Custom Winchester Model 1885 High Wall .22 Hornet Single Shot Rifle, 1905
SOLD FOR: $1,340.00
LSB#: LSB250824LT012
Make: Winchester
Model: 1885 High Wall
Serial Number: 99200
Year of Manufacture: 1905
Caliber: 22 Hornet
Action Type: Lever Actuated Falling Block Single Shot
Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “MADE IN NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S. OF AMERICA / –WINCHESTER PROOF STEEL–”, “-WINCHESTER- / -TRADE MARK-”, “MODEL 70–22 HORNET–”. The top tang is marked “PAT. OCT. 7TH 79, / -WINCHESTER- / TRADE MARK”. The top of the receiver is marked with a Winchester WP proof.
Barrel Length: 23 5/8″ Winchester Model 70 Barrel.
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a globe sight dovetailed to a textured ramped base fixed to the barrel and slotted for a hood (none present). The rear sight is a folding inversible u/v notch sight dovetailed to the barrel. The top tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut. The forend has a schnabel tip with ebony insert. The buttstock has a straight grip, straight comb and crescent steel buttplate. The stocks have some scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. There are no cracks. There is a filled sling stud hole in the bottom of the buttstock. The LOP measures 13 1/4″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has oxidation throughout. Overall, the stocks are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Refinished.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 9/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 90% of its current metal finish. The barrel has been swapped with a Winchester Model 70 barrel. There is thinning on the leading edges. There is intermittent oxidation, especially on the frame. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition as refinished.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger breaks crisply and is fairly light. The lever locks up solidly. 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 comes with a Cody Firearms Records Office Search Form with a Serial Number applied date of 1-20-1905, date in of 2-12-1906, and date shipped of 2-12-1906.
Our Assessment: Winchester’s 1885 High Wall stands as one of John Moses Browning’s earliest commercial triumphs—a strong, elegantly simple falling-block single shot that quickly earned a reputation for accuracy and durability in competitive shooting, varminting, and precision handloading circles. By 1905, when this receiver was manufactured, the High Wall had already become a favorite among marksmen who valued its rigid action and clean trigger, qualities that allowed it to adapt gracefully to evolving cartridges and sporting uses over the decades. This example reflects that long service life and adaptability: at some point, it was re-barreled with a Winchester Model 70 barrel chambered in .22 Hornet, a pairing that turns the old High Wall into a sleek early-20th-century varmint rifle with considerably more reach than the black powder chamberings it originally housed.
The .22 Hornet, introduced commercially in the 1930s from earlier wildcat experimentation, became one of America’s classic small-game and varmint rounds—flat-shooting, mild in recoil, and capable of superb accuracy from a strong single-shot action. In this rifle, the sharp 9/10 bore, clean rifling, crisp trigger, and solid lockup speak well to its continued use as a precision shooter rather than a safe queen. The refinished metal, Model 70 barrel conversion, and filled sling-stud hole mark it as a working rifle with history behind it, not a museum specimen, and the attached Cody Firearms Records Office documentation ties it firmly back to its 1905 origins. It is an honest, mechanically sound High Wall built for field accuracy, carrying forward more than a century of Winchester and Browning sporting tradition. Please see our photos and good luck on your bid! – L.S.
