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.

This Yellow "Gunmetal"-Framed Beauty still appears to be in the original .44 Henry Rimfire chambering, with a 20" round barrel and full-length magazine tube. These were originally all made in .44 Henry Rimfire, however a few late production Winchester 1866 rifles were configured to fire .44 Henry Centerfire. There were also period conversions to other centerfire cartridges. This is one of the few unconverted examples we have seen.

The carbine features the original standard carbine front sight attached to the front band and a simple 2 leaf rear sight. The serial number is 151470, denoting the year of manufacture as 1879, six 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 over serial 149,000 are considered the "fourth model", which was similar to the "third model", the most numerous type made. Changes mainly involved minor improvements, such as the "Henry drop" on the top of the receiver rear of the ejection port being removed. It also moved the serial number to the tang of the receiver rear of the lever.

This example looks to have seen a good amount of time on the frontier exposed to the elements, which along with cleaning has completely removed the original patent markings on the top of the barrel except for a few traces. 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 solidly attached to the receiver. Stocks are in good condition, showing wear but also a lovely color, having been refinished some time in the past. The action has a beautiful patina on the "gunmetal" frame, which we have left intact. 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. The butt stock features a brass "flat" butt plate with a working storage compartment door, though there is no compartment inlet into the butt stock, which may have been replaced at some point during service.

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 very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is some past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away, but for a Yellow Boy this bore is truly exceptional! Often these look like stove pipes on the inside, so this is really a great bore!

A lovely example of an iconic gun, still in the original rimfire configuration. Only one of a few that we have ever offered for sale!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1879
Caliber: .44 Henry Rimfire
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 39 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: International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.