ASSRA Forum - small shank High Wall

ASSRA Forum › General › Gunsmithing Single Shot Rifles › small shank High Wall

(Moderator Group: Moderator)

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

Page Index Toggle

Pages: 1

Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies)

small shank High Wall (Read 3055 times)

scharfe Oldtimer Offline A good plan today beats a perfect plan tomorrow. Posts: 613 Location: ny / pa line Joined: Dec 18^th, 2006	small shank High Wall Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 11:56am	Print Post
	How common are High Walls with a small barrel shank ? Can they safely handle cartridges based on the 30/40 ? The reason I ask is that I have a Niedner / Dowagiac barrel in 224 Lightning. I'm looking for a proper action. I won't fit it to another action because I do not want to set the barrel back because that would remove the caliber roll marks. It's about a #3 weight full round profile barrel.
	« Last Edit: Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 12:23pm by scharfe »

	IP Logged

scharfe Oldtimer Offline A good plan today beats a perfect plan tomorrow. Posts: 613 Location: ny / pa line Joined: Dec 18^th, 2006	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #1 - Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 2:36pm	Print Post
	I would like to load it to a safe pressure. The boys at Niedner made it so they felt it was safe. The barrel dates to 1938.
	« Last Edit: Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 2:43pm by scharfe »

	IP Logged

MrTipUp Frequent Elocutionist Offline Quality is to a product what character is to a man Posts: 1404 Location: Indiana Joined: Feb 19^th, 2020	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #2 - Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 2:40pm	Print Post
	Hi-walls actions were also made for small barrel shanks, so while a low-wall is possible, it's not assured. Bill Lawrence


	IP Logged

scharfe Oldtimer Offline A good plan today beats a perfect plan tomorrow. Posts: 613 Location: ny / pa line Joined: Dec 18^th, 2006	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #3 - Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 2:45pm	Print Post
	How common are High Walls with a small barrel shank ?


	IP Logged

CW Oldtimer Offline Posts: 534 Joined: Feb 20^th, 2018	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #4 - Mar 23^rd, 2021 at 3:09pm	Print Post
	I have one. I had the same question. I built a 40-70 sharps straight on it using Hornady 405 brass. So, .... I joined the Winchester Collectors Assoc. Not to learn the answer to that but to learn that and many other things. What I think I know about the small and large shank Highwalls... Small shank Highwall frames are standard when paired with Number 1 and number 2 barrels. The rare exception may be a number 2 barrel in a large diameter BP cartridge. I don't have a ready example of an exception to give. Standard examples are when the Winchester Highwall was produced in 32-20 WCF with a number 1 barrel. = small shank. Highwall's are strong. I have no opinion for what you might want to chamber it to. We pay's our money and takes our chances.


	IP Logged

Bent_Ramrod Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 1582 Location: Southern Arizona Joined: Feb 8^th, 2006	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #5 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 10:57am	Print Post
	I found a small-shank highwall action and got it for less than they usually go for; probably for that reason. It’s now a .25-21. I haven’t seen them as all that common, at least in the trade routes I frequent. Tons of low-walls, of course. According to DeHaas’ chart, the small-shank High wall barrel is 0.825”, while the Stevens 44-1/2 barrel is 0.875”. The latter was used by gunsmith wildcatters for .30-40-headed case variants, but I’ve not heard of a small-shank highwall used for such. I would think, though, that the Lightning, being a total handloading proposition would be OK with prudent handloading practices. You are definitely into unknown territory, though. I don’t think the action would fail at high pressures, but you might get a jugged chamber from the insufficient metal expanding.


	IP Logged

Crown-C Oldtimer Offline Posts: 531 Location: St. Marys Kansas Joined: Apr 6^th, 2009	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #6 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 11:31am	Print Post
	The high wall on the left in the photo with the scope is small shank. I bought the action maybe 10 years ago and built the rifle up from there. Put a new barrel on it and chambered it in 25-20 wcf. Great shooting rifle and really no worries about pressures. Probably could stand higher pressures, but I just like the 25-20 wcf cartridge.

