Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Winchester 1885 accuracy

I've got my eye on a used Winchester 1885 chambered in .270 Winchester. It certainly looks like a nice rifle. What sort of accuracy would it be realistic to expect from this rifle? If I could get the sort of accuracy I want the 28" barrel would put up nice velocities for long range shooting.

My Low Wall .22 Hornet is easily the most accurate rifle I own with the load it prefers, averaging under 1/2" for five shots at 100 yards. As best as I can determine with iron sights, my .44 mag is also quite accurate.

Brian Pearce has tested a few of the Brownings and has had good results, mostly with larger calibers. I believe Mule Deer once owned a .243 Low Wall and it was so accurate he just about shot out the barrel shooting groups.

I think the forend hanger they use might contribute to the good accuracy, but they must put out some good barrels too. I'd not worry about that gun's potential one bit, assuming the barrel's in good condition.

These are very nice rifles. I want more.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you think the free floating and forearm hanger stiffness is enough to allow for using a tight shooting sling without a shift in point of impact?

I hunted 2014 with a Browning 1885 in 7mmRM and it was good to 500 yards.




I hunted 2012 with a Uberti 1885 that I rebarreled to 257 Roberts Ackley rimmed. It was good to 400 yards.

My .243 is so accurate I won't touch anything on the bedding. Mine the hanger is pretty stiff and the fore end has almost neutral contact with the barrel. I can use a hasty sling or a Brownells latigo with out any noticeable shift in point of aim.

Only if I had an inaccurate one would I consider floating the barrel, breech face and then solid bedding to the hanger. If that didn't work I would pressure point it like some people do with Rugers. You could shim the hanger to test if this would help.

Can't speak to the Winchester build, but several Browning 1885s I've had have been unusually accurate. I think they're better-finished as well.

I would like to find one in 270 WSM. I have a bolt 270 WSM, not much recoil.

The 1885's are very easy to get accurate but the triggers on the Ruger no1's are betterIMO
I have been shooting both extensively since 1980
And like both
Currently my only 1885 right now has an RKS gain twist in .260 On it and it does really well with Hornady, Seirrs or the custom Chinchagas I have tried in it out to 500 meters .
My son's B78 was a very accurate rifle with a factory varmint barrel in 6mm Remington
We re- barreled it with a RKS gain twist in 6.5x284 and it wil still shoot 1"@ 200 yards with 130 Barnes TSX's
In fact I have never seen an inaccurate B78 or 1885 and I have owned 7 of them - except for the one I chambered in 6.5WSSM- that was a brass issue though !
Cat

Lee Shaver is the guy for single shot trigger adjustments. I have not sent mine in as he want's just the trigger and the tales of woe about putting them back together keeps me from doing it. The trigger on mine is not that bad or I would.

Tejano, It is simple, simple to pull that trigger. Lee does a great job. The trigger on the Browning 1885 is not the same as the B78.

My Browning 1885 .260 is a 3/4" gun at 100 yards with Federal Premium Ballistic Tips.

I'm either very lucky, or very unsophisticated. While not stellar, I've never felt the pulls on my Low Walls needed professional help. My B78 had been futzed up by the previous owner, but I was able to get it back to functional and safe in short order. Trying to get them too light seems to be the source of most woes.

I have an 1885 Browning in 7RM that I purchased new back in the late 80's or early 90's. It's one of the more accurate rifles I have. It's also responsible for my longest kill on a west Texas muley at 603 yards. I couldn't do that again if I had to. My rifle loves both the 145 and 160 grain Speer Grand Slams, but I've stuck with the 145's here lately. 62.5 grains IMR 4831, Remington 9-1/2M and seated almost onto the lands gives me .5 MOA all day long. I had 3 boxes of old Federal Premium 150 Gr. BTSP ammunition that my father gave me from a deceased friend and it shoots better than the Grand Slams. Federal told the bullets were Sierra bullets with a cannelure. It shoots less than .5 MOA with that ammunition and unfortunately Federal no longer makes that ammo. I have one box left and I'm saving it for a special hunt some day.

I've recently purchased the 145 Speer BT and it shoots extremely well also. I had my GS adjust the trigger down to 3 pounds and its a pleasure to shoot now. I'd buy another 1885 if I could find one in the 6.5 Swede, but they are harder to find than hen's teeth.