Original Item: Only One Available. This is a particularly attractive Winchester Model 1885 Low Wall single shot rifle chambered in .22 Short and manufactured in 1890. Serial number 40806 places it in early Model 1885 production, and this example has the classic combination of a 24" octagonal barrel, adjustable buckhorn rear sight, nickel blade front sight, and an additional period tang mounted flip up peep sight. The metalwork has matured into a handsome mottled patina with protected original finish remaining beneath the fore stock, while the walnut stocks, smooth falling block action, and very good bore give this rifle excellent collector appeal.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

The Winchester Single Shot, universally known to collectors as the Model 1885, occupies an especially important place in American firearms history. John Moses Browning developed the original falling block action while still a young gunsmith in Ogden, Utah, receiving his first firearm patent for the design on October 7, 1879. Winchester Vice President and General Manager Thomas G. Bennett encountered Browning's rifle in the early 1880s and traveled to Utah to secure the manufacturing rights, beginning a relationship between Browning and Winchester that would produce some of the most influential sporting arms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Winchester refined Browning's design for factory production and introduced the Single Shot rifle in the mid 1880s. The action was ultimately produced in the receiver forms collectors know as the High Wall and Low Wall. The Low Wall exposed more of the breech block and was particularly well suited to rimfire and lower powered centerfire cartridges, while the High Wall provided greater receiver support for more powerful chamberings.

This example is chambered for:

22 SHORT

as clearly marked over the chamber. Introduced in 1857, the .22 Short is one of the earliest commercially successful metallic rimfire cartridges and became an extremely popular chambering for the Winchester Single Shot. Winchester collector research indicates that .22 Short was one of the most commonly encountered chamberings in regular Model 1885 production.

The rifle is fitted with a 24" octagonal barrel, a configuration entirely appropriate for a .22 rimfire Low Wall. The octagonal profile gives the rifle the classic appearance associated with Winchester sporting and target rifles of the period.

The front sight uses a simple nickel colored blade, while the barrel mounted rear sight is the familiar adjustable buckhorn type. In addition, the rifle is fitted with a period tang mounted flip up peep or aperture sight. The aperture travels on a sliding adjustment and is secured at the bottom by a thumbwheel, providing a much finer sight picture for deliberate target shooting. Without factory documentation, we cannot determine whether this tang sight was ordered with the rifle or added later in its working life, but it is an attractive and period appropriate addition.

The serial number is:

40806

Winchester polishing room serialization records place this rifle in 1890. Those records place serial numbers from approximately 37662 through 45109 within 1890 production, putting serial 40806 comfortably within that year's range.

The top of the barrel remains clearly marked:

— MANUFACTURED BY THE —
— WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A. —

The underside of the action immediately behind the trigger bears:

PAT. OCT. 7TH 79.

This is the October 7, 1879 patent date for Browning's original single shot action and represents the first firearm patent in what would become an extraordinarily influential career.

Condition overall is very good, with the rifle showing the honest, gently aged appearance we like to see on an antique Winchester. The exterior metalwork has developed a pleasing mottled gray and brown patina as the original finishes faded through age, handling, and use.

The barrel was originally blued, while the receiver and action were originally case colored. Most of those exposed finishes have now faded, although protected areas beneath the fore stock still retain original finish. There is scattered light peppering in places, but we do not see evidence of serious oxidation, aggressive polishing, or major modern refinishing.

The walnut stocks are likewise in very good condition and display the warm red brown color of well aged, oiled walnut. The fore stock shows light scratches, small dents, and normal handling wear. The butt stock is even better preserved, with only a few small dents and stains visible.

The butt terminates in a crescent style steel butt plate without a storage compartment, appropriate to this sporting rifle configuration.

The falling block action operates smoothly during manual inspection, with no obvious deficiencies noted. The lever moves freely without sticking, the cartridge extractor presents correctly when the action is opened, and the hammer releases with a crisp dry fire. These observations describe only the present mechanical condition of the antique action and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the rifle is safe to load or fire.

The bore is in very good condition, retaining a mostly bright interior with crisp lands and grooves. There is some normal wear together with evidence of past oxidation and fouling that has since been cleaned away, but the rifling remains strong.

With its desirable .22 Short chambering, 24" octagonal barrel, 1890 production date, serial number 40806, clear Winchester address, Browning patent marking, period tang peep sight, honest untouched appearance, handsome walnut stocks, smooth falling block action, and very good bore, this is a particularly appealing early Winchester Low Wall. It would be an excellent addition to an advanced Winchester collection, a John Browning display, or a collection devoted to late 19th century American target and small bore sporting rifles.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1890
Manufacturer: Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Model: 1885 Single Shot
Serial No.: 40806
Caliber: .22 Short
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 40 1/4 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Falling Block
Feed System: Single Shot
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

The Winchester Model 1885 is a single-shot rifle with a falling-block action. It was principally designed by John Browning. Two models were produced, the Low Wall and the High Wall.

History
In 1878, the 23-year-old Browning designed a falling-block single-shot rifle, for which he was granted a patent the following year. Browning and his brother commenced making the rifles by hand in their second-floor workshop in Ogden, Utah, with limited success.

In 1883, Thomas G. Bennett, Vice-President and General Manager of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, traveled to Ogden and negotiated the purchase of the single-shot design, as well as the prototype of what would become the Model 1886 lever-action – the beginning of the fruitful 20-year Winchester–Browning collaboration. Winchester's engineers made some improvements to Browning's design, including angling the block at six degrees to create a positive breech seal, and released the rifle as the Model 1885. Two popular models were made, the so-called Low Wall which showed an exposed hammer, firing less powerful cartridges, and the so-called High Wall for stronger cartridges whose steel frame covered most of the firing hammer when viewed from the side; but both were officially marketed by Winchester as the Single Shot Rifle.

It was produced principally to satisfy the demands of the growing sport of long-range "Match Shooting", which opened at Creedmoor, New York, on June 21, 1872. Target/Match shooting was extremely popular in the US from about 1871 until about 1917, enjoying a status similar to golf today, and the Winchester company, which had built its reputation on repeating firearms, had in 1885 challenged the single-shot giants of Sharps, Remington, Stevens, Maynard, Ballard et al., not only entering the competition, but excelling at it, with Major Ned H. Roberts (inventor of the .257 Roberts cartridge) describing the Model 1885 Single Shot as "the most reliable, strongest, and altogether best single shot rifle ever produced."

Winchester produced nearly 140,000 Single Shot rifles from 1885 to 1920, and it was found that the falling-block Model 1885 had been built with one of the strongest actions known at that time. The falling block action was so strong that the Winchester Company used it to test fire newly created rifle cartridges. To satisfy the needs of the shooting and hunting public, the Model 1885 Single Shot was eventually produced in more calibers than any other Winchester rifle. Winchester also produced a large number of Single Shots in .22 caliber for the US Army as a marksmanship training rifle, the "Winder musket."

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre in the UK.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.