	Richard Crown-C Ranch in the Flinthills NRA Life Member ASSRA Member # 10366 Member & Founders Society, Cody Firearms Museum Veteran
	IP Logged

JSB30 Senior Forum Member Offline Posts: 407 Location: Missouri Joined: Apr 30^th, 2011	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #7 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 11:46am	Print Post
	Why would You want a small shank action? They were for pistol sized cartridges. I would not personally chamber 30-40 in a small shank action


	IP Logged

bpjack Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 3797 Location: East Olympia, WA Joined: May 18^th, 2008	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #8 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 11:53am	Print Post
	Years ago I bought a high wall in .22 that had a small shank. The barrel was not original so who knows what it started life as in 1887. I wanted a 45-90 for BP competition. I showed it to a very well known smith who pointed out the small shank and said is 45-90 in BP would be fine (Badger barrel). It is still going strong some thousands of rounds later. Jack

	People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.
	IP Logged

oneatatime Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 4474 Location: Rocky Mountains Joined: Oct 30^th, 2011	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #9 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 12:34pm	Print Post
	Scharfe, are you saying that the barrel in question has already been on a small shank HiWall? Did Niedner do it? If so, he probably loaded it to a lot higher pressures than you will.


	IP Logged

oneatatime Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 4474 Location: Rocky Mountains Joined: Oct 30^th, 2011	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #10 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 1:19pm	Print Post
	Landis in Twenty-Two Caliber Varmint Rifles has this to say about the .224 Niedner Lighting. The long, tapered, gentle slope will probably have materially lower pressures and should also have a longer barrel life. It was initially put on Krag rirles. It has a 14 degree shoulder with a diameter at the shoulder of .375 at a length of 1.675 and a case length of 2.166 and an OAL of 2.61. The case neck is 0.25 in length, the usual Niedner length. The best brass to make it from are .303 British because they are smaller (except at the base, of course) than the 30-40 Krag and easier to form the long tapered .224. He lists loads using 4064 of 39 grains with 40-45 grain bullets (4165-4095 fps) and 38 grains with 55 grain bullets (3830 fps). I would approach these loads with the usual caution.


	IP Logged

rkba2nd Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2103 Location: earth Joined: Feb 16^th, 2009	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #11 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 3:05pm	Print Post
	Those are 220 Swift velocities, or nearly so, and in a Krag, I would certainly approach them with way more than the usual caution. Regardless of a Long tapered, gentle slope. Reliable pressure reading instruments were not readily available to many at that time.

	rkba2nd
	IP Logged

scharfe Oldtimer Offline A good plan today beats a perfect plan tomorrow. Posts: 613 Location: ny / pa line Joined: Dec 18^th, 2006	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #12 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 4:52pm	Print Post
	The reason I ask is that I have a Niedner / Dowagiac barrel in 224 Lightning that Niedner fit to a small shank High Wall. I'm looking for a proper action. I won't fit it to another action because I do not want to set the barrel back because that would remove the caliber roll marks. It's about a #3 weight full round profile barrel.


	IP Logged

westerner Frequent Elocutionist Offline deleted posts and threads record holder. Posts: 12362 Location: Why, out West of course Joined: May 29^th, 2006	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #13 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 9:07pm	Print Post
	scharfe wrote on Mar 24^th, 2021 at 4:52pm: The reason I ask is that I have a Niedner / Dowagiac barrel in 224 Lightning that Niedner fit to a small shank High Wall. I'm looking for a proper action. I won't fit it to another action because I do not want to set the barrel back because that would remove the caliber roll marks. It's about a #3 weight full round profile barrel. So, you're looking for a small shank hiwall action. Correct?

	A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
	IP Logged

rkba2nd Frequent Elocutionist Offline Posts: 2103 Location: earth Joined: Feb 16^th, 2009	Re: small shank High Wall Reply #14 - Mar 24^th, 2021 at 9:10pm	Print Post
	I wonder if a really good smith could line a large shank Highwall receiver to accept a small shank barrel. Extractor might be a PITA, but pretty straight forward other than that I would think. But I could be missing something, not having all the parts in front of me.

	rkba2nd
	IP Logged

Page Index Toggle

Pages: 1

‹ Previous Topic | Next Topic ›

« Board Index ‹ Board Top

Top

ASSRA Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.6.12!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2026. All Rights Reserved.

Valid XHTML

Valid CSS

Powered by Perl

Source Forge

Page completed in 2.0433 seconds.