Looking at 1885 low wall
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:53 pm
Winchester is now offering the 1885 low wall in centerfire calibers again, with an octagonal 24" barrel.
I'm considering a .222 Rem in part because I already have some .222 ammo and in part because the last .222 Rem I owned, a CZ bolt gun was so pleasant to shoot, and so cheap to reload.
From what I understand, it is not difficult to load the .222 Rem down to .22mag level for some very inexpensive shooting, cheaper per shot than a .22 mag and with a heavier bullet.
I'm scared of .22 Hornet because the brass is pricey and very thin, so it doesn't last long. In the past, I experienced case separations in a Navy Arms .22 Hornet rolling-block pistol, and that kind of put me off on the cartridge. The brass on those things is paper-thin.
I believe that lightly loaded .222 brass would hold up a lot longer, and there would be the option of full-boat .222 loadings if a varmint hunting opportunity popped up.
They also offer the low wall in 6.5x55, which would do for most big game hunting with the right scope. - It weighs 7.5 pounds before you scope it.
I'm not certain about the 1885, they are very nice but they are pricey too. I'm trying to sell my M1A Scout Squad, which ought to pay for an 1885 but there wouldn't be much left over for a good scope. - I'd have to either use my 1" Unertl 10/12x for the .222, or steal the Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 off of my .243 Savage bolt gun if I got a 6.5x55.
Money is tight here, most of it goes down the hole as I get my shop organized and outfitted. Just about everything is expensive in this desert community, it all has to be trucked in from bigger towns, even basic stuff like lumber, hardware and concrete, etc..
I've been able to resist the Winchester 1885 for years now because they were only available in either big, honking black-powder cartridges or little pipsqueak rim-fires... Now that they are available in a few regular centerfire cartridges though, that threw a monkey-wrench in the works.
I'm considering a .222 Rem in part because I already have some .222 ammo and in part because the last .222 Rem I owned, a CZ bolt gun was so pleasant to shoot, and so cheap to reload.
From what I understand, it is not difficult to load the .222 Rem down to .22mag level for some very inexpensive shooting, cheaper per shot than a .22 mag and with a heavier bullet.
I'm scared of .22 Hornet because the brass is pricey and very thin, so it doesn't last long. In the past, I experienced case separations in a Navy Arms .22 Hornet rolling-block pistol, and that kind of put me off on the cartridge. The brass on those things is paper-thin.
I believe that lightly loaded .222 brass would hold up a lot longer, and there would be the option of full-boat .222 loadings if a varmint hunting opportunity popped up.
They also offer the low wall in 6.5x55, which would do for most big game hunting with the right scope. - It weighs 7.5 pounds before you scope it.
I'm not certain about the 1885, they are very nice but they are pricey too. I'm trying to sell my M1A Scout Squad, which ought to pay for an 1885 but there wouldn't be much left over for a good scope. - I'd have to either use my 1" Unertl 10/12x for the .222, or steal the Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 off of my .243 Savage bolt gun if I got a 6.5x55.
Money is tight here, most of it goes down the hole as I get my shop organized and outfitted. Just about everything is expensive in this desert community, it all has to be trucked in from bigger towns, even basic stuff like lumber, hardware and concrete, etc..
I've been able to resist the Winchester 1885 for years now because they were only available in either big, honking black-powder cartridges or little pipsqueak rim-fires... Now that they are available in a few regular centerfire cartridges though, that threw a monkey-wrench in the works.