Last week I received a 38-70 eBay barrel (seller said 38-72).  The auction had terrible photos and no useful description.  I was the only bidder.   
Yesterday, I took an action that I had recently removed the barrel from and screwed on the new barrel.  It threaded on and clocked up hand tight. It is 34" long with a #4+ barrel profile.  Great bore.  I had to drill out the holes in some scope blocks due to the 8-40 barrel threads.  I had all the parts to complete the assembly with minimal fitting.  It had tight dovetails and the extractor needed some minor modification.  The wood needs work, especially the forend which is missing wood on the right side but it was the only one with a large enough channel.  Depending on how the rifle shoots, I will work on the wood.   
Brass is coming from Buffalo Arms.   

Jack

I may have to do some work on the brass as a short section of a 45-70 case I made to test the extractor has a rim that is too thick for the block to close.  I should know maybe late next week then the brass arrives.

Jack

It sometimes becomes too tempting to swap barrels around. I picked up a factory cut down flat spring high wall action a few years back and ended up putting my 22 Hornet barrel on it. I just picked up one in .22 with only slightly cut down sides and I am tempted to swap barrels. Or I might take the .22 Winder barrel off the DST I just bought and put it on the cut down action making it period correct. The put the .22 Hornet barrel on the partially cut down action and put something on the DST action or maybe put the 38-70 on it or maybe……. Dang those interchangeable parts!

Winchester ‘walls are like Erector Sets for grownups.  If you have enough parts in your set, what you can build is only limited by your imagination.  My longtime favorite is a high wall 32-40 I got as a barreled action.  I found a very nice butt stock at one gun show, then found the perfectly matched fore end at another.  I have to admit that once that went together I had no desire to switch anything on it.

The neatest thing for the inveterate tinkerer is a takedown action with several barrels and stocks. Then you can really do some swapping! 

Froggie

Ya know, fellas, I have never removed or switched a single barrel on a High wall and loved the ones I owned just as much as a guy could do. What you go about is just fine, but they are pretty dandy rifles just as they come. Carry on

Sounds like Winchester 1885's were the Ruger 10-22  of the day back then!

calledflyer wrote on Oct 6^th, 2026 at 3:02pm:


Nah, the Ruger 10-22 has the ability to change parts easily by any owner with a handful of tools. Sounds like the 1885 has the same ability without needing anything but hand tools an action wrench and a barrel vise. 

bpjack wrote on Oct 6^th, 2026 at 5:42pm:


Jack, do you have a spare sear that you can swap out for the one that you think is too long? I would try it if you do to see if the problem goes away. Otherwise you're knock off spring might be lifting the knock off too high which is preventing the sear from dropping into the notch.