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  #1  
Old 03-24-2023, 10:17 PM
JSH JSH is offline
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Default High wall build ideas

Picked up a Highwall a while back, 6mm/30-30 AI. Barrel is crap, rough as corn cob.
The Donaldson Wasp has always interested me. Then I think of Kindler’s wildcats on the 30-30 case, 20 or 22. A 20 caliber on a shortened 30-30, sounds like a lot of work and even more fails than a 22.

Am kind of at a point of either a build or sending it down the road. One way or the other I need to do something with it.

Any thoughts or ideas, I would take into consideration.
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  #2  
Old 03-24-2023, 10:32 PM
rickiesrevenge rickiesrevenge is offline
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Why not just put a new 6mm-30x30AI barrel on it? Sounds like a cool project
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  #3  
Old 03-24-2023, 11:43 PM
barretcreek barretcreek is offline
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.225 Winchester would work, may need to build up the extractor.
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  #4  
Old 03-25-2023, 05:57 AM
jim barker jim barker is offline
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Make it a classic, 38-55, 32-40 maybe 40-65
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  #5  
Old 03-25-2023, 06:49 PM
Kiwishooter Kiwishooter is offline
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I have a couple of HiWall actions waiting for a build also, but I've already made up my mind what one of them will be, a 219 Don Wasp.

The dies were easy to get and I also lucked onto a set of case forming dies.

I have been thinking the other one may end up as a 218 Mashburn Bee, but given the difficulty of getting Bee cases and that I already have 3 different Bee rifles to feed I'm still pondering that one.

I like the idea of a nostalgic case in a HiWall, somehow it seems fitting, and fit a Unertyl on top it might even look the part
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  #6  
Old 03-29-2023, 03:19 PM
Double D Double D is offline
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There are two Donaldson Wasps.

There is the original version designed by Harvey Donaldson and put down on paper by Red Elliot the original reamer maker . My reamer was made to these specs.

Then there is the scriveners error version.

In the early 1970's all the bullet and powder companies used the same illustrator to do drawings for their loading manuals. This artist made a dimensions showing the OAL from the front of the rim instead of the back of the rims, this increase the OAL of the DW by .063 inches.

Some years ago I contacted Hornady about this difference. I was concerned if this small difference would have any bearing the data in their manual. They assured me the measurement in their manual was correct. I was familiar with the gun they had for testing, a Highwall and suggested they check that and verify. They did and got back to me and confirmed that the drawing in the manual was in error. They told me they would correct that in the next edition of the manual. They never did.

Later E.A. Brown started chambering guns in this cartridge, but he used the scrivener error dimensions-their chamber use cartridges .063 longer than the Original Donaldson Wasp.

I built a heavy bench varmint gun many years ago on a shortened and sleeved 98 Mauser action with a heavy Donnelly Viktor barrel. I got the smallest groups I have ever fired in my life from any gun, from this gun-3 shot groups under .200. I wrote it up in Varmint Hunter Magazine maybe 20 years go.

I have still have the reamer if you wish to borrow it. It was originally made by Hugh Hendricksen. It was resharped some years ago by Pacific Tool Die. But I believe they resharped it to scrivener error dimensions.

That .063 difference is really pretty irrelevant. Either chamber will make a good barrel.

Let me know if you want to borrow the reamer.
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Last edited by Double D; 03-31-2023 at 12:53 PM.
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  #7  
Old 03-30-2023, 10:39 PM
Johnly Johnly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jim barker View Post
Make it a classic, 38-55, 32-40 maybe 40-65
JES could just re-bore the existing barrel to .357, .375, or .408 for way less than a new barrel would run.

They would be small bores by 1900's standards when African hunting with 8 Bore rifles was common.
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  #8  
Old 03-31-2023, 07:12 AM
Kiwishooter Kiwishooter is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Double D View Post
There are two Donaldson Wasps.

There is the original version designed by Harvey Donaldson and put down on paper by Red Elliot the original reamer maker . My reamer was made to these specs.

Then there is the scriveners error version.

In the early 1970's all the bullet and powder companies used the same illustrator to do drawings for their loading manuals. This artist made a dimensions showing the OAL from the front of the rim instead of the back of the rims, this increase the OAL of the DW by .063 inches.

Some years ago I contacted Hornady about this difference. I was concerned if this small difference would have any bearing the data in their manual. They assured me the measurement in their manual was correct. I was familiar with the gun they had for testing, a Highwall and suggested they check that and verify. They did and got back to me and confirmed that the drawing in the manual was in error. They told me they would correct that in the next edition of the manual. They never did.

Later E.A. Brown started chambering guns in this cartridge, but he used the scrivener error dimensions-their chamber use cartridges .063 longer than the Original Donaldson Wasp.

I built a heavy bench varmint gun many years ago on a shortened and sleeved 98 Mauser action with a heavy Donnelly Viktor barrel. I got the smallest groups I have ever fired in my life from any gun, from this gun-3 shot groups under .200. I wrote it up in Varmint Hunter Magazine maybe 20 years go.

I have still have the reamer if you wish to borrow it. It was originally made by Hugh Hendricksen. It was resharped some years ago by Pacific Tool Die. But I believe they resharped it to scrivener error dimensions.

That .063 difference is really pretty irrelevant. Either chamber in a good barrel.

Let me know if you want to borrow the reamer.

Thank you for clarifying how the long version of the Donaldson Wasp came about.
I knew there were two versions of the 219 DW and know my dies and reamer are for the shorter version but I was puzzled how the longer version came about............Kiwi
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  #9  
Old 03-31-2023, 10:18 PM
camel camel is offline
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While I do like the High Wall actions, and the low for that matter, there is something about the Browning/Miroku version of the single shot actions that really get my blood pumping. They all look just, well, classy.

I was planning on getting 17WSM built on a low wall, but a factory Ruger came up too cheap to pass up.
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  #10  
Old 06-20-2023, 10:14 PM
obijohn obijohn is offline
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I have several original 1885s including 3 takedowns that I've bought as potential customs, a High Wall takedown Winder Musket in22 Short, a High Wall takedown in .30-40 Krag, and a Low Wall takedown in .22 WCF.

I'm considering building the Low Wall into a rimfire with .22 LR, .17 Mach 2, and possibly. 17 HMR barrels... or a rimfire/centerfire combo with .22 LR and .17 HM2 barrels, and .17 Jet and .357 Magnum barrels using a high (not contoured) breech block. I'd get a second rimfire internal assembly so I could remove the lever pin and swap out rimfire and centerfire internals.

Or, build the Low Wall in rimfire and the .30-40 Krag High Wall as a .45-70, .357 Mag, and .17 Jet combo, which would only require an extractor change.

I'd want to find a gunsmith who could build these with a little straighter/higher stock while not looking clubby... like the current Miroku Winchester variants.

My brain tells me to not do this, to buy the modern 1885s in these calibers (I have a Browning 1885 LW .22 Hornet, a good shooter with fantastic feather crotch wood, and a .44 Mag LW also with great wood, and the Win 1885 LW in .22 LR and .357 Mag). My heart loves the takedowns and the feel of the old actions.

Decisions, decisions...

Last edited by obijohn; 06-20-2023 at 10:18 PM.
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