Winchester 1885 220 swift

W

Worker

New member
Just bought a Win 1885 in 220 Swift off of Gun Broker. Is it safe to assume it will have a 14"twist ?
 
Test it anyhow. It's not that hard. A cleaning rod with good bearings in the handle, a piece of tape sticking straight out from it and a nylon brush. Push it in and measure how far you have to go from the tape pointing straight up until it points straight up again. You'll have to do it several times to feel confident.
 
Gun broker sales person

Confirmed it was a 14" twist. Next question what mount and rings for a Zeiss V6
 
Well, I'm guessing that it probably has barrel blocks for a micrometer type mount set for an old Lyman, Unertl or Fecker. That's not going to work with your V6. You are going to probably want Weaver type bases or a Picatinny rail. You'll need a good gunsmith, but do you want to drill more holes in this vintage piece? Maybe put that V6 on something more modern and shop for an vintage long scope with the right mounts so you have a true period piece?

If you do go modern, Burris signature rings are hard to beat. Nevertheless, mounts directly on the barrel do negatively impact accuracy. This kind of rig is all about nostalgia, so I'd vote for the vintage scope.
 
This rifle is NIB bought it off Gun Broker 8/4/18 ,sales person said Winchester made a run of these 2-3 years ago. So its not vintage, I don't collect old guns. I guess I'll be using Leaupold 2 piece bases.
 
Well, I didn't know that. Sounds like a cool gun.

I'm still a fan of Burris Signature rings with the plastic inserts that insure positive alignment. I like the Z-rings with weaver-style steel bases (Warne, preferably) but they also make the 30mm for turn-in bases.
 
Have an 1885 in 222. It’s a shooter. Bore looks lapped. Trigger was a little heavy tho. Fixed now. With wind flags it will shoot actual 3/8 three shot groups at a hundred. Not internet measurements.

Mark
 
Worker. First thing I usually do is bore scope it. If you don't have a bore scope, they are a good investment. Or maybe you know someone who has one. I sometimes lap a brand new barrel if the leade is rough. I've had good results in terms of accuracy and easier cleaning, but I wouldn't do it without strong visual evidence. Most break-in advice is geared to reducing this roughness (shoot, clean, shoot, clean etc.) but if the barrel doesn't need it, why bother?

Bore-scoping it will save you a lot of guess work. Maybe it's a great bore out of the box. Then it's time to mount up your scope and go shooting.
 
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