In a few weeks I'm going to a gun auction and they have a NIB 1885 low wall in .223. I'm thinking about picking up a .223 and this looks like a nice gun. However, I don't know much about this particular model rifle. Anyone know what they're selling for? Anyone have experience with one in .223 re: accuracy potential?

good gun, but good luck in auction, everyone i've gone to the guns go higher than hades, but i would venture to say if you get it for 850 you're doing alright, but i wouldn't pay more than that unless it has a expensive scope on it

Butch - thanks for the info. I know what you mean about people paying too much at gun auctions. I've seen quite a few used guns with no collector value sell for more than a new one. There are some bargains to be had occasionally. I recently skipped an auction because there was only one gun I was interested in purchasing and I thought it would be expensive. It was a Ruger Mdl. 77 in great shape with a Leupold 3x9 scope in .223. It sold for $425. I sure missed out on that one.

It is tough to buy a rifle at an auction. As has already beenn said, normaly the prices go nuts. I once watched a guy give $350 for a beat up Ruger Model 77 andd it did not have a bolt. Unbelievable.

But I have also been to a couple of auctions where people would not bid on firearms, and they went fairly cheap.

For me, on the Low Wall, it would depend on the quality of the wood. I have seen prices all over the place on Low Walls. I just bought one in 45 Colt. I gave $850 for the rifle, and the wood is pretty good. So I would consider anything from $700 to $800 as a good deal if the condition is pristine. Anything over that would not be a bargain. And this depends on the condition of the Low Wall. Tom.

I would like to hear about accuracy potential.

Is has come to my attention in another thread that some 223 ammo is very long with 70-80 grain bullets. These loads require a long chamber. The ctg OAL will be set by the magazine and the chamber reamed accordingly. I assume a single shot would get the max extreme deep throat chamber for safety. This would explain the issues with H&R single shots in 223. Maybe Browning has the same issue. For safety the 1885 in 223 maybe setup for target loads but now work well with shorter 50gr varmint bullets?

What say yea?

Fourbore,
I owned a Browning 1885 in .223 and I don't believe the twist of the barrel is fast enough to stabilize the 70 grain bullets. If I recall corrrectly, the barrels are 1-12" and I am not sure that is fast enough.

I am sure though there are some on this board who will have much greater experience with this twist and bullet weight combination than I so I will yield to experience here.

A quick gunbroker search shows 2 rifles, one $900 and another $1000, neither have bids...