Make: Winchester

Model: 1885 Low Wall Deluxe, Special Order

Serial Number: 65953

Year of Manufacture: 1893 / Antique

Caliber: .22 Short

Action Type: Single Shot Falling Block Rifle with Set Trigger

Barrel Length: 28" Octagon No. 2

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a globe sight with a circular aperture insert and is dovetailed into the barrel. The rear sight dovetail is filled with a blank. The rear sight is a folding aperture Graduated Peep sight screwed to the top tang.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth Deluxe walnut with a straight wrist, straight comb, Fancy Swiss cheekpiece, Swiss buttplate and schnabel tipped forend with triangular ebony insert. There are a few minor handling marks. There is a small repaired chip in the toe. There are a couple thin cracks in the wrist at the receiver and upper tang. The figuring in the wood is elegant. There is a small nick on the edge of the cheek piece and belly of the buttstock. The LOP measures 13 1/8" from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The plate retains a very strong amount of its plating with light edge wear. Overall, the stocks rate in Fine condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blued, Case Hardened.

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp to well defined. There is light erosion. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 7/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its original metal finish. The balance of the finish is strong throughout. There is light thinning on the leading edges. There is light intermittent oxidation. The case color is strong throughout with strong figuring and especially vibrant in the protected areas. The action shows very light operational wear. The screw heads are sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Fine Plus - Excellent condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger is light and crisp. We did not fire this rifle. As with all firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle includes a Winchester Factory Letter which confirms this rifle's configuration: .22 Short, Octagon #2 28" Barrel, Set Trigger, GP and Globe sights, Fancy Swiss cheek piece, with a serial applied date of November 29, 1893, received in warehouse date of May 15, 1894, and a shipped from warehouse date of May 15, 1894, with a repair and return date of April 23, 1896, order number 9653.

Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1885 was derived from John M. Browning's remarkably strong single-shot falling-block action and became one of Winchester's premier platforms for sporting, target, and Schuetzen competition. By the 1890s, the Model 1885 could be ordered in an extraordinary variety of chamberings, barrel weights, triggers, stocks, buttplates, and precision sights, allowing serious marksmen to specify rifles closely suited to their discipline. Schuetzen-style rifles of the period characteristically incorporated specialized target sights, set triggers, cheekpieces, and Swiss-type buttplates, reflecting the strong influence of German and Swiss offhand target shooting in America. This Low Wall is especially desirable because its factory letter documents a remarkably elaborate .22 Short configuration: a 28" No. 2 octagon barrel, set trigger, graduated peep and globe sights, and Fancy Swiss cheekpiece, with the serial applied November 29, 1893 and the rifle shipped May 15, 1894.

This rifle remains in unusually attractive condition for a factory-special-order antique, retaining approximately 80% of its original metal finish with strong case coloring, particularly in protected areas. The Deluxe walnut stocks remain Excellent with elegant figuring, only minor handling marks, while the Swiss buttplate retains much of its plating. The bright 7/10 bore has sharp to well-defined rifling with only light erosion, and the falling-block action and light, crisp set trigger function correctly. Most importantly, the accompanying Winchester Factory Letter documents the specialized configuration and also records a factory repair and return in 1896, giving the rifle exceptional documentary context. With its .22 Short chambering, No. 2 octagon barrel, set trigger, factory target sights, Swiss-style furniture, strong original condition, and factory documentation, this is the kind of highly configured Low Wall that stands well apart from ordinary sporting examples.