Winchester Miroku 1885 Limited Series 34″ .45-90 Single Shot Rifle, 2006

SOLD FOR: $1,850.00

WOA#: WY240415EH221

Make: Winchester, Made by Miroku in Japan

Model: 1885 Limited Series High Wall

Serial Number: 00029MT85E

Year of Manufacture: 2006 (MT date code)

Caliber: .45-90 Winchester, Black Powder Only

Action Type: Lever Actuated Falling Block Single Shot

Markings: The left shoulder of the barrel is marked “—WINCHESTER—”, “U.S. REPEATING ARMS CO., NEW HAVEN, CT. U.S.A. / JAPAN/MIROKU”, and “WINCHESTER TRADEMARKS LICENSED FROM OLIN CORPORATION”. The right shoulder of the barrel is marked “1885 LIMITED SERIES” and “CAL..45-90 BLACK POWDER ONLY”. The right of the receiver is marked with the serial number at the bottom-rear.

Barrel Length: 34″ Part-Octagonal, Part-Round

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a globe-style sight with integral spirit-level, windage adjustable, dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The sight accepts interchangeable inserts, an open-center thick crosshair is currently installed. An insert-card is included with various post, aperture, and crosshair inserts. There are two pairs of drilled, tapped and filled holes, one at the rear of the barrel and the other on the chamber ring, for mounting an optic (none present). The top tang is drilled and tapped with a folding tang sight installed, adjustable for windage and elevation. Two additional apertures are included for the tang sight.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with schnabel forend, case-color steel capped pistol grip, straight comb with cheekpiece, and checkered case-color steel shotgun-style buttplate. There are a couple of light marks in the left-side grip checkering below the tang sight. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The checkering is well defined. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 7/8″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has no notable wear or damage with well defined checkering. Overall, the stocks are in about Excellent condition.

Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is light wear on the top of the breech-bloc. Otherwise, there are only minor handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Excellent 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: Included is a serial matching box, box sleeve, manual, and the additional sight inserts described above.

Our Assessment: In 1879 John Browning was granted a patent for a new rifle design that was to become one of the most famous single shot rifles ever produced. It was sleek, symmetrical, and very strong. The design was better than anything available at that time, including the legendary Sharps. The Browning rifle was of falling block design, with a centrally located trigger. The lever was a graceful S shape, and the hammer recessed into the action for easy loading and extraction. It is still, to this day, one of the best single shot rifles ever designed. Over the next few years after its development, John and his brothers manufactured approximately six hundred of his single shot rifles before the manufacturing rights were sold to Winchester, who introduced the rifle as their Model 1885 Single Shot. This is a Model 1885 High-Wall made by Winchester in 2006 as a part of their Limited Series. It has a 34” part-octagon barrel chambered for .45-90 Winchester, beautiful checkered walnut stocks with case-color steel fixtures, case-color frame, and a wonderful set of sights. This rifle looks like it was hardly ever out of the included box and rates in Excellent condition. It is equally suited to a collection or for use in BPCR competitions. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud