Updated 3/25/19
Any firearms I have for sale, usually Browning or Winchester 1885
High Wall BPCRs with Badger barrels, can be found on GunBroker
under the "handle" of Itchingtodeal. Since the rifles are becoming
increasingly hard to find in good condition at a price that allows for
a reasonable resale profit margin I rarely have one for sale these
days.
If you are a serious buyer I suggest you 1st read the following short
article in the Articles section of this website titled Purchasing a
Used Browning or Winchester 1885 High Wall BPCR. You should also
consider purchasing my 418 page book on the rifles. Although it
does not discuss the many “owner created” problems noted in the
article above, it provides a complete history of the Browning BPCR
including design and manufacturing issues. A large section of the
book not only covers the step-by-step internal operation of the
action, the complete disassembly and reassembly process is
detailed. In addition, there are large sections on repairs,
improvements, shooting & cleaning, and reloading. More book
details and ordering information are available on this site at
Browning BPCR Book and Book Ordering Information.
Some background on the Miroku/Winchester/Davidson's BPCRs:
Although Browning had BPCRs in inventory until 2001 the rifles were
only manufactured by Miroku from 1996 through 1998. The
Winchester branded versions were produced by Miroku in limited
quantities from 2005 through 2010. In 2004/2005 Winchester and
Davidson’s (well-known wholesale firearms distributor located in
Prescott, Arizona) worked out a deal whereby three versions of the
Model 1885 rifles were to be manufactured by Miroku and
exclusively distributed by Davidson’s as Winchester Limited Series
BPC Rifles. The plan was to manufacture 126 rifles the 1st year and
125 rifles in subsequent years if the rifles sold well.
In 2005 Miroku manufactured 126 Limited Series Creedmoor BPC
rifles in caliber .45-90 with 34” Badger barrels and AMT sights for
Davidson’s. With two minor exceptions, they are an exact copy of
the original Browning Creedmoor BPC rifles with 34” heavy ½
octagon ½ round Badger barrels. The two exceptions are
Winchester’s name on the barrel and no name is roll stamped into
the top of the rear sight base. The original Browning BPCRs had
“BROWNING” roll stamped into the base. The front sight on these
rifles is adjustable for windage, as it is on the original Browning
Creedmoor rifles. In 2006 a 2nd batch of 125 identical Limited
Series Creedmoor BPC rifles in caliber .45-90 with 34” Badger
barrels and AMT sights were made for Davidson’s.
In 2007 126 Limited Series BPC rifles in caliber .45-90 with 30”
barrels and 126 Limited Series BPC rifles in caliber .50-90 Sharps
with 30” barrels were manufactured by Miroku and distributed by
Davidson’s. None of the 2007 rifles came with sights. Winchester
has no plans at this time to manufacture additional Limited Series
BPC rifles in .45-90 or .50-90.
At the annual 2009 Shot Show, orders were accepted for 125 .45-70
BPC rifles, which are almost identical to the original Browning .45-
70 BPCRs with 30” ½ octagon ½ round heavy Badger barrels. The
only differences are the rifles came with a gloss blued barrel and no
sights whereas the original Browning rifles had a matte blued barrel
and were equipped with sights. The rifles were shipped to several
distributors for sale to dealers.
At the 2010 Shot Show, Winchester announced plans and accepted
orders for 125 .45-70 BPC rifles featuring matte blued barrels and
the same AMT sights supplied with the Winchester Creedmoor
rifles. Due to some delays in importing the rifles from Miroku, they
were not available to USA distributors and dealers until mid 2011.
If it’s not clear by now, I should note that all the rifles discussed
above were manufactured by Miroku and featured Badger barrels.
Browning BPCRs:
It's rare these days to come across an unfired Browning BPCR since
the factory sold all the remaining inventory in early 2001, so most
of the Browning's I have for sale will be clearly described as used
and completely checked out. With that said, the vast majority of
the Browning's I receive are in like new condition. But if there is
any question as to the condition of the rifle it is completely
disassembled and cleaned and any worn or broken parts are
replaced. There may be some minor cosmetic blemishes, which will
be noted in the listing, but you can be assured that a Browning
BPCR purchased from me will be in the condition stated.
Shooting smokeless ammo in your Browning or Winchester BPCR:
A question I’m asked a lot is, “Can I shoot smokeless ammunition in
the Browning or Winchester BPCRs”? I addressed this issue in more
detail in my book but thought I’d also provide a response here to
“head off” additional questions. Due to liability concerns, I’m not
going to make a recommendation on using smokeless in your BPCR,
but I will provide some details to help you make an educated
decision.
All the Browning and Winchester BPCRs with Badger barrels are
identical concerning the source and the material used. All the
barrels are made from high quality SAE 4150 chromemoly steel.
The Browning .45-70 rifle barrels are marked RECOMMENDED FOR
BLACK POWDER. The .40-65, .45-90 and .50-90 rifle barrels are
marked …BLACK POWDER ONLY. Browning’s Owner’s Manual clearly
states that the .45-70 can also accept the pressures of
commercially loaded smokeless ammunition with jacketed bullets.
Therefore it’s clearly OK to shoot smokeless ammo in the .45-70
BPCR. Of course the ammunition must meet SAAMI specifications.
But the same factory recommendation does not apply to the
Browning .40-65, Browning or Winchester .45-90 or Winchester .50-
90 rifles.
Browning proof-tested the Badger barrels prior to selecting the final
barrel supplier. During the test, pressures were increase to a level
sufficient to liquefy the brass and drive it into the extractor slot.
The brass was cleaned out and the testing continued without barrel
failure. Based on the test results, “calculated” failure pressures
were well above any range expected to be reached with
commercial smokeless ammo.
So why can’t smokeless ammo be used in the .40-65, .45-90 or .50-
90 rifles? The barrels are quite thick and heavy, with lots of high
quality steel surrounding the chamber and bore. With the
exception of freebore and a slightly longer chamber, the .45-90
bore is identical to the .45-70. The chamber and bore dimensions
of the .40-65 are smaller than the .45-70, resulting in additional
barrel material surrounding the chamber and bore. The answer is
because Browning and Winchester are SAAMI members, and SAAMI
does not specify chamber dimensions and ammunition standards for
the .40-65, .45-90 or .50-90 cartridges. Consequently, due to
liability concerns, Browning and Winchester made it clear the .40-
65, .45-90 and .50-90 rifles were designed for BLACK POWDER ONLY
by clearly stamping the barrels accordingly. It’s certainly your call,
but personally I would have no concerns about shooting
commercially loaded smokeless ammo in one of my Browning or
Winchester Badger barreled BPCRs.
Wishing you great shooting,
Wayne
Any firearms I have for sale, usually Browning or Winchester 1885
High Wall BPCRs with Badger barrels, can be found on GunBroker
under the "handle" of Itchingtodeal. Since the rifles are becoming
increasingly hard to find in good condition at a price that allows for
a reasonable resale profit margin I rarely have one for sale these
days.
If you are a serious buyer I suggest you 1st read the following short
article in the Articles section of this website titled Purchasing a
Used Browning or Winchester 1885 High Wall BPCR. You should also
consider purchasing my 418 page book on the rifles. Although it
does not discuss the many “owner created” problems noted in the
article above, it provides a complete history of the Browning BPCR
including design and manufacturing issues. A large section of the
book not only covers the step-by-step internal operation of the
action, the complete disassembly and reassembly process is
detailed. In addition, there are large sections on repairs,
improvements, shooting & cleaning, and reloading. More book
details and ordering information are available on this site at
Browning BPCR Book and Book Ordering Information.
Some background on the Miroku/Winchester/Davidson's BPCRs:
Although Browning had BPCRs in inventory until 2001 the rifles were
only manufactured by Miroku from 1996 through 1998. The
Winchester branded versions were produced by Miroku in limited
quantities from 2005 through 2010. In 2004/2005 Winchester and
Davidson’s (well-known wholesale firearms distributor located in
Prescott, Arizona) worked out a deal whereby three versions of the
Model 1885 rifles were to be manufactured by Miroku and
exclusively distributed by Davidson’s as Winchester Limited Series
BPC Rifles. The plan was to manufacture 126 rifles the 1st year and
125 rifles in subsequent years if the rifles sold well.
In 2005 Miroku manufactured 126 Limited Series Creedmoor BPC
rifles in caliber .45-90 with 34” Badger barrels and AMT sights for
Davidson’s. With two minor exceptions, they are an exact copy of
the original Browning Creedmoor BPC rifles with 34” heavy ½
octagon ½ round Badger barrels. The two exceptions are
Winchester’s name on the barrel and no name is roll stamped into
the top of the rear sight base. The original Browning BPCRs had
“BROWNING” roll stamped into the base. The front sight on these
rifles is adjustable for windage, as it is on the original Browning
Creedmoor rifles. In 2006 a 2nd batch of 125 identical Limited
Series Creedmoor BPC rifles in caliber .45-90 with 34” Badger
barrels and AMT sights were made for Davidson’s.
