I just got my hands on an early low wall and I am not sure what to do with it.  It is a standard early low wall except it has the very early ballard/farrow swiss buttplate and It appears as if the lever has been nickled at some point.  

The metal is in acceptable condition and the bore has been relined to 22lr.  The buttstock is in rough shape.  I think it could be fixed but that might start me down the path to a full restoration.  

Maybe I take a spare set trigger assembly I have and install it and replace the buttstock and buttplate with an original, add a scope and shoot it like that.

Maybe I sell everything except the action and turn it into the offhand rifle that I have been wanting. #2 barrel, scope, set trigger, nice wood, etc...

I just want to know what your guys thoughts are on this rifle and what direction you would go with it.  I've only had it in my hands for a few hours now and given that it is 95+ degrees and 95% humidity I wont be shooting it for at least a few days.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Serial is in the 19k range, which should put it around 1888.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but the more I hold it the more I love this buttplate.   I have lots of options and they all seem like good options to me.

I agree with either leaving it alone, or doing it all up the way you want. If the barrel shoots well, I'd leave it on the action, and after fitting new wood, I'd simply refinish barrel and action with proper rust bluing, and case colored receiver.
Might want to pull the buttstock off, and see if the left lower tang has an "SB" stamped in it. Both of my 1885's with Swiss Buttplates had the SB stamp on the lower tangs.

The complication to adding the "spare set trigger" you have is that you will need to have the hammer slit and equipped with a fly.  If it is a DST, you will also need to change the fly as well. 

While the stock as it is offends the eye, it might work ok anyway... I would leave it alone unless I were going to go all out for a rebuild, then I would have a new buttstock cut with the proper inletting for that great old small Swiss butt plate.  If I were starting the project from scratch right now, I would be inclined to go with a "Special Sporter" type stock (pistol grip and cheek piece) and go on to set up the hammer and sear to use whatever SST you have at hand.  A new 22 cal barrel equivalent to #2 weight with a 10X Lyman Jr Targetspot, and I'd be ready to take on the world! 

Yes, I'm the Walter Mitty of single shots!

Froggie

chawk wrote on Jul 6^th, 2016 at 7:22pm:


It does indeed; but I doubt the needed work would exceed 2 Gs; not that 2 Gs is small change to me!  ((Though I get the impression it is to quite a few on this board.)   

Best not to let that "perfect bore" sway your judgment too much, as a perfect relined bore is a very different thing from a perfect original bore. 

Might be instructive to get an estimate from Doug Turnbull of what a new stock set & complete refinish would run, because his charge would probably be the high water mark.

I took the buttstock off and it does NOT have a SB stamped on the lower tang.  In fact there are no marking on the inside of the lower tang.  Also, I noticed that on the buttstock where the top tang enters there are the numbers 2256 stamped into the wood.  These do not correlate to the serial number.  I cannot find anything about numbers stamped in the top of the buttstock in Campbell's book or in any other research I have done.

I don't know what any of this means but I am putting it down for posterity.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

chawk wrote on Jul 7^th, 2016 at 8:34am:


I don't know what it means either, but Winchester stocks were never ordinarily marked with the gun's serial number, or any other number--mighty convenient if a stock must be replaced.   

Would be interesting to find out if the Cody Museum records note anything unusual about this gun, such as being returned to the factory for repair or modification; however, the odds for that are too small to justify Cody's exorbitant charge for this service, which used to be FREE when the records were in New Haven.

There are no markings under the buttplate but while taking the buttplate off one of the screws broke!  I'm sure those more experienced than me have seen this before but I have never seen a screw break where this one did.  I was using the right screwdriver and the head isn't "buggered" in any way, the steel just broke.  I will not be putting that screw back in because I wouldn't be able to get it back out.

Maybe this buttstock didn't come with this gun?  Maybe that nickle lever is aftermarket, or from another gun?  Given the shape of the buttstock and the relined barrel it doesn't really matter but I do like a good archeological dig.   

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)