It really doesn't take all that much...for this one, anyway. THF member Clarkfork recently placed a stumbling block in my path that I simply couldn't avoid.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for classic designs and fine wood...and this Browning B78/1885 certainly has the design pedigree, and the heart-stopping piece of walnut attached to it completes the package. I spent part of this morning enjoying the cool north breeze and getting acquainted with the old gal. I say "old" because the basic Winchester High Wall design (a child of John Moses Browning) dates back to 1885; Browning Arms brought out their version in the early 1970's and produced them until being discontinued in 1982. This rifle is evidently a "Dealer Only" run that was marketed during the 2010 SHOT Show.

After collecting her yesterday, I'd clamped a Leupold 2-7 in the Talley rings and bore-sighted her. All that was left today was to have a "get "howdy-ed and shook" session. I understand that some of the B78s had trigger issues and that Browning adressed them in their "1885" variant; I don't know and I don't care. The bang button on this rig breaks cleanly at just under 2 pounds...and I ain't touching NOTHING!

I probably should've mentioned that the rifle is chambered in .270 Winchester and it's a touch ironic that the rifle should come into my possession this year. You see, Winchester brought out that cartridge in 1923, one hundred years ago (it was also the year my late father was born, an event that I doubt Winchester took note of). I've used the .270 to excellent effect over the years, and the She-Wolf would (I think) rather part with me than with her old M700 so chambered. I was playing with a real "Duke's Mixture" of .270 odds & ends getting her sighted in, but when I fed her three vintage factory Federal 150 grain Partitions, she promptly plunked them into an angry little cluster. It looks like she'll do!

Of course, that horrific Browning polyacrylate stock finish has to go...no self-respecting Luddite would countenance having exceptional wood like this encapsulated in plastic. No, that'll get stripped off and a warm, hand-rubbed oil finish will get applied in its place.

Oh the shame no black plastic or FDE and no signs of tacticool!? It really does look great with some classic wood that has some eye catching grain!

I cant find it in the classifieds.

So, was the glossy plastic stripped off this one? Who did the stripnfinish?

I might holler back and get some background on these rifles. I'm always looking at these. What's the key to buying the "right" one?

How is the eye relief on these? The Ruger #1's are way too far forward for use with a higher magnification scope (to me anyway). No problem with the sweet 2-7X

I too picked up a new rifle today!

Buzz, the ad was pulled a couple days after I said I’d take it. Good thing, too…I kept looking at the pictures and drooling on my keyboard.

The original gloss finish remains, and probably will until after the first of the year. January/February will be the time for me to strip the stock and get refinishing underway.

And I’m the LAST person to ask about “keys” to buying the right one. I did learn that the original B78 trigger issues seem to have vanished with their “1885” series but, again, I’m no expert here. This B78 and one more will make two that I’ve worked with.

As to eye relief, the shorty tube on this scope left me wishing for another half inch of rearward travel. It was the objective bell that stopped things, I’ve still got another inch between the turrets and the rear ring…

Great looking stick Sir. Clarkfork is a man of great taste in firearms as are you Sir.

I really like those actions and rifles. Currently have 1885s highwall is 45-70 and a lowwall 22 Hornet. For that little extra eye relief a longer scope is needed to get there due to the ring locations. Currently have a fixed 6x on the Hornet and a 1-4 on the 45-70.

So both your rifles have the “new” trigger? How are they treating you?

My only other High Wall is my Uberti .38-55…about as old school as you can get!

thanks 218, look forward to following along on this with you

Great write-up on a great rifle, sir. Congrats and well done. Thanks for sharing.

Love it.

Man, I saw that ad and wanted that rifle! Seems we have similar taste, I've got a few 218 Bee's and a Browning 1885

NIce.

I feel the same way about Browning's plastic encapsulated stocks of years gone by. I'd strip it too.

Clarkfork's stuff is always nice. He had a Chevy 4x4 pickup in the classifieds seven or eight years ago that I couldn't stop looking at, but by the time I got off my como se llama to move on it, I had missed it. Kicked myself in that same como se llama for weeks after that.

Found the trigger gauge. Highwall is nearly 3lbs, low wall just over 2lbs and the Little Sharps 1.7 lbs. All crisp with no take up or nice crisp triggers and i shoot the Highwall mostly in the Winter so gloves are often on and a 3lb trigger is fine or that or most any other hunting IMO.

I want one of these

Nothing wrong with ANY of those!

For me personally, I used to be a fiend for ultralight triggers but now have settled on a crisp 3 lb for day-to-day (and 4 lbs for dangerous game rifles).

2.5 to 3.5lbs are where most of my hunting rifles are. Don't mind lighter on target guns but hunting I like to be able to feel the trigger with gloves on. I do like the option like on my CZ 527s single set trigger they are 2 stage with the second stage being pretty light in 2 stage mode or set it and it is less than a pound.

Between tractor work, nursing a bum knee and enjoying some BADLY needed rain, it's been almost two weeks since I got to do anything serious with this piece...but I rectified that this morning.

Earlier work suggested that this rifle liked 150 grain Nosler Partitions; today didn't alter that belief. I'll put together fifty rounds or so and pop a hog or two (who knows...maybe even a whitetail?) before I begin the stock refinishing business and get this stick of wood looking like it ought to!

You won’t find a finer critter collector than that partition either

While I'm not exactly sure that the Partition is the BEST hunting bullet (nor how I'd objectively measure that), I will say that I'd hate to live on the difference between it and its closest competitor. John Nosler did a heckuva thing back in 1948, and over the years I've used this bullet in .22, .24, .25, .27, .28, .30, .338, .36 and .375 and have yet to have found a reason to cuss it.

Beautiful rifle...!!!

Now I have to look up Luddite.

That's a mighty handsome group out of a mighty handsome rifle, Mr. Bee.
John Nosler started making his Partitions on a screw machine in his garage in Ashland, Oregon, after the war. His younger brother Steve, who lived just over the border in Northern California (poor devil), would come into the Sportsman's Warehouse in Medford where I worked after retiring and visit with us in the hunting department. What a nice fella.

You beat me to that gun Mr. Bee. I offered a trade for it. I should have bought it. I’ll never find another one. Glad you are enjoying it.
BTW, me and most of my cousins killed our first deer with my grandfathers 218 Bee. My uncle still has it and he shoots a hog or 2 with it every year.

Sorry about that! Yeah, this gun trading business is often a matter of moments; I've lost other opportunities in the past because I outsmarted myself!

I expect that we form a very tiny brotherhood of folks who've taken deer with the .218 (it was my first as well). That's probably just as well as the little Bee ain't much of a day-to-day deer cartridge. Oh, it'll work if you keep the ranges short and hit 'em right but there ain't much room for error! I'm guessing that you were shooting the factory 46 grain HP load?

I couldn’t answer you on the bullet. I was 7 and it was 49 years ago. But, I bet you’re right. I know my incle is shooting factory hollow points now.
And no, it’s not a great deer round. But, we were hunting in Llano back then and most bucks would fit in a styrofoam beer cooler back then, so you didn’t need a big gun 🤣
I still enjoy shooting that old gun

Congrats on the Browning. Looking forward to seeing it with the stock redone

An awfully similar story here, except it was 54 years ago and about 30 miles south of you around Willow City.

And maybe a varmint cartridge really can be adequate for "varmint" deer...that first spike of mine couldn't have been much bigger than the average jackrabbit. Of course, I thought he was a monster!