doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com A winchester action or stock.

I would believe the MVA is also a copy! :-)

The king of HiWall actions would be a thickwall blued centerfire solid frame with coil mainspring. If such a prize showed up at a gun show my guess it would be priced at over $1500. On the other hand a thinwall blued .22RF Winder Musket coilspring action can be had for half that. Although musket actions are softer, they IMO will handle any load in any black powder cartridge with absolute security. And though "scarce", they are not rare. It is still possible to buy complete HiWall Muskets for under a thousand bucks in good condition. I would much rather start with such a Winchester action that with any of the clones.

mkb, it is interesting that you think a thick-sided, coil spring is the premier action. I don't see a lot of differences in prices among highwall actions with respect to thick and thin, but the flat spring action seems a little more desirable to most folks I know.

A winder highwall with holes in it is hard to find and also more expensive every day. I can't find Winders for under a grand - though most are complete rifles.

As for Green Mt barrels, Glenn Fewless, who occasionally shows his sunny virtual face around here, convinced me that they are very worthy barrels by thrashing me repeatedly in Creedmoor matches. So, I have used one on my current highwall .45-70 and it is the most accurate barrel I have by a good bit. I have numerous Badgers, a Krieger and a Douglass to compare with.

On that recommendation, buddy bought one as well but when he slugged it, it had numerous tight and loose spots in it. He sent it back for another w/o mounting it, but I don't know its fate.

Brent

Brent, I can't speak to the preferability of flatpring vs. coilspring primer ignition. But HiWalls have a comparatively small barrel shank opening, i.e., .93" vs. the usual 1" or more of bolt actions. The flatspring has a thin web under the barrel shank where there is a hole for the spring to pass through. The coil version is solid. Granted that this was thought up to allow a takedown action, but it is at least a theoretical advantage.

Regarding Green Mt. barrels, I only have experience with a .22RF barrel and I could not be happier.

I have a false-barrel Stevens 44 1/2 of Niedner's but it's chambered for the .22 short. I wanted to have a .22 LR for the same action as they are easily changed.

In the original form, with the earlier softer steel barrels, IMO it was much more than merely a theoretical advantage. With modern high-strength heat-treated barrels OTOH it's probably a somewhat of a moot point. Please see John Buhmiller's attempts to blow up high walls as recounted by him (Buhmiller) in Simmons' Custom Built Rifles. As Arte Johnson used to say, "Veeerrry in-ter-est-ing!"

GM barrels are no better or worse than any other quality barrels, they've set plenty of national records and won plenty of national matches in more than one shooting discipline. They continue to be a good choice, IMO as good as Douglas or Shilen any day. I've been using them for over 10 years with good satisfaction and will continue to use 'em in any appropriate application. I especially like the little breech tulip left on many of their octagon barrel blanks, IMO it really sets off a nice rifle very well.
Regards, Joe

LRF
Of course the MVA is not an original, period sight made by Soule himself. However, the MVA and the Baldwin are the premier current production "Soule type" sights made today. Although the Italian sight may serve your needs, my point was they are not of the same quality or worth the same money as the MVA.

J Scott McCash,
You observed and stated the sight was a copy and I only also commented the MVA was also a copy.
Far be it for me to judge the merits of one vs the other.

GreenMountain barrels...If my memory servers me they started business making low end muzzle loader barrels using 12L14. They were one end and Getz was kind of on the other. I see they are using 4140 and Stainless steel in some of there barrels now.

Brent if you can find out about the fate of your freinds barrel that would be interesting. Do you know if it was cut or buttoned rifling? To me tight and loose spots may indicate improperly heat treated steel being used.

An argument for the coilspring action is that if you are willing to mess up an original you can bore and thread the front face for a forearm strut and free float your barrel. I do not know anyone who has ever done it but I have thought about it ... Today it would make more economic sense to use a clone. Another stunt is one that Tom Burgess actually did, he bored out and rethreaded a frame so he could make a 7mm Remington Magnum with decent chamberwall thickness. It is generally accepted that the HiWall is the strongest of the classical American SS actions - see Buhmiller's blowup afforts referenced by JDS - and IMO it is also the most versatile.

I do not have the book, did Buhmiller test others?