Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots I got wood! Now what?

OK, I'm not going to use this for firewood.



It's a second set for another Highwall configured for Schuetzen work. I'm building something else....but what????

Whatcha think?

That looks quite yummy.

You wanna run black powder, or smokeless?

I'd be tempted to build either a .38-55 or .40-65.

Then again, the .405 was originally chambered in the High Wall.

Tex, was leaning toward BP. I've got several guns in variations of the .38 and .40 cal so I'm looking elsewhere. Could bend to smokeless but haven't given it much thought.

D

I've threatened to buy this rifle:

http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/kent-fish-gunmaker-custom-hi-wall-30-30-ack-imp-r15801/

It's quite an unusual, but nice concept. My gripe is since these photos were taken, one side of the action has acquired some rust.

This rifle:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=502546354

I've also threatened to buy, but I think it's got a #4 barrel and the seller doesn't answer emails about its weight. A .38-55 need not be so heavy, IMO.

One of the modern Low walls, rebored to .30-30 would also be cool as heck. A little more slim than a Ruger, but still strong enough for warmish loads.

You know if there's any significant difference in the tang geometry between hi an low walls?

I have always wanted a .38-55, but that's just me. Nonetheless, I'll bet that it would smoke just about anything that you can legally hunt in Florida.

sorry, don't know. I have a High Wall circa 1900 here, but no Low Walls to compare.

Nice wood. Were it mine I would be inching my way toward a mild .22 wildcat on a HiWall action.

The .35 Winchester could be an interesting old round to try. Shouldn't be that hard to make the brass from .405's.

Nice wood! .50 Exp or the aforementioned .35 or .405 WCFs would get my vote.

225 Winchester or 22-30-30 improved

You post title sounds like an ad for "Alice Fine Woodwork" or something.

"Go See Alice for great wood."

WOW!! Nice piece of lumber !
Cat

I don't know Alice, don't blame her.

Mention of the .405 Winchester gives rise to some consideration. I don't think I'll go for the .22 caliber if only because I have no real use...for...another.

Y'all tell me what you'd do for sights and such. Tang sight, leaf and blade, what? Barrel contours, lengths etc.

.405 would get a set of express sights on the barrel for general close to middling range hunting, and a tang sight for range work.

How about a good old .30-30, for cast bullet experimentation. Unertl blocks on the barrel and again with the tang sight for general fooling around. .30 Schwartz and .32-40 come to mind also.

There's always the .348 Winchester, too...

I built a Uberti 1885 30-30 into a 257 Roberts Ackley rimmed and made my own fore stock. I shot deer at 400 yards.

I got an 1885 this year that was reamed out from 45/60 to 45/70 in the 1930s. It is in terrible condition. The tang needs to be welded again. But it is shootable, just not long range accurate.


I will probably either do 25/35 or 25 Krag Ackley.
Just cause I have the reamers, dies, and brass.

The stocks I will just find some reproduction utility wood.
Per usual, I will design a rube goldberg custom scope mount.

It will be lucky to get hunted by 2016.

You trouble maker...

I don't know "Vi" either, nor need her to supply 'wood'. The thread title just begs to go off track considering the way things tend to turn on the 'fire'.

BTW, I like the way you think: cart is rolling full steam ahead of the horse; kind of like owning a solid supply of a certain ammo (dies, etc.) that just beg for a rifle build. (Guilty )

Off track is OK, I never had any guard rails anyway.

D

One in this style would be fairly interesting:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=503348315

I imagine with a small deposit Ballard would be happy to put something to your wood...

Ballard Arms Co. disappeared from the scene a few years ago so that option no longer exists.
Phil

their website is still up

http://www.ballardarms.com/index.shtml

.25/35, no doubt about it. Small .25s in single shots have a great history and deserve to be more popular today.

Just re-read an article on the .25x45 in the Rifle Varmint issue. Guy claimed it was kindasorta a .250-3000. After looking in the Hodgdon book, I decided it was really a .25/35 Rimless Short. Great ballistics for fun and games and woods walking.

A .25 Krag would be interesting, too

Krag brass has been the BEST brass to base any single shot rifle cartridge on, for a VERY long time.

"Rimless" Machine gun ammunition is for just that, and better confined to those areas.

Pondering the earlier suggestion of the .35 WCF. Finding suitable brass for forming seems a puzzle and what supplies are available are stupid expensive. Any thoughts on what case makes a suitable donor for the cause?

If you're building from scratch you could have it deep chambered so .405 cases could be used. The rims are .012" thicker on the .405. It would be a .35-405WCF. Or you could just turn the rims on .405 cases.

Thanks for that. Considered the .405, don't have a lathe so it would necessarily be the well known .35-405 Gopher Smasher. That ain't necessarily a bad thing. It opens up some other considerations now that I think about it.

(forgive me Lord) Did Ackley ever do the improved version of the .35 Win?