Hiwall letter?
Did some horse trading last week and ended up with this new toy. Question is, do you think a Cody letter will reflect the unusual sight? Doesn't look like any other sight has been on this rifle and everything else is completely original. Serial # is 66XX and I think this might be a 1st year. Sight has "1876" on it. Caliber is 40-82 W.C.F. And the following for Bert H.......
By the way, best way to get a Cody letter?
max
load the old ones with the old tools.....
By the way, best way to get a Cody letter?
max
load the old ones with the old tools.....
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Looks like the carbine sight to me that flips up. You could get anything you want in those days. You have to join the Cody Museum to use the service or get a member to do it for you. The cost is 50 dollars. 0 -
We'll see what Bert says, but I am very surprised to see a paneled side on such an early gun. 0 -
shooter93...you are correct, it is the ladder or carbine sight, just haven't seen one on a Hiwall before. Usually on levers.
joel_black....anything is possible I guess, but finish on the receiver and the lower tang match perfectly as does the wood to metal fit. Just doesn't look like the lower tang could have been traded out. Also have a "thickside" in 40-70 Ballard that was made in 1893, so dating of "thinside" or "thickside" seems a bit tough. But not a Hiwall expert (yet?)so who knows.
max
load the old ones with the old tools.....0 -
Hello Max...
You can get a factory letter by going here - http://www.bbhc.org/firearms/records.cfm
In the case of your new high-wall, I doubt that the factory letter will list the "Sporting Leaf" rear sight, but one never knows for sure until seeing the letter. While that sight does resemble a "Carbine ladder" sight, it is not... instead, it is a "Sporting Leaf" sight (Nick Stroebel's book, and the original Winchester catalogs of that era list both types). I have an early low-wall with the same sight (serial number 25823). Generally speaking, unless the sights on a Model 1885 were real special, they are not listed in the factory ledgers.
The Thin-side (panel-sided) high-walls were made from the very begining. A very good friend of mine has serial number 273, and I have had my hands on serial numbers 50, 87, and 100, which were all thin-sided high-walls. John Campbell pictures several 3-digit serial numbered Thin-side high-walls in his first book. There is no ryhme nor pattern to when Winchester used the Thick-side frame versus the Thin-side frame. That said, Thick-side frames are much more predominant within the first several thousand serial numbers, but I have encountered them as high as serial number 131043.
The serial number range on your rifle indicates manufacture in December of 1886 (I have serial numbers 6651 and 6657 in my records as entering the warehouse on 12-24-1886). Please send me the complete statistical data on your new (old) Winnie.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Thanks Bert, I will send you the complete info and I will see if there's any benefit to getting 2 letters at the same time (still haven't found the telephone data for the 40-90 Ballard). Might as well have the letter on all of them. Found the sight in Nick's book, didn't think to look there, a model 1876 Sporting Leaf Sight.
max
load the old ones with the old tools.....0 -
Hello Max...
I am a bit confused by "still haven't found the telephone data for the 40-90 Ballard"... what do you mean by that[?]
Nick's book is a real nice reference for quickly identifying all of the various types of old sights used by Winchester[^]. While it isn't real common, I have seen at least a dozen Model 1885s with the Model 1876 Sporting Leaf sight installed.
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Bert.....I believe the paper that I have on the 40-90 Ballard High Wall is from a telephone search request from a member of the Cody Museum. Not an official letter, but the info is written down during the telephone search and then sent to the member. And I dug through everything last night and found it. I will send you the details on the rifle in an e-mail. You had asked for them in an e-mail conversation way back.
max
load the old ones with the old tools.....0
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