Teemdoc said

Thank you Bert. I assume the "custom" forend and stock hurt its value?
  

Yes it does negatively affect the collector value of the rifle.  Due to the cartridge it is chambered for, it also has minimal value as a "shooter" grade rifle.  The only people who might be intrested in it are the small numbere of us that can reload the 25-20 S.S. cartridge.

Bert

Bert H. said

Teemdoc said

Bert H. said
The model is a "Winchster Single Shot" (a.k.a. Model 1885).  Th caliber "25 W.C.F." is the original designation for the 25-20 Single Shot (S.S.) cartridge.  The barrel should be 28-inches long, and it appears to be the heaviere No. 2 contour.  As mentioned, th forend stock is not factory original, and I highly susppect the same is true for th butt stock. The serial number located on the end of the lower tang will tell me precisely when the rifle was manufactured, and what its orginal configuration was.
Bert
  

its faint,but I see it now..says Patient Oct7th 79, and serial is 51300
  

OK, Single Shot rifle s/n 51300 was indeed a 25-20 Single Shot rifle with a 28-inch No. 2 octagon barrel.  It was manufactured in November of 1891, and it had standard stocks on it (crescent butt plate, and ebony tipped forend stock).

 
Bert
  

Thank you Bert. I assume the "custom" forend and stock hurt its value?

Teemdoc said

Bert H. said
The model is a "Winchster Single Shot" (a.k.a. Model 1885).  Th caliber "25 W.C.F." is the original designation for the 25-20 Single Shot (S.S.) cartridge.  The barrel should be 28-inches long, and it appears to be the heaviere No. 2 contour.  As mentioned, th forend stock is not factory original, and I highly susppect the same is true for th butt stock. The serial number located on the end of the lower tang will tell me precisely when the rifle was manufactured, and what its orginal configuration was.
Bert
  

its faint,but I see it now..says Patient Oct7th 79, and serial is 51300
  

OK, Single Shot rifle s/n 51300 was indeed a 25-20 Single Shot rifle with a 28-inch No. 2 octagon barrel.  It was manufactured in November of 1891, and it had standard stocks on it (crescent butt plate, and ebony tipped forend stock).

Bert

Bert H. said
The model is a "Winchster Single Shot" (a.k.a. Model 1885).  Th caliber "25 W.C.F." is the original designation for the 25-20 Single Shot (S.S.) cartridge.  The barrel should be 28-inches long, and it appears to be the heaviere No. 2 contour.  As mentioned, th forend stock is not factory original, and I highly susppect the same is true for th butt stock. The serial number located on the end of the lower tang will tell me precisely when the rifle was manufactured, and what its orginal configuration was.
Bert
  

its faint,but I see it now..says Patient Oct7th 79, and serial is 51300

Bert

We can see it's a Winchester M-1885 Low Wall, from you're second picture, which looks to have had some nice custom stocked wood added to it. The Octagon barrel that you said shows the caliber being, .25 WCF, should have a Winchester address, on the top barrel flat, if it's a Winchester barrel. More detailed pics would certainly help out, as would the serial number, behind the set trigger, under the lever on the falling block style rifle, on the lower tang.

Bert Hartman is our Resident expert on these, and he can and will be along to tell us more, with the serial number and better pictures, as his Survey work on these is fantastic, and a great help to all of us collectors. He has access to the factory records, of all of the M-1885 rifles, in the many calibers that were made. 

You're rifle with what we can see looks like someone put together a nice rifle to they're liking with all the extras on it. That's not a Winchester forearm on it, but a wider than normal nice piece of Walnut to someone's custom preferences.

Tony

Zebulon said
Can't pay too much for one of those; you can pay it a little too early. I haven't seen many of those boxes. I'd have arm wrestled you for it 
  

Here's a few boxes. My red and black clam shell box is the only one I have ever seen in person.

EWMN said

EWMN said

Zebulon said
If possible, adopt a hardnose attitude now rather than down the road: Don't buy a gun with problems because it looks like a bargain. Wait until a problem-free one comes along. You will not keep the problem gun forever and it will then be a real chore to sell it - probably at a loss. They are just a bad deal and the discipline will save you money and serve you well over time.
You can imagine how I came to learn this. 
  

I am no expert thats for sure. I have been around firearms my whole life. Between my dad, brother and I, we have just about everything between a bb gun and a 460 weatherby. I can't help myself sometimes though. I don't even really like 9mm and yet somehow I think I have 5 or 6 of them. Or awhile back at the gs my girlfriend baby seen a little 25 gt-27., yep she bought it...100 American dollars. Why not, I happen too have a box of 25 might as well have a pistol to go with the box of shells. Just last Saturday I bought another 25 at a garage sale for $20 dollars. (It needs a hammer spring and magazine release button) about 25 dollars for parts w/shipping. We actually shot the little 25 that baby bought over the past weekend. Really a fun little gun. I am always learning and try to not get burned. Here's the little 25s. The one in pieces for cleaning is the garage sale 25.
  

And like i said, sometimes baby and I go to gun shows and im always looking for a nice antique Winchester model 1894 chambered 38-55. But then I see this and always wanted one and puff there goes my 1894 money, not like there was one too be had at the gs that day. Box is battered up a bit, target and most of papers are missing. But the pistol is nice. Hadn't been shot in awhile, owner claimed he owned it 10 years and never fired it, ower also claimed the person he purchased it from claimed it was never fired ???.  Definitely some minor handling marks. And it actually appeared to have the factory dried grease.
  

That's a great find!  Those are works of art, can't have too many.

EWMN said

Zebulon said
If possible, adopt a hardnose attitude now rather than down the road: Don't buy a gun with problems because it looks like a bargain. Wait until a problem-free one comes along. You will not keep the problem gun forever and it will then be a real chore to sell it - probably at a loss. They are just a bad deal and the discipline will save you money and serve you well over time.
You can imagine how I came to learn this. 
  

I am no expert thats for sure. I have been around firearms my whole life. Between my dad, brother and I, we have just about everything between a bb gun and a 460 weatherby. I can't help myself sometimes though. I don't even really like 9mm and yet somehow I think I have 5 or 6 of them. Or awhile back at the gs my girlfriend baby seen a little 25 gt-27., yep she bought it...100 American dollars. Why not, I happen too have a box of 25 might as well have a pistol to go with the box of shells. Just last Saturday I bought another 25 at a garage sale for $20 dollars. (It needs a hammer spring and magazine release button) about 25 dollars for parts w/shipping. We actually shot the little 25 that baby bought over the past weekend. Really a fun little gun. I am always learning and try to not get burned. Here's the little 25s. The one in pieces for cleaning is the garage sale 25.
  

And like i said, sometimes baby and I go to gun shows and im always looking for a nice antique Winchester model 1894 chambered 38-55. But then I see this and always wanted one and puff there goes my 1894 money, not like there was one too be had at the gs that day. Box is battered up a bit, target and most of papers are missing. But the pistol is nice. Hadn't been shot in awhile, owner claimed he owned it 10 years and never fired it, ower also claimed the person he purchased it from claimed it was never fired ???.  Definitely some minor handling marks. And it actually appeared to have the factory dried grease.

EWMN said

Zebulon said
If possible, adopt a hardnose attitude now rather than down the road: Don't buy a gun with problems because it looks like a bargain. Wait until a problem-free one comes along. You will not keep the problem gun forever and it will then be a real chore to sell it - probably at a loss. They are just a bad deal and the discipline will save you money and serve you well over time.
You can imagine how I came to learn this. 
  

I am no expert thats for sure. I have been around firearms my whole life. Between my dad, brother and I, we have just about everything between a bb gun and a 460 weatherby. I can't help myself sometimes though. I don't even really like 9mm and yet somehow I think I have 5 or 6 of them. Or awhile back at the gs my girlfriend baby seen a little 25 gt-27., yep she bought it...100 American dollars. Why not, I happen too have a box of 25 might as well have a pistol to go with the box of shells. Just last Saturday I bought another 25 at a garage sale for $20 dollars. (It needs a hammer spring and magazine release button) about 25 dollars for parts w/shipping. We actually shot the little 25 that baby bought over the past weekend. Really a fun little gun. I am always learning and try to not get burned. Here's the little 25s. The one in pieces for cleaning is the garage sale 25.
  

Im always a sucker for a old 22 also. Im not even sure how many we have, 20 maybe 30 ? Love it.. Just can't help myself. But no doubt this amateur has so much too learn and thats why I'll probably be a life long member of this great forum. 

Zebulon said
If possible, adopt a hardnose attitude now rather than down the road: Don't buy a gun with problems because it looks like a bargain. Wait until a problem-free one comes along. You will not keep the problem gun forever and it will then be a real chore to sell it - probably at a loss. They are just a bad deal and the discipline will save you money and serve you well over time.
You can imagine how I came to learn this. 
  

I am no expert thats for sure. I have been around firearms my whole life. Between my dad, brother and I, we have just about everything between a bb gun and a 460 weatherby. I can't help myself sometimes though. I don't even really like 9mm and yet somehow I think I have 5 or 6 of them. Or awhile back at the gs my girlfriend baby seen a little 25 gt-27., yep she bought it...100 American dollars. Why not, I happen too have a box of 25 might as well have a pistol to go with the box of shells. Just last Saturday I bought another 25 at a garage sale for $20 dollars. (It needs a hammer spring and magazine release button) about 25 dollars for parts w/shipping. We actually shot the little 25 that baby bought over the past weekend. Really a fun little gun. I am always learning and try to not get burned. Here's the little 25s. The one in pieces for cleaning is the garage sale 25.

Saves a lot of aggravation also!

Tony