1899 DH 16 /30

[Bruce Day]

It was feeling unloved so I took it to the Missouri Trap Shooters range at Linn Creek Missouri and put 100 rounds of Federal 1 oz loads through it. At full and fuller it reaches out there and smokes them when I do my job.

Some people say that Parker dogs looked like Pluto. OK, if you say so.

[Bruce Day]

Pluto's buddy

[Bruce Day]

Attached to that streaky, smoky, dark European walnut

[Bruce Day]

And it has a buddy, too. You know, for long range defense against the on rushing hordes.

[Bill Holcombe]

Lovely gun Bruce! What does it have on the floor plate? I have a similar gun same year but not quite as nice of condition that has is a 3 dog 12.

[Kevin McCormack]

Bruce, that is a great rifle - what caliber?

[Bruce Day]

Here you go.

The 1885 High Wall is in 38-55. It shoots standard loads of 150 grains to 300 grains, the latter a heavy load very potent out to at least 300 to 400 yards. Maybe I'll try Billy Dixon's 1874 one mile shot some time to knock a Comanche warrior off his horse.

[Stephen Hodges]

Bruce, outstanding, thanks

[edgarspencer]

1895, or 1885? Oh, I get it, an 1885, made in 1895.

[Bruce Day]

Typo. 1885 made by C Sharps in Big Timber Montana in 2016

I figured if those Michigan fellows were getting their modern sporting rifles , I would too. I wouldn't want to be accused of being anti-gun.

I leave for Montana in five weeks for the Powder River and Rosebud country. I hope to have a better time of it than the 1876 Reynolds and Crook expeditions and certainly a better time of it than a Michigander did in June of that year.

[Jim DiSpagno]

Bruce, I don't think you're aunty gun but your pictures make me want to cry Uncle

[Dean Romig]

What game are you going for Bruce?





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[Richard Flanders]

.38-55... nice squirrel gun Bruce! I'm planning on joining you in Montana. The only thing that will keep me here is if I get a moose late enough with my 1887 vintage Winchester 1885 High Wall .45-90 that I have to stay here to get it into the freezer, which is a major project by myself. I've spent a lot of time lately tuning loads for the gun with 300 and 400 grain cast bullets. Strangely enough, it shoots straight with both, which it's not really designed to do. Hoping to get a moose early enough so I'm not delayed. Planning to arrive in Denver Sept 25-26 and drive north from there.

[Dean Romig]

What game are you going to Montana for guys?





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[Rich Anderson]

Dean I would guess that its deer, antelope or possibly elk. The antelope/deer season opens 10/1 in Wyoming and I'll be there with a couple of new rifles. I can't speak to the opening date for Montana but that's my guess.

Bruce this Michigander is getting his sporting rifles in good order....you know just incase were invaded by Democrats:). The list so far Win M1894 38-55, Win M71 348, Ruger #1 450-400 N.E., Heym .500 B.P.E. and to many pre64 M70's to list. Be prepared I say. Off to the range to tweak the new 25-06. Good hunting to all.

[Bruce Day]

Rich, a 45-90?

No piddy 45-70's for you! Some serious knock down power there!

[Richard Flanders]

If I were really serious I'd have at least a .45-3-1/4"(120?). You can only use so much smokeless so going above a .45-70 is purely because you just like the looks of the longer cartridge and not because it has more power, at least using smokeless. I have to put a fair bit of filler and a card in behind the bullet to get consistent ignition at the velocities I'm aiming for. If you filled the case with smokeless you'd just blow the gun up and maybe break your shoulder in the process. It does have much more power if you use BP and pack it full for sure. The .45-90 was designed as an "express round" using 300gr bullets at higher velocity than the 400-500 gr bullets in the .45-70 going 1400fps +/-. I was pushing some 400gr cast bullets to almost 1700fps the other day, but it hurt to shoot them so I backed way off. I never intended to get them that fast. 1500-1550 is plenty. Strangely enough a load of 3031 that pushes a 300gr bullet at 1570 pushes a 400gr bullet up to as fast as 1695fps and with a much much cleaner burn. I also learned that Winchester WLR primers are significantly hotter than CCI-200's in the same load and up the velocities around 80fps. The only downside of shooting these large cast bullets is that you rarely recover one as they just go clean through whatever you point them at at just about any range. A good shoulder shot on a big moose with the 400gr will drop him like a ton of bricks where he stands and the hunt is over.

My dream moose gun is a long-bbl'd takedown 1886 lever gun in .50-110. I'm definitely a "big bullet" guy. They're out there but are pretty spendy.

[Rich Anderson]

Richard have you tried any Trail Boss powder? I'm using it in a Ruger #1 450/400 N.E. 30gr of Trail Boss and a 41 cal 200 gr pistol bullet gets me about 1700FPS is very accurate to a little over 100 yards and pleasant to shoot. Plenty of power for a whitetail. I'm also using this in a double rifle and 365gr cast bullets in a 500 B.P.E. also enough for whitetails.

My gunsmith as a Winchester in 45-90 for sale in his shop. I've picked it a time or three. Tempting:)

[edgarspencer]

I'm using it in a Ruger #1 450/400 N.E. 30gr of Trail Boss

Rich, what are you using for a case filler? That's not a lot of powder for the size of that case.

