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The single shot Browning Model 1885 lever-action rifle provides the indescribable joy of owning a great replica of a legendary masterpiece. Your choices are the Browning Model 1885 BPCR, Browning Model 1885 High Wall and the Browning Model 1885 Low Wall. Caliber choices include .45-70, .40-70, .270 Winchester, etc., and barrel lengths include 26”, 28” and 30”. Some barrels have the over-strengthened (and really cool looking) octagonal cross-section.

John Browning designed the classic falling-block action rifle in 1875. A falling block action uses a steel breechblock to open and seal the breech for loading and firing; actuating the lever opens pulls down the falling block which moves between two corresponding vertical grooves in the receiver. This type of action results in a very strong chamber.

Browning sold his design to Winchester in 1883. Winchester started producing it in 1885, hence the name. Browning started making these new replicas with the High Wall one hundred years later in 1985 and then Low Wall ten years after that in 1995. The Model 1885 BPCR Black Powder Cartridge Rifle debuted the following year.

The original gun was the High Wall, called thus because of its thick, built up receiver breech block flanks. The Low Wall carbine had lower and thinner ones, hence its name. The High Wall gets standard open sights.

BPCR stands for Black Powder Cartridge Rifle. It works with very specific powders. The 1885 BPCR has .40-65 and .45-70 Government options. The .40-65 BPCR has an 8-groove barrel with refined .004” deep grooves! BPCRs come standard with a globe front sight and a Vernier rear sight.

The fold down Vernier rear sight has .05”, .06” and .07” aperture sizes. It’s fully adjustable with a windage knob and an elevation knob and various MOA increment gradients including .5 MOA for windage and .25 MOA for elevation.

No matter which you get, an 1885 single shot imparts the gracious benefits of modern manufacturing, reliability and safety in something that looks and feels significantly like the original. Then there’s the mathematical joy of dodging the acquisition price or the possible restoration costs of an original.

The 1885 is delightfully faithful to the original. There are no modern sights, no thick rubber butt pads, Picatinny rails or any other modern touches. Safety? Sure, the hammer position tells you if the gun is in fire mode or not. The trigger is screwdriver adjustable from 3.5 to 5 pounds of pull weight.

The High Wall version has an adjustable shell deflector that’s a nice touch. It’s screwdriver adjustable to change the angle of deflection! All three models have receivers drilled and tapped for scope mounts. The High Wall and Low Wall get front and back swivel studs and the marvelous sinewy lever that snakes below the trigger to guard it before tailing out by the grip. The butt is gently contoured.

If you’re looking for a replica of the famed Winchester Model 1885, the single shot Browning Model 1885 lever-action rifle proves you can be in luck!

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