22WCF Winchester barrel

[smokenrust]

Have a question for all the knowledgeable folk here,
I have a chance to pickup an origional 1885 low wall 26" barrel in the 22WCF caliber. It is evenly pitted in the bore.
Is this barrel worth taking home?
What can this barrel be used for besides heating it and making it into a prybar?
Can this be bored out and reused in a different caliber and if so, what reciever would this barrel fit onto? I don't have any 1885 parts or guns... yet.
Just wondering since the outter looks is really nice and its octagon.
Hope to hear your replies. Thanks, smokenrust - Jerry

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Good question. I believe .22 WCF was one of those .227/.228 bores like the .22 Savage Hi-Power. Not the widest bullet selection these days. Perhaps a bore and re-line with a new Hornet chamber?

[jhrosier]

22 WRF is the same size, but shorter than, a .22 Magnum rimfire.

If the barrel is about free I would pick it up.

Jack

[jdad]

22 WRF is the same size, but shorter than, a .22 Magnum rimfire.

If the barrel is about free I would pick it up.

Jack

The 22WCF was the black powder version of the 22 Hornet.


You should not shoot 22 Hornet ammo, in that barrel. The 22 W.C.F. and 22 Hornet are very similar cartridges dimensionally, but they are not the same or interchangeable. The 22 W.C.F. has a larger bullet diameter (.226 versus .224) than the 22 Hornet, and it was originally a black powder cartridge loaded with a 45-grain cast lead bullet. Reline it to 22 Hornet and find a low wall action....$$$$$$

[w30wcf]

smokenrust,
If the pitting isn't too bad, it may shoot just fine. As jdad, indicated the .22 W.C.F. was first a b.p. round and smokeless ammunition was factory loaded beginning in the late 1890's. Catalog velocity was in the 1,500 f.p.s. range.

I find that 3.3 grs of 231 under a 45 gr cast bullet gives very good accuracy an 1,500 f.p.s. velocity.

w30wcf

[pwl44m]

S&R , if U don' buy it let Me / Us know as I could use a barrel for sure. If U do buy it let ME know.

[smokenrust]

"Reline it to 22 Hornet and find a low wall action....$$$$$$"
Thats what I figured, it would cost big bucks to put back into a low wall... Well at least anything I have pursued in restoring.
Yesterday I started looking to see if there were any 1885 parts available and how $$$ they were. Old parts are a big dollar ticket item to by pieces and the new stuff is just as bad. Wow. probably be cheaper in the long run to just save some bucks and buy a modern replica... erg, goes against my likes. Old stuff is better.
I remember 50 years ago these things were 10-20-30 bucks and maybe cheaper from an individual. 30 years ago could have bought a Winchester 1886 40-65 for 350. I Should have done it too. It would have been just like the one pa traded off for a Winchester 1894 32 SP.. He regretted doing the trade. And I always wanted one of them to just have for him to hunt with and for me to see one in action. But he is gone... and I still want those old lever guns.
The fellow wants 70 bucks for the 1885 barrel... and I keep thinking it should be 30. What would be a fair price?
PWL, If I get the barrel, you got parts for me?
Looking at the barrel, it looks really heavy in comparison to the dia. of the bore, could one simply bore for a larger modern shell and still be safe in the pressures on the chamber?
Thanks, smokenrust

[pwl44m]

Yep, I got parts, but like u say parts r $$$$. Mine has been bored to about 44 and the barrel is Nasty Nasty.My stock is busted. I planned on having it relined and would really like it in the original Cal 22WCF.But ammo might be a prob.I'm not real keen on single shots but Hey it's a Low Wall original.
There were different grades of Barrels. 1 2 &3 I think,Mine is a 1,this refered to the size of the barrel and what it could be punched out to. The # is stamped on the bottom of the Barrel.

[smokenrust]

PWL, Whats a fair price for the barrel I'm looking at?
Seems like it has Lots of metal around the bore. Thanks, smokenrust

[pwl44m]

I wouldn't hesitate to pay 70 bucks for it if it is as U describe. But then I have a complete Gun that needs a barrel. If U can talk face to face offer Him $50. Keep Us posted.

[jdad]

Here's a 22WCF barrel, for comparison, or is this the barrel you are looking at?

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =233989771

[smokenrust]

That is the very one. I have another deal going with the seller and I was hoping to pick up this barrel too. Does it look good enough to get?
Thanks SnR

[jdad]

The one listed in the above auction is pretty "chewed up", on the outside. $30 would be fair.

[smokenrust]

Jdad,
that was the price I was thinking of ... Gotta be the the appeal for 26", octagon, battleaxed up, Winchester barrel that got me looking at it. Yea, sure isn't pristine.

Did the barrels come with a standard sized threads for each model or were some interchangeable between other models and maybe other manufactors? They probably had different size/pitch/lengths for each model I would bet.
Smokenrust

(discloser) Not a gunsmith, just a tinkerer at heart, it gets me into trouble, When I take it apart...

[Old No7]

I just did some research due to a passing interest in acquiring a nice old Low Wall in 22 WCF as well, and some of the info I learned may help you...

"You should not shoot 22 Hornet ammo, in that barrel. The 22 W.C.F. and 22 Hornet are very similar cartridges dimensionally, but they are not the same or interchangeable."

[/color]
I was told that Buffalo Arms makes their 22 WCF brass from Hornet brass, so they are indeed "close". But I too, would err on the side of caution and source the correctly-sized brass from them, rather than firing 22 Hornet ammo. They also sell 22 WCF dies too.

"The 22 W.C.F. has a larger bullet diameter (.226 versus .224) than the 22 Hornet, and it was originally a black powder cartridge loaded with a 45-grain cast lead bullet."

[/color]
That's true and the thing that stopped me cold on getting the 22 WCF. Buffalo Arms makes jacketed bullets in .226 and those would work. But some knowledgeable single-shot shooters I know advised against using jacketed bullets, as they felt the steel wasn't "hard enough" to stand up to repeated firing with jacketed loads. They suggested I load lead bullets only, but at that point, I determined the "oddball caliber" just wasn't worth the extra efforts to me.

Good luck with your project, and be sure to check out Buffalo Arms if you need some reloading tools and components.

Old No7

[smokenrust]

Well, He came down some but not to where I thought I would like to be and I caved into his price since it would have a free ride this way.
After reading your post Old No7, I have been wondering if these old barrels could be heat treated ?