Winchester 1885 In 25-35

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Shrapnel
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Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

I found this 1885 in an auction site and had to get it. It has a bunch of stuff going for it, but I am a fan of 25-35.

All the features letter and the gun is in great shape. I hope to be shooting deer or antelope this fall with it.




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gamekeeper
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by gamekeeper »

Wow, I really like that :mrgreen: congratulations.
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by windy »

Lovely; my favorite caliber too--I have an 1894 Deluxe, a Savage 1899 takedown, and a Martini Cadet in 25-35. The 99 and the Martini are 1;10" twist, the Winnie is in the original 1:8". Hard to say which shoots 117gr best; I think the 1:10's are better with the 100's. They all shoot the 110gr FTX well, better with factory than my reloads, so far. I've collected a number of early bullets for them; somehow the earlier bullets almost always shoot best with the earlier powders--go figger! Our head cheerleader in high school--she was also "First Runner Up" in the state Junior Miss competition, back in the 60's--shot her mule deer buck every year with a little saddle ring 25-35. Never had to pack one out herself, either.
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Shrapnel
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

The 25-35 has a long and distinguished history in my family. My dad broke a horse and got one for doing it. It was all I hunted with as a kid. I killed a 7 foot grizzly with it when I was a kid, one shot between the eyes...

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6pt-sika
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by 6pt-sika »

I had a Kettner or Kerner single shot that was in 25-35 it was prewar and a nice old rifle . We also have a CPA single shot with two barrels 25-35 and 38-55 that’s in full Pope Schuetzen regalia . I’m trying to talk myself out of it but I’m slowly loosing :lol: :lol: :lol:
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6pt-sika
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by 6pt-sika »

Shrap nice gun !!!! Isn’t it a TD model ?
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Old Savage »

A great acquisition, love the 25-35.
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Ysabel Kid »

Very nice! Congrats!!! :mrgreen: 8) :D
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Shrapnel
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

6pt-sika wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 6:22 pm Shrap nice gun !!!! Isn’t it a TD model ?
Yes it is…
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AmBraCol
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by AmBraCol »

A lovely rifle indeed! The Cowboy and Gunfighter Museum in Craig, CO has an 1885 in 25-35 with an original from the factory 12 or 14" barrel. Can't remember which. You'd have to get a tax stamp to do that today, but back in the day someone wanted a compact rifle and got it. Although, IIRC, it has a bull barrel on it, which means there's not that much weight savings over the original configuration. Still, a nifty little rifle. I REALLY like yours with the tang sight and long barrel. It must be a hoot to shoot!
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by marlinman93 »

That's a great looking 1885! I especially like the full round barrel, takedown, and shotgun style buttplate. All those features were signs of when Winchester and other makers were making small changes to modernize the look of their older models. And the .25-35 and .25-36M were really great cartridges!
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Ray Newman »

Be still my heart! Nice looking M1885.
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by gcs »

Thats a really nice rifle!
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Boy, that rifle says C-L-A-S-S from one end to the other. Wonderful find and chambered for a very useful and pleasant cartridge.😎
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by ollogger »

Just a awesome beauty!! I have a 94 in 25-35, great cartidge as you well know


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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Griff »

As usual Shrapnel... just gorgeous! :mrgreen:
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by 2ndovc »

That's a real trophy!

Happy Shooting!

jb 8)
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by RIHMFIRE »

That's AWESOME
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Walker »

Sweet!
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Grizz »

Shrapnel wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 4:42 pm I found this 1885 in an auction site and had to get it. It has a bunch of stuff going for it, but I am a fan of 25-35.

All the features letter and the gun is in great shape. I hope to be shooting deer or antelope this fall with it.
That rifle went WAY PAST BEAUTIFUL . . . . still going too. Looks like the perfect field piece. Good Hunting
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Oldncrusty »

DROOOOOOOOOOLL.
A grail gun for sure.
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by elmo123 »

Nice rifle. If you get a chance to pick up some of the Hornady ammo with the Flex-Tip bullets give them a try. They worked good out of my sewer pipe for a barrel 1894. I contacted Hornady and they gave me some loads for that bullet with Lever powder let me know if you are interested and I'll post them.

Mike
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Scott Tschirhart »

What a beautiful rifle!!!!
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by .45colt »

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: !
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

elmo123 wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 11:54 am Nice rifle. If you get a chance to pick up some of the Hornady ammo with the Flex-Tip bullets give them a try. They worked good out of my sewer pipe for a barrel 1894. I contacted Hornady and they gave me some loads for that bullet with Lever powder let me know if you are interested and I'll post them.

