1885 Winchester high wall 32-40

[Bushmaster1]

Picked up this 1885 . It’s an obvious build maybe from the 80s? Idk has a heavy R.Hoch barrel and unertl 12x scope and the stock is definitely not original.

I did notice the lever is alittle loose and hangs down a smidge without resistance . Is this typical? Also the trigger has a small screw under it . I’m assuming to take up some of the creep it has a very short trigger pull.

[snipin101]

Wow, just wow. Don't know about the lever but I'm gonna guess it's no big deal. That is a very fine looking firearm there. Congratulations on your new purchase. Let us know how it shoots.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

[koger]

Nice looking rig, thanks for sharing the pics.

[Beaver Scout]

That looks new enough that it's a coil spring set up instead of the older flat spring. I have only done anything with flat springs, and the lever should not be loose or hang down any amount, it might be worn quite a bit. It looks like it was in rough shape when they re-blued it because the words on the tang are pretty thin.
The screw in the trigger is for a set trigger, you screw it in and out to adjust the pull on it. To set it you push it forward until it clicks and then you have the set trigger, otherwise it works normally.

[5614estell]

Nice rifle! You'll need a breach seater to get the best accuracy. Much easier than loading fixed ammo.

[Chill Wills]

"Picked up this 1885 . It’s an obvious build maybe from the 80s? Idk has a heavy R.Hoch barrel and unertl 12x scope and the stock is definitely not original."

Yes, 1980's or maybe earlier. You may know (or not) Richard Hoch had his hands in all kinds of shooting related businesses. Gunsmith and schuetzen shooter, this rifle looks like he set this rifle up for bench shooting. Likely a build for a customer, but I don't know. Richard Hoch lived on Colorado's western slope around Montrose, CO. He owned Barns Bullets for a time. He started the line of Hoch bullets molds patterned after the molds Pope made, he later sold to Dave Farmer doing business as Colorado Shooter Supply. He designed the Hoch Singleshot action, as stricker action, it was not popular. He was known as an innovator and examples of his work and tools are found all over the singleshot world.

His machine work was known to be good and I am sure that rifle was well made. I hope it is still in good shape and accurate. Looks like you have a fine custom Highwall.

[Gunlaker]

The lever in a coil spring rifle is held up by a little spring and plunger at the front. I'm sure you could order a replacement spring from C. Sharps if you want. A little droop won't affect how the rifle functions.

Definitely look into breech seating a properly fitting cast bullet if you want max accuracy. My .32-40's can be quite picky about the bullets they use. Determining twist rate is very important with this cartridge in my experience. It will likely be somewhere in between 1:16 to 1:14. The slower twists will probably like a bullet around 185gr and the faster twists maybe 200-205gr or so. Tapered for breech seating. IMR-4227 is a great powder. When you get it sorted out, it should shoot minute of angle or better.

I'd advise doing some reading about the cartridge on the ASSRA forum. Plenty of experience with these rifles there.

Chris.

[Bent Ramrod]

If it’s a flat-spring model, putting a fat barrel on sometimes changes the relationship of that multifunctional mainspring end to the front of the lever that it bears against. Depending on how this has changed, the lever can be impossible to open, or hard to close, or maybe a bit floppy when closed.

I have a small-shank Highwall that I put a fat half-octagon barrel onto. It was too large in diameter for the little dovetail pad that the spring normally anchors to, so I figured a hole drilled in the barrel was all that would be needed. Wrong again; I had to experiment for a while, filing thicknesses and angles on washers until I got the spring to where the lever would open and close easily.

If yours is a flat spring model, putting a shim on front or back of the base of the spring and tightening the screw down might put it at the right angle to keep the lever tight.

[marlinman93]

Has all the features I'd expect to see on a fine benchrest single shot 1885 rifle. And the Hoch provenance makes it even better! Well done also, which is a plus for any customized old single shot. A lot of them were done with pretty crappy stock work, unlike yours!
I recently bought a 1885 High Wall with a single set trigger, Lyman 20x target scope, and a barrel marked "Dean Enstad Oregon City". It's in .219 Ackley Improved, and still has the original Winchester stocks. Enstad was a protégé, and employee of PO Ackley, and had his own shop in Oregon City, Or. up into his 90's.

[Green Frog]

Bent Ramrod said the things I had been thinking as I scrolled though this thread, including the suggestion to go to the ASSRA Forum. I would add that if it turns out to be a coil spring model, you might stretch the spring in the recess over the front of the lever… this will at least settle the question of droop. If, OTOH, it is a flat or leaf spring action, that one spring is both the mainspring operating the hammer and keeps the lever up essentially as a happy side effect. I would be careful altering that in any way as it can affect both hammer fall and trigger pull weight.

Froggie