In 2007 126 Limited Series BPC rifles in caliber .45-90 with 30”
barrels and 126 Limited Series BPC rifles in caliber .50-90 Sharps
with 30” barrels were manufactured by Miroku and distributed by
Davidson’s. None of the 2007 rifles came with sights. Winchester
has no plans at this time to manufacture additional Limited Series
BPC rifles in .45-90 or .50-90.
At the annual 2009 Shot Show, orders were accepted for 125 .45-70
BPC rifles, which are almost identical to the original Browning .45-
70 BPCRs with 30” ½ octagon ½ round heavy Badger barrels. The
only differences are the rifles came with a gloss blued barrel and no
sights whereas the original Browning rifles had a matte blued barrel
and were equipped with sights. The rifles were shipped to several
distributors for sale to dealers.
At the 2010 Shot Show, Winchester announced plans and accepted
orders for 125 .45-70 BPC rifles featuring matte blued barrels and
the same AMT sights supplied with the Winchester Creedmoor
rifles. Due to some delays in importing the rifles from Miroku, they
were not available to USA distributors and dealers until mid 2011.
If it’s not clear by now, I should note that all the rifles discussed
above were manufactured by Miroku and featured Badger barrels.
Browning BPCRs:
It's rare these days to come across an unfired Browning BPCR since
the factory sold all the remaining inventory in early 2001, so most
of the Browning's I have for sale will be clearly described as used
and completely checked out. With that said, the vast majority of
the Browning's I receive are in like new condition. But if there is
any question as to the condition of the rifle it is completely
disassembled and cleaned and any worn or broken parts are
replaced. There may be some minor cosmetic blemishes, which will
be noted in the listing, but you can be assured that a Browning
BPCR purchased from me will be in the condition stated.
Shooting smokeless ammo in your Browning or Winchester BPCR:
A question I’m asked a lot is, “Can I shoot smokeless ammunition in
the Browning or Winchester BPCRs”? I addressed this issue in more
detail in my book but thought I’d also provide a response here to
“head off” additional questions. Due to liability concerns, I’m not
going to make a recommendation on using smokeless in your BPCR,
but I will provide some details to help you make an educated
decision.
All the Browning and Winchester BPCRs with Badger barrels are
identical concerning the source and the material used. All the
barrels are made from high quality SAE 4150 chromemoly steel.
The Browning .45-70 rifle barrels are marked RECOMMENDED FOR
BLACK POWDER. The .40-65, .45-90 and .50-90 rifle barrels are
marked …BLACK POWDER ONLY. Browning’s Owner’s Manual clearly
states that the .45-70 can also accept the pressures of
commercially loaded smokeless ammunition with jacketed bullets.
Therefore it’s clearly OK to shoot smokeless ammo in the .45-70
BPCR. Of course the ammunition must meet SAAMI specifications.
But the same factory recommendation does not apply to the
Browning .40-65, Browning or Winchester .45-90 or Winchester .50-
90 rifles.
Browning proof-tested the Badger barrels prior to selecting the final
barrel supplier. During the test, pressures were increase to a level
sufficient to liquefy the brass and drive it into the extractor slot.
The brass was cleaned out and the testing continued without barrel
failure. Based on the test results, “calculated” failure pressures
were well above any range expected to be reached with
commercial smokeless ammo.
So why can’t smokeless ammo be used in the .40-65, .45-90 or .50-
90 rifles? The barrels are quite thick and heavy, with lots of high
quality steel surrounding the chamber and bore. With the
exception of freebore and a slightly longer chamber, the .45-90
bore is identical to the .45-70. The chamber and bore dimensions
of the .40-65 are smaller than the .45-70, resulting in additional
barrel material surrounding the chamber and bore. The answer is
because Browning and Winchester are SAAMI members, and SAAMI
does not specify chamber dimensions and ammunition standards for
the .40-65, .45-90 or .50-90 cartridges. Consequently, due to
liability concerns, Browning and Winchester made it clear the .40-
65, .45-90 and .50-90 rifles were designed for BLACK POWDER ONLY
by clearly stamping the barrels accordingly. It’s certainly your call,
but personally I would have no concerns about shooting
commercially loaded smokeless ammo in one of my Browning or
Winchester Badger barreled BPCRs.
Wishing you great shooting,
Wayne
TexasMac's Web Site
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| BPCR Firearms |
TexasMac saying:
"There's good shooting and there's
great shooting. Good shooting is
pulling the trigger and feeling the recoil
of a good rifle against your shoulder.
Great shooting is actually hitting what
you aimed at."
"There's good shooting and there's
great shooting. Good shooting is
pulling the trigger and feeling the recoil
of a good rifle against your shoulder.
Great shooting is actually hitting what
you aimed at."
