Original Item: Only One Available. Every Schoolboys dream! A genuine M-1866 YELLOW BOY, the legendary Brass-framed first Winchester Saddle Ring Carbine. First introduced in 1866, having taken over the Henry Rifle Company, Oliver Winchester launched one of the iconic Firearm names in the history of THE OLD WEST. Many refer to the Winchester repeating rifle as the "GUN THAT WON THE WEST"! While the Model 1873 improved on many aspects of the Model 1866, it lacked the beautiful lines and lovely "gunmetal" frame that its predecessor had.

This Yellow "Gunmetal"-Framed Beauty is in .44 centerfire with a 20" round barrel and full-length magazine tube. These were originally all made in .44 Henry Rimfire, however many Winchester 1866 rifles and carbines were later converted to fire .44 Henry Centerfire. These conversions were done both at the Winchester factory, and by gunsmiths using Winchester parts. There is unfortunately no way to tell where this conversion took place, but being made in 1880, it is very possible it was converted right after being made at the factory, as the parts were readily available.

The carbine features the original standard carbine front sight attached to the front band and original simple 2 leaf rear sight graduated for 100, 300, and 500 yards. The serial number is 153507, denoting the year of manufacture as 1880, seven years after the release of the Model of 1873. It is important to note that the model 1866 production continued throughout the 1870s and 1880s, as the model 1866 was cheaper, and remained popular. This meant that factory parts for other calibers were readily available.

Model 1866 Winchesters with serial numbers over 149,000 are considered the "fourth model", with all of incremental design improvements introduced with the previous models. The most produced type had been the "third model", with serial numbers between 25,000 and 149,000. After this, the "Henry Drop" at the upper rear receiver was smooth out even more, and the serial numbers changed from "block" letters to the more "script-like" italicized font as seen on most Model 1873. The location was also moved from under the lever to the rear of the tang, the same location as the Model 1873. After this point production slowed down, with the total production numbering 170,100.

This example looks to have seen a good amount of time on the frontier exposed to the elements, which along with cleaning has partially removed the original patent markings on the top of the barrel, with only part of the second line remaining. They originally would have read:-

The receiver also still has the original saddle ring attached on the left side, which is often missing, and the loop is still attached to the receiver with just a bit of wiggle. Stocks are in good condition, showing wear but also a lovely color and grain, having been refinished some time in the past. The action has a beautiful lightly oxidized patina on the "gunmetal" frame from years of careful cleaning. Barrel looks to have been cleaned repeatedly over the years, with areas of peppering and staining. There is also some past pitting on the sides of the barrel above the fore stock, and on the forward right side as well. The butt stock features a "flat" iron butt plate with a working storage compartment door, though the compartment is empty.

The rifle is in overall very nice condition. The action cycles well, and does not have any issues that we can see, though we did not do any tests to see if it can still feed correctly. The bore on this example is in good condition, showing a partly bright finish with worn lands and grooves. There is past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away, but for a Yellow Boy this bore is definitely well above average! Often these look like stove pipes on the inside, so this is really a very nice bore!

A very nice example of an iconic gun, converted to take more readily available .44 Centerfire ammunition. Only one of a few that we have ever offered for sale!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1880
Caliber: .44 Centerfire
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 39 1/4 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 13-round tube magazine

The first Winchester rifle – the Winchester Model 1866 – was originally chambered for the rimfire .44 Henry. Nicknamed the "Yellow Boy" because of its receiver of a bronze/brass alloy called gunmetal, it was famous for its rugged construction and lever-action "repeating rifle" mechanism that allowed the user to fire a number of shots before having to reload. Nelson King's improved patent remedied flaws in the Henry rifle by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round, sealed magazine which was partially covered by a forestock.

France purchased 6,000 Model 1866 rifles along with 4.5 million .44 Henry cartridges during the Franco-Prussian War. The Ottoman Empire purchased 45,000 Model 1866 rifles and 5,000 carbines in 1870 and 1871. These rifles were used in the 1877 Russo-Turkish War, causing much surprise when outnumbered Turks at the Siege of Plevna inflicted many times more casualties than their opponents armed with single-shot Krnka and Berdan rifles. The Model 1866 compelled Russians to develop a new rifle, the Mosin–Nagant, after the war.

The Swiss Army initially selected the Model 1866 to replace their existing single-shot Milbank-Amsler rifles. However, ensuing political pressure to adopt a domestic design resulted in the Vetterli Model 1867, a bolt-action design utilizing a copy of the Winchester's tubular magazine, being adopted instead.

Due to public demand, the Model 1866 continued to be manufactured and sold until 1899, mainly because they were less expensive than the later steel-framed centerfire models. Later models were chambered for the .44-40 Winchester cartridge.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.