Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Browning B-78 calibers ?

What calibers were the B-78’s made in ?

I know 6mm rem, 25-06, 30-06 & 7mm rem mag. + a few others.
Supposedly 243 win. I guess it's like shelf space in the store idea as I see no reason for a short case cartridge in a bbl longer than 20".
I have a b78 in 25-06 and 243 in the short handy #1rsi. Enjoy em both.

I owned a 6mmRem...sadly sold it...

I had a .45/70 and sold it with glee. That buttplate from Hell about killed me. Lovely rifle othewise, but I traded a nice Sako .223 for it and wish I had THAT back.

I've seen .22/250s for sale.

What is the difference between the B-78 and the Winchester 1885 Highwall and Low wall ?

Mainly the triggers from a mechanical standpoint.

Browning brought out the 1885 after the B78. Those still had awesome wood in many or most cases. Later, after Winchester was acquired, the line was moved to that entity, and the nice wood went away. Browning revived the B78 name, but mechanically they are/were 1885s.

The 1885 trigger is nearly impossible to have a whoopsie with while lowering the hammer. They are great guns, pretty wood or not. Someday I'd like to pickup one of the rimfires, though with the Hornet in hand, it'd be an excess.

The B78 was the original design and first patent of JM Browning. Made from 1878 to 1883.

Recent calibers manufactured include 22-250, 243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, 25-06 Remington, 7mm Mag, 30-06 & 45-70.

Only 671 243 Winchesters were made.

This may be helpful:

http://texas-mac.com/Comparing_Brownings_Model_1885_and_B-78_Rifles.html

Both versions are different from the original sold to Winchester. Ther have been some actual reproductions offered by various custom makers with parts that interchange with the old ones, but those things seem to come and go like the wind, and all I've seen were well out of my price range.

They are fine rifles and I hope to get one in the not too distant future.

There's a bunch out there, including new ones in 6 & 6.5 Creedmoor, sans the pretty wood. The old Browning LWs in .243 and especially .260 top out the price range, excluding the BPCRs.

In a pinch, I could make it with just my Hornet and the .44, especially if I scoped that .44, a minor sin I suppose.

I wouldn't turn my nose up at some of the Italian versions either. Pretty sure they're all for low-pressure rounds, but Pedersoli at least makes some fine barrels. One day I need to drive down to Taylors & Co. and scope out all the neat stuff they have.

My son has a B-78 in 6mm Rem. His grandfather left it to him and it's a fine rifle.

Sounds like a sweet rifle. I would love to have one in 6mm.

No offence but are you sure those years are correct? We are talking about the model 1885.
The B78 also has a different trigger mechanism than the original 1885.

Here is one in 300 H&H





and a better view of the wood!




ya!


GWB

I took that information from the Blue Book of Gun Values and feel pretty confident in the dates but it could be wrong, I suppose. I was talking about the 1878 as a background to the B-78 of recent manufacture.

Wow, what a beautiful rifle, geedubya.

You can say that again. Those are almost too pretty to shoot.

I thought the ones actually made by JMB were 1879s, but no matter.

Winchester made some changes to the original when they started making them, then the Browning/Miroku B78/1885s had some more. No matter to me; love them all. Curious folks can find exploded drawings online if they want to see the differences.

It was called the 1878, named I presume for the year of introduction. I'm not sure when JMB sold his patent to Winchester but I'm pretty confident it was after 1885.

Saw a 1885 in 6.5 X 55 yesterday Palmer AK Gunshow