Hello Fellows,
Please allow me to clear up a number of misconceptions concerning this topic.
As some of you know, I have conducted
a lot of research on the Model 1885 for the reference book that I am slowly writing. To that end, I can positively state the following;
1. Winchester cataloged the high-wall shotgun in the years 1914 - 1916 only.
2. The serial number range that they were manufactured in is very tight, with all guns appearing in the 113,700 - 114, 900 range (with the exception of just one gun that is in the 111,500 range).
3. I have personally had my hands on nearly (30) of them, I own one, and I have the statistical information on a total of (33) of them.
4. They were offered as both a solid frame and a Takedown, with the Takedown being the more common... (22) of the (33) I have in my database are takedowns.
5. Every single one of them was made in 1914. (Madis' serial number listing for the Model 1885 is
grossly inaccurate
)
6. They were all made with a 26" nickle steel barrel, Full choke, and a 3-inch chamber. Modified and Cylinder bore choke was offered as a no cost special order option (I have not yet found one in either of those chokes).
7. The top of the frame ring (and Takedown extension ring) was always matted (an easy clue when trying to determine if one is factory original).
8. The loading channel
behind the breech block was made larger to accommodate the large diameter of the 20 gauge rim.
As far as how many were made, my best guess is that Winchester manufactured about (600) of them. A fair number of them were indeed shipped to Australia (roughly 50% of the total production).
To Win92,
I would very much like to have the statisical details on your new (old) high-wall shotgun for my research data base.
Bert