I’m and getting ready to build a custom 1885 Highwall as a companion rifle to a Bowen nimrod in .500 Linebaugh.  

Does anyone know if the uberti 1885 actions are strong enough to take the .500 Linebaugh?  The cartridge has a max chamber pressure around 35,000 PSI.  

I’m hoping to use an uberti 1885 “courteney” stalking rifle.  Using it would save me a good bit of work as I’m wanting to build a shorter barrel brush/stalking rifle. They are currently building the rifle in .303 Brit and 45-70.  I’ll use a .45-70 as my base gun as the rim diameter and what not is the same as the Linebaugh.  

I’ve already got a nice Douglas barrel blank and chamber ream, I’m a machinist full time so the machine work aspect of it won’t really slow me down.  The strength on the uberti is the only thing I have left to determine if it will work or not. 

If the uberti won’t take the round then I plan to use a browning B78, just hoping to avoid that so I won’t have to do much stock work.  


Edit: does anyone know what the thread size and pitch is on the barrel shank of the uberti?  If it is metric it will make my decision real easy....my machines aren't set up for threading metric

I won’t say it’s safe, but I’ve seen a .500 S&W Magnum on a replica HiWall.  .500 S&W is a SAAMI max 60,000 PSI cartridge.

p_ham wrote on Jan 8^th, 2025 at 9:49pm:


My main concern was how much the wall would be thinned up compared to a 45 caliber or under. I know the winchesters and browings were made in some WSM calibers so I wasn’t concerned with those, just haven’t ever seen many calibers in the uberti guns.   

Do you have source for it being metric? Or Do you know the thread pitch on the uberti built 1885?  I’ve looked a good bit and never really was able to get a good answer   I have a couple change gears for my lathe but metric on my lathe can be tricky so I tend to avoid it.

p_ham wrote on Jan 9^th, 2025 at 12:16am:


I did not know about the .348 win offering.  The Linebaugh parent case is .348 win so that pretty much settles what I’m gonna. Do. 

The biggest issue with pulling a barrel to check is I’ll have to buy the gun first.  When I first started researching this little project I found info on a few of the lever guns and they were all standard and not metric but could never find someone who had pulled the barrel on a Highwall.  Looks like I’ll have to do some more digging for that.  Other than the unknown thread pitch I’m basically set on the Courteney rifle now

singleshotsam wrote on Jan 9^th, 2025 at 9:46am:


thank you sir, I guess I will be looking for a courteney stalking rifle here in the next few weeks.  You're the first person I've run across that has actually changed a barrel in one rather than having it done.