Winchester Schoyen Model 1885
Winchester Repeating Arms Company · Rifle · Discontinued · 1885
Also known as: Winchester-Schoyen M1885, Winchester Model 1885 High Wall Schuetzen, Schoyen High Wall Schuetzen
Overview
The Winchester Schoyen Model 1885 is a single-shot falling-block target rifle built on the High Wall action of John Browning's Winchester Model 1885 and rebuilt for Schuetzen (off-hand) competition by noted Denver gunsmith George Schoyen. Chambered in the accurate .32-40 Winchester black-powder cartridge, it carries a heavy Schoyen octagonal target barrel, double-set triggers, an adjustable palm rest, a shad-belly buttstock, a Winchester A5 telescopic sight, and a 'tuning fork' front handrest - all hallmarks of the finest American precision rifles of the late 19th century.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 6350 g (224.0 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1170 mm (46.06") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Falling Block |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Set Trigger |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 435 m/s (1427 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1011 J (746 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 180 m (197 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 730 m (798 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Case Hardened |
Calibers
- .32-40 Winchester · primary — also known as .32-40 Ballard, .32-40 WCF, .32-40
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Single Shot
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: High Wall Receiver, Falling Block Action, Exposed Hammer, Schoyen Heavy Target Barrel, Full Octagon Barrel, Double Set Trigger, Palm Rest, Shad Belly Buttstock, Winchester A5 Telescopic Sight, Tuning Fork Front Handrest
Base model
Service history
Operators
- American Schuetzen target shooters
Production
Production years: 1885-1920
One-off custom Schuetzen rifle; Winchester produced roughly 140,000 Model 1885 Single Shot rifles overall, of which Schoyen-built target guns were a tiny hand-fitted fraction.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: John Moses Browning (action); George Schoyen (target rebuild)
Discontinued: 1920
Notes
A custom competition build, not a factory catalog model: Winchester supplied the High Wall action and Schoyen fitted his own heavy barrel and target furniture. An example is on exhibit at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia. Schuetzen shooters often used a single re-primed case reloaded with powder for each shot at the line. Weight and barrel length vary from build to build; heavy Schuetzen rifles of this type typically ran 12-16 pounds.
Background
George Schoyen was one of Denver's most respected barrel makers, and Schuetzen shooters prized his heavy octagonal barrels for their consistency; a Model 1885 High Wall wearing a Schoyen barrel, palm rest, and A5 scope was about as accurate an off-hand rifle as money could buy at the turn of the 20th century.