I'm looking for a replacement stock for one.  A friend of mine has a few of these rifles and he is wanting to complete another one and needs a stock.    I think he may also be interested in selling off part of his collection of highwalls and possibly some of his Mod 95 Winchesters.  Everything he has is shooters so it may be that some have Soule sights etc.  I'll be glad to drive up to his place and get pictures if anyone is interested - just e mail me at: trap4570@gmail.com.  In the meantime if someone knows a good source of stocks or other parts ... like a firing pin for a highwall .22 - let me know.

Harry,
I spoke with Mr. Barker back in 2008 about my repro action. In fact he only builds and sells completed rifles.  One that was fully engraved and sold for $US 13,000. His rifles with sights is around $US 5,800.

Just some background:
He began making them in 1983. His actions are dimensionally accurate replicas of the originals and are marked with a special marking that distinguish them from originals, a “&” on the underside of the receiver ring inside the action. His parts and originals are inter-changeable. His actions do indeed have the plug holes as he cuts the rear breechblock slot with a shaper. None of his completed rifles left his shop with a serial number under “10”. He did have a couple single digit actions pilfered but he is sure mine is not one of them. He case color hardens the lever and breech block. My entire action was received in the white. We spent a couple hours talking and measuring my action to determine how close it is to an original and although similar in appearance it is not dimensionally correct, so not one of his.

He told me that there were a number of people back when he started who made some Borchardts but most did not go beyond one or two. There was a man named George Hatfield in Chillicothe, Missouri who had purchased some equipment and stock from Artistic Arms of Hoagland Indiana but did not know if he is still producing them. 

Argus Barker at
Monarch Tools, Box 338, Stevensville, MT 59870
telephone 406-777-5931.

Since our discussion back in 2008, I believe mine was produced by either Artistic Arms of Hoagland Indiana or by Bellmore-Johnson Tool Company of Hamden, CT. B-J produced around 450 actions for Colt 1970-1975. Artistic Arms produced Borchardts from 1971-1975.

Just for information if anyone needs Borchardt work. Check with Al. Story at Borchardt rifle corp.And you will be happy you did. JMO Whitey

Subsailor,

I'd say you definately have an Artistic Arms Action. When first marketed the action sold for US $239.00. A number of custom built rifles were supposed to be built to commemorate the Centenary of the Borchardt Actions appearance in 1978. These were proposed to cost $1,250- $2,950.00 I don't know if they were ever made, as I have not come across a single one of them anywhere.

The Colt-Borchardt as I understand it, was not made 'In House' by Colt but the parts were subcontracted out to companies in the USA and abroad. Only the final assembly was carried out at the Colt Factory. Demand for this single shot rifle was low as it was chambered for a small range of rimless hunting cartridges. Not many hunters wanted to pay a high price for a single shot rifle when they could buy a bolt actioned sporting rifle with a magazine much cheaper than the Colts asking price for their single shot.

The Colt-Sharps rifle was apparently a very slow seller and parts lay around in the assmbly shop's store for some considerable time. It is likely that some parts went home in peoples lunch pails, as over the years a very small number of these actions have appeared on the WWW or in Salerooms which are not marked with the Colt stampings and are also devoid of serial numbers. Others were offered for sale as complete rifles but without the standard Colt profile of stock or barrel which suggests a few actions were made into complete rifles by home or pro gunsmiths. 

Information on this rifle from the Colt Factory is very scarce, this is understandable if they think they 'bought a lemon' when purchasing it and they perhaps don't want to be reminded of it. If they had chambered it for a series of rimmed calibres of yesteryear it might have had more appeal to single shot rifle hunters. But as made, it didn't conform to any of the rules for single shot rifle competitions for target or silhouette shooting, and only came drilled and tapped for telescopic sights.

Harry