the same bullet won't go over .379.
Thanks again,
McLintock

[hivoltfl]

that is one dead chrony.

Rick

[waltp]

To all- Thanks for all the replies Great information! What a great place to learn. I have been searching the web and found that NEF, in Gardner MA, makes a single shot target model in 38-55. I know it is an economy model compared to the Winchester 1885; Japanese made. Has anyone had any experience with it? Again thanks for the help.