[Rich Anderson]

Surprisingly enough there is no need for filler. I questioned it as well but it works great just the way it is. I was using 70gr of 4895 and a 300gr Hornaday and it was a tad brutal after a half dozen shots.

[edgarspencer]

Surprisingly enough there is no need for filler. I questioned it as well but it works great just the way it is. I was using 70gr of 4895 and a 300gr Hornaday and it was a tad brutal after a half dozen shots.

Is there a big swing in ballistics between firing from rifle vertical (up), to firing position, and firing from horizontal, when powder has laid flat? That little amount of powder would lay flat, below the centerline, so the primer flash sets the whole charge off at once. Less forgiving powders would spike the pressures.
I loaded a 10.75x76 with 55gr.s of 3031, but was careful to fill the case with a non-migrating filler.

[CraigThompson]

My dream moose gun is a long-bbl'd takedown 1886 lever gun in .50-110. I'm definitely a "big bullet" guy. They're out there but are pretty spendy.
Back when I was hung up on square bolt Marlin 1895's and 1893's there was a dealer in California I got a rather nice Marlin 1895 in 33 WIN from . He also had a circa 1896 Marlin 1895 that had been rebored most likely in the 30's from 38-56 to 50-100/110 I seriously considered that rifle for awhile but I don't think I ever could have gotten my money back when I tried to sell it . Of course already having molds for the 50-90 Sharps was also a contributing factor .

[George Davis]

Just got back this afternoon from the Lewiston area of Montana. Just quick heads up this area got hit hard three times in May and June by heavy hail storms. Sharptail and Huns took a beating in those areas!!!! Pheasant populations seemed to be up!!!

[Bruce Day]

I used to hunt Lewistown but then tv shows and magazine articles came out about it so too many people for me now. I like the town but I am more used to places where you don't see any other hunters for days on end

Great slabs of cow at Harry's Place on the east side of town. Way more than I can eat and my dogs eat well.

[Rich Anderson]

Edgar I haven't noticed any difference in performance. The Trail Boss powder takes up more room than you'd expect.

[George Davis]

Bruce,
I understand about your thoughts on Lewiston as that is how us Arizona Mearn's Quail hunters feel about Sonita and Patagonia. I can't believe the invasion of out-of-states hunters hitting Sonita/Patagonia in January. I hunted that area for 25 years before I ever saw a out of state hunter, oh well I guess it's called progress.

[Mark Riessen]

Not to be a 'wise guy' but Lewiston is in Idaho and Lewistown is in Montana. Sorry about the comment, but I used to live in Fergus county and could not help myself. Mark

[Dean Romig]

Bruce,
I understand about your thoughts on Lewiston as that is how us Arizona Mearn's Quail hunters feel about Sonita and Patagonia. I can't believe the invasion of out-of-states hunters hitting Sonita/Patagonia in January. I hunted that area for 25 years before I ever saw a out of state hunter, oh well I guess it's called progress.

I fully understand and commiserate with you about more and more hunters invading our favorite areas. When I first started hunting a little section of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom in the late 50's and early 60's we were "outastaters" or "flatlanders" but after hunting there for the last almost sixty years I am considered 'one of the community or fraternity' of local hunters and I truly enjoy and cherish the trust and friendship of those good folks.
I hunted my home state of Massachusetts in my teens but when the pheasant population disappeared I had to find someplace where I could satisfy my lust for bird hunting and deer hunting so I became an "out o' stater". I had no choice - there were no longer any places to hunt in eastern MA and no real game or gamebirds to hunt. I went to Vermont where my Dad and I were invited and welcomed. A lot of folks just need to hunt other states if they want to hunt at all.

Now, more and more people are "invading" our special places in VT too... I can't really blame them.





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[John Dallas]

Lewiston is also in Michigan, and is in good ruffed grouse country

[Bruce Day]

Lots of space in the northern plains but when a place gets on tv and in the magazines , it's not long before it's over run. What discourages me about Lewistown is the bird dog trials they hold on sharptails and huns in the area. Lots of people with 10 to 20 dogs that they run and move all the birds out then many stay for the start of bird season then kill the birds .

You see full dog and horse trailers from Georgia, Tennesee, Kentucky from the big kennel breeders. Maybe they don't have birds left down there.

I've been to too many places that used to hold birds and then find they have been flushed out or shot out. I have two bird dogs and several walking hunters with me. We may have 3 or 4 dogs down at any one time. I can't match controlling 10 dogs by horseback out on a half section field and scouring every bird in the area. That's why I've moved on.

Nothing wrong per se with bird dog trials but when you run them on wild birds then stay to kill every bird you find with full kennels of dogs, that's neither for me, not my kind of hunting , and I don't want to be around it.

[George Davis]

Your right, probably should have waited a day to post any information on Lewistown,Montana until I got caught up on my rest.

Bruce,
I so agree with you on field trails; this coming weekend 70 entries in a wild bird field trail in Lewistown area and just discovered they will be holding a horseback trail in Sonita, during Mearns season.

Dean,
Our problem in Arizona is the explosion of guide hunts and they have focused on just the Sonita and Patagonia area. This area is just getting hammered from opening day until the season closes. Mearns are found in multiple area across Arizona and spreading the pressure to a wider area would help our long bird population.