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1885 High wall vs Low wall
- Thread starter Andy1
- Start date
NoSecondBest
New member
I own one of each. At a casual glance they look alike. If you look closer, the High Wall has a lot more metal in the receiver. It’s designed to accept the larger cartridges. The Low Wall is a bit lighter, but still a strong gun when it’s made with modern steels. I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a High Wall if you have a choice. If you’re going to do a lot (I mean a LOT) of shooting over the years it will outlast the Low Wall. That being said, I don’t know anyone who’s worn out a Low Wall. My Low Wall was immediately reamed out from .357mag to .357max and it’s had a lot of rounds fired out of it with no problems. I say, just get the one that appeals to you the most.
51cskipper
New member
The High Wall features a more massive receiver that covers most of the breech block from the side. It is intended for more powerful cartridges than the low wall.
I had a B78 in 6mm Remington (high wall) and a Browning low-wall in .22 Hornet. The 6mm was the most accurate rifle I have ever owned despite its octagon sportier weight barrel. I made the mistake of taking it apart one time to clean spilled powder out of the action. It took me three days to figure out how to get it back together (I think the factory had slave pins or a fixture to assemble it). When I told the local gunsmith how I had taken three days, he said: "That is not too bad...it took me three weeks to get one back together.I've decided to get a Winchester 1885 in 6mm Creedmoor. It's available in a High Wall and Low Wall. Can someone explain the difference and any pros/cons so I can make an informed decision. Thanks for the help.
As for the low-wall in .22 Hornet, it seemed to have a different trigger assembly than the high-wall had (I think, but not sure). It was never as good as the high-wall and if it was lubed with oil, it had creep (uneven movement...seemed to move with changing amount of finger pressure).
As I remember, the high-wall gave less access to the hammer for cocking than did the low-wall.
Both beautiful guns. Sold the B78 6mm Rem. to help finance grad school, gave the .22 Hornet to a neighbor Amish boy for helping put in replacement windows when I was too weak from chemotherapy to finish the job .
NoSecondBest
New member
Just a note on triggers: they are the same in both. If you want a really good trigger, contact Lee Shaver. He sells a simple to install kit that will reduce the trigger on either gun to 1.5lbs with no creep. I put one in the Low Wall but didn’t do the High Wall. The High Wall arrived with a 2.2lb trigger right out of the box. It also is phenomenally accurate. It will consistently shoot five shots into an inch at 100 yards. That Lee Shaver kit is only thirty-five bucks and it comes with easy to follow instructions or you can mail him the receiver and he’ll put it in...for more money.
Just curious... what cartridge was your high-wall chambered for?Just a note on triggers: they are the same in both. If you want a really good trigger, contact Lee Shaver. He sells a simple to install kit that will reduce the trigger on either gun to 1.5lbs with no creep. I put one in the Low Wall but didn’t do the High Wall. The High Wall arrived with a 2.2lb trigger right out of the box. It also is phenomenally accurate. It will consistently shoot five shots into an inch at 100 yards. That Lee Shaver kit is only thirty-five bucks and it comes with easy to follow instructions or you can mail him the receiver and he’ll put it in...for more money.
NoSecondBest
New member
My High Wall is a 45-70.
Ahhh...I forgot that I had one of those also (three in all, not two). It had a very pronounced, heavy Blued steel butt plate. It was a thing of beauty, but very hard on the shoulder with heavy cast lead bullets. I also sold that one to finance grad school.My High Wall is a 45-70.
NoSecondBest
New member
No steel butt plate on mine. It came with a shotgun type butt plate. I’ve seen both and there were different styles sold over the years. I have the straight stock with the rubber butt plate. I also had Turnbull do a bit of work on it also. It’s not bad to shoot at all.
Yeah...After I bought mine (B78, with straight stock and heavy metal butt plate casting), in about 1985 I think they re-introduced the 45-70 model as a Browning 1985 with a rubber butt pad.No steel butt plate on mine. It came with a shotgun type butt plate. I’ve seen both and there were different styles sold over the years. I have the straight stock with the rubber butt plate. I also had Turnbull do a bit of work on it also. It’s not bad to shoot at all.
51cskipper
New member
Thanks for the input. I was just on the Winchester site going over the guns again and noticed that the 6mm CM Low Wall is a 1:8 twist whereas the High Wall is a 1:7.5 twist. I plan on using the Barnes 95gr LRX bullet. Should I go with the High Wall?
Either one will stabilize up to about a 115 gn. Maybe more. You might ask Barnes about it...they should know.
Here's a calculator to play with:
https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi
Last edited:
Jim Watson
New member
Obviously Miroku thinks their Low Wall is strong enough for high intensity cartridges. But I would just feel better with the High Wall. My "Browning" BPCR is on their High Wall action and I think it is hard to beat for a modern design.
NoSecondBest
New member
I’d recommend going with the High Wall and not put too much emphasis on the twist rate. The twist rates are so close as to be negligible.