Winchester Schoyen Model 1885

About the Winchester Schoyen Model 1885

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.

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.

Winchester Schoyen Model 1885 specifications

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.