Mike
I have another Winchester model 1894 and 25-35 and I will use the same ammunition I shoot in that rifle. The 117 grain round nose bullet continues to work exceptionally well at the distances I will be shooting this gun I don’t need anything that’s pointed or high ballistic coefficient.

Thanks for the considerate offer…
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Mike Armstrong »

Just lovely! I think that Colorado museum '85 carbine has a factory 14" barrel and lived behind bar for much of its life, according to Campbell's first volume on the Winchester Single Shot.

I was raised on the old myth that a .25-35 wouldn't kill deer reliably, but the next ranch had a lady who came in from town to hunt every season and always left with blacktail meat buck. She used a '94 .25-35 carbine made in the late 1940s. (You DO have to hit 'em someplace in the runnin' gear....).
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by JRD »

Shrapnel,
Whenever you post your latest acquisition, you never disappoint.
This one is also a beauty.

I have two technical questions that I hope you will indulge.
1. How does one set the trigger with that arrangement? Is the rear set trigger offset or wider in any way to allow you to easily set it?

2. Your new single shot is also a takedown. Does the forend have any quick detach latch, and what mechanism locks the barrel? I assume the barrel is threaded into the receiver and there is some locking mechanism to keep it from unscrewing.

As I reviewed my post I may have answered #2. I see a serrated tab on the bottom of the forend just at the front of the receiver. That must be a takedown latch.

Jason
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Shrapnel
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

JRD wrote: Sun Sep 11, 2022 12:51 pm Shrapnel,
Whenever you post your latest acquisition, you never disappoint.
This one is also a beauty.

I have two technical questions that I hope you will indulge.
1. How does one set the trigger with that arrangement? Is the rear set trigger offset or wider in any way to allow you to easily set it?

2. Your new single shot is also a takedown. Does the forend have any quick detach latch, and what mechanism locks the barrel? I assume the barrel is threaded into the receiver and there is some locking mechanism to keep it from unscrewing.

As I reviewed my post I may have answered #2. I see a serrated tab on the bottom of the forend just at the front of the receiver. That must be a takedown latch.

Jason
I set the trigger by pushing the rear trigger forward when the action is open.
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by AmBraCol »

Mike Armstrong wrote: Sat Sep 10, 2022 10:16 pm Just lovely! I think that Colorado museum '85 carbine has a factory 14" barrel and lived behind bar for much of its life, according to Campbell's first volume on the Winchester Single Shot.

I was raised on the old myth that a .25-35 wouldn't kill deer reliably, but the next ranch had a lady who came in from town to hunt every season and always left with blacktail meat buck. She used a '94 .25-35 carbine made in the late 1940s. (You DO have to hit 'em someplace in the runnin' gear....).
Here's a picture of it. Definitely "SBR" at one time, but I believe it is now a "Curio and Relic" - at any rate it resides in the museum instead of being carried and used as designed.
25-35-bull-barrel-stubby-1885.jpg
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Leverluver »

Miroku (forgot whether Browning or faux Winchester) made a copy of that shorty single shot. Wish I had bought one when they were cheap. No real purpose but that never stopped me before.
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Shrapnel
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

I took the 1885 out last week and popped some prairie dogs at 100 yards with it. It will work on deer and antelope easily if I can hit a prairie dog with it...

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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by AmBraCol »

Sweet!

What load did you use on them? (obviously it was "enough gun" :D )
Paul - in Pereira


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Shrapnel
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by Shrapnel »

AmBraCol wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:55 am Sweet!

What load did you use on them? (obviously it was "enough gun" :D )
I have another 25-35 in a 1894 takedown rifle. I have shot turkeys, deer and antelope with it. I continue to use the traditional 117 grain round nose bullet with IMR3031 powder and reproduce the original load with about 2100 FPS...

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.45colt
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by .45colt »

Here We go again....a classic rifle, with some great shootin....Thank You . :D .
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by AmBraCol »

My brother has the old family model 64 in 25-35 and cornered the local market on Winchester brass and Hornady 117 RNL projectiles. I don't recall what powder he uses, but it gets the job done. Back in the day I took the old rifle and tested it prior to opening day. The accuracy with open sights was beautiful, but I never did get a shot while carrying that rifle. Anyway, that load is definitely up to the job - no matter what current "experts" say about obsolescence.
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Re: Winchester 1885 In 25-35

Post by hfcable »

just wonderful.... as i would expect knowing you !!
cable
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