Hello:

     At the auction Sunday, there is a vey nice 1885 Winchester HW in 40-70 Ballard.  it also has about 100 orginal cases and a set of RCBS dies. It has a number 3 octagon barres that is 30" long and a SST.

      What should I expect to pay for this rifle and is it a good buy.  Could the barrel be rechambered and rebored to 45-70?

      Thoughts and comments?

                                            Tia,

                                            zeke

     Hi Marlinguy:

     I thought of reboring for several reason like if the bore was ruined, cases and components very difficult to source etc.  I was under the impression that the 45-70 case was too small for proper extraction.  The rifle in question is a 40-70 Ballard.

       I an not planning to flip the gun for profit but want it to play with as my 85 in 32-40.  That is why I asked about the amount thta I shou bid.  I only saw one other 40-70 Ballard 85 for sale, and the asking price was $3250.00 with no bids.

    Thanks for the prompt reply.

                                               zeke

If that rifle is "nice" it's worth saving- as is. If it's better than nice, jump on it fast. 

Too many possible points of decision to assess here. Condition of finish, mechanics, possible options and sights, etc. 
Also, check to see that it really is original stuff- who knows from what you tell us if it's already got a new barrel or something? Dunno. Good luck.

Those high walls in .32 spl, didn't grow on trees either. Good save.

Totally argree with Art and if doing the work yourself you can get a pre-profiled and polished blank of your liking that can also be made to fit your forearm from CPA at a very reasonable price and real joy to work with. They are actually ready to blue or rust blue when all of the machine work has been completed if properly protected when doing so. 

JLouis

calledflyer wrote on May 3^rd, 2018 at 1:47pm:


Was one of those early-smokeless guns made c.1900 when hardly anyone, even the US Army, realized that the salt from corrosive primers could ONLY be removed with water, not the new "nitro" solvents that were being hyped as all the smokeless shooter needed for bore care.

Red, I've got a .30US version that left the factory in 1895- probably one of the earliest ones in that caliber. If the bore was any better, it'd be new. My ol' .32-40 is even older, and it's barrel is also pristine. I know the old primer stories, even have collected old ammo, but I think that those that took good care of their rifles in the old days left these. The other ones were from lazy folks, or later guys who didn't care about these 'old guns' any more. Additionally, I think the East coast guns and others stored for years with uncleaned barrels suffered more than the ones out here might have. Have a friend who owns a '73 Winchester that was found in a closet of an abandoned house here in Nevada. Empty since the early thirties, from the depression. Great shooter it is- especially for free. 

Nah, john, it'll be a rifle in it's case or safe, a barrel stuck in a corner out of the way, and an extractor stuffed into a drawer somewhere else. Perfect conditions to lose yet another fine rifle to the 'modify it to suit yourself, we don't need history' movement. 
Then, in another hundred years, they'll be writing a book that says that Winchester offered high walls with stainless steel, gain twist rifling, and it's the most common one of all in .45-70. No mention will be made of .40-70 because you talked somebody into breaking up the last one on earth.