Make: Winchester
Model: 1885 Low-Wall, Takedown
Serial Number: 106192
Year of Manufacture: 1907 / C&R
Caliber: .25-20 SS, .25-20 Single Shot
Action Type: Lever Actuated Falling Block Single Shot Takedown Rifle
Barrel Length: 28" Octagonal
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed and screw set to the barrel. The rear sight dovetail is empty. The tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight, none present. The top of the barrel is factory installed with a Winchester #A5 telescope style scope, mounted to two male dovetails which are screwed to the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece walnut. The forend has a schnabel tip with a triangular ebony inlay. The buttstock has a straight wrist, straight comb and steel crescent buttplate. There are scattered compressions and handling marks. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/8" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has taken to a dark patina with some scuffs on the heel and toe. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good condition
Type of Finish: Blued, Case Colored.
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is somewhat bright and the rifling is well defined. There is light erosion throughout the bore. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 6/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 65% of its original metal finish. There is thinning on the leading edges and at the muzzle. There is light intermittent oxidation. The receiver has thinned and there are areas of very fine pitting and mottled dark patina. The case color on the breech block is strong and vibrant with light muting on the edges. Most of the case color on the lever has muted with strong figuring in the protected areas. There are scattered handling marks, scratches and light corrosion staining throughout. Overall this rifle is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used 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 was made in 1907 in .25-20 with a 28" Octagon #1 weight barrel, with plain trigger, Telescope style #A5 sight, and takedown configuration.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1885 grew from John M. Browning's early single-shot falling-block design, which Winchester acquired in 1883 and refined into one of the strongest and most versatile American single-shot rifles of its era. The Low Wall configuration was especially well suited to smaller sporting and target cartridges, and the .25-20 Single Shot became a recognized chambering in the model; Winchester Arms Collectors Association research estimates approximately 7,600 Model 1885 rifles were produced in .25-20 Single Shot across the High Wall and Low Wall configurations. Factory-equipped telescopes are also a documented and desirable Model 1885 option, with WACA research identifying more than 100 surviving ledger-recorded examples fitted with telescopes, including numerous Winchester A5s. This rifle's factory-lettered combination of a Low Wall takedown action, 28" #1 octagon barrel, .25-20 Single Shot chambering, plain trigger, and telescope sight makes it a particularly interesting special-order Winchester.
This example retains approximately 65% of its original metal finish, with attractive surviving case color on the breech block and protected portions of the lever, while the balance shows thinning, patina, fine pitting, oxidation, and honest handling wear. The walnut stocks remain in Very Good condition with scattered compressions and handling marks but no chips or cracks, and the somewhat bright bore retains well-defined rifling with light erosion, rating 6/10. The action functions correctly, and the accompanying Winchester Factory Letter is an important addition, documenting the takedown configuration, .25-20 chambering, 28" octagon #1 barrel, plain trigger, and telescope sight. Combining factory documentation, takedown construction, an early small-bore Winchester chambering, and a documented telescope configuration, this is a compelling Model 1885 for the advanced Winchester single-shot collector.
