Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very attractive early Winchester Model 1886 sporting rifle chambered in .38-56 W.C.F., serial number 15857, manufactured in 1888. Designed by John Moses Browning, the Model 1886 is widely regarded as one of Winchester's strongest and finest lever action designs, built specifically to handle the larger and more powerful sporting cartridges of the late 19th century. This example retains its desirable 26" octagonal barrel, full length magazine tube, early Winchester barrel address, original caliber marking, crescent butt plate, and classic period sight configuration.

This is an antique black powder firearm manufactured before 1899. Under federal law, it may generally be owned within the United States without a special license or permit and does not require transfer through a Federal Firearms Licensee. However, state and local laws may vary. This firearm is sold solely as a historical collector’s item and has not been test fired or inspected for firing safety by a professional gunsmith. Any mechanical or bore observations provided below describe only its present condition and should not be interpreted as confirmation that the firearm is safe to load or fire. The purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Winchester introduced the Model 1886 as a heavy duty sporting rifle capable of handling cartridges substantially more powerful than those suited to the earlier Model 1873 and Model 1876 actions. Browning's locking system proved exceptionally strong and successful, and the Model 1886 ultimately became one of the most respected lever action rifles of the black powder era.

This rifle is chambered for the:

38 - 56 W.C.F.

cartridge, as marked over the chamber. Winchester introduced the .38-56 W.C.F. in 1887 specifically for the Model 1886, making this 1888 rifle a very early example from only the second year that the cartridge was commercially available. The .38-56 was a substantial bottleneck black powder sporting cartridge intended for hunting and general sporting use.

The rifle is fitted with a 26" octagonal barrel and full length tubular magazine. The 26" barrel was a standard sporting rifle length for the Model 1886, while Winchester also offered numerous other barrel, magazine, stock, and sight configurations to special order.

The front sight is the classic Winchester blade pattern, paired with an adjustable flat top rear sight.

The top of the barrel carries the early Winchester address:

— MANUFACTURED BY THE —
— WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN CONN. U.S.A. —

The markings remain fully legible.

The lower receiver tang is serial numbered:

15857

which falls within the accepted 1888 production range for the Model 1886.

The lower tang also carries John Browning's patent dates:

PAT. OCT. 14. 1884
JAN. 20. 1885

while the upper tang is correctly marked:

- MODEL 1886. -

The metalwork is in very good service used condition and has developed a handsome worn gray patina. There is scattered evidence of old peppering and oxidation, but we do not see major heavy pitting or destructive rust damage. The surfaces show no obvious evidence of a modern refinish, and the barrel and receiver markings remain clear.

The stocks are likewise in very good condition and display the rich dark red brown color associated with aged, oiled American walnut. Both the fore end and butt stock show attractive natural grain and have a pleasing waxed appearance.

The wood shows the expected dents, dings, scratches, and handling wear accumulated over more than a century of use and storage. There is cracking on both sides of the butt stock adjacent to the receiver tang, which should be noted.

The butt stock is fitted with a traditional Winchester crescent steel butt plate. There is no trap or storage compartment in the butt plate.

The action is crisp and tight during manual inspection and cycles smoothly without obvious sticking or mechanical deficiency. We have not tested the rifle with cartridges or dummy ammunition, so feeding and extraction under ammunition have not been verified.

The bore is in good condition. Lands and grooves remain clearly visible, and portions of the interior retain a partly bright finish. There is evidence of past fouling and oxidation that has since been cleaned, together with several darker areas remaining in the bore.

With its early 1888 manufacture, desirable .38-56 W.C.F. chambering, 26" octagonal barrel, full length magazine, untouched appearing aged metal surfaces, handsome walnut stocks, and strong mechanical condition, this is a particularly appealing early Model 1886 sporting rifle. The .38-56 chambering places it squarely in the great black powder hunting era for which the Model 1886 became famous, making it an excellent addition to a collection of Winchester lever actions, Browning designed firearms, antique sporting rifles, or classic Western hunting arms.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1888
Manufacturer: Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Model: 1886 Repeating Rifle
Serial Number: 15857
Caliber: .38-56 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 38 3/4 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine
Federal Classification: Pre-1899 Antique

More on the Winchester Model 1886

The lever action repeating rifle we know as the Winchester Model 1886 was conceived in the mind of a young John Browning in Ogden, Utah around 1883. At the time, Browning and his younger brothers, all in their teens and twenties, were building an amazing single shot rifle in a small brick factory/sporting goods store they had built with their own hands in downtown Ogden. Between 1879 and 1883, the Browning Brothers made about 600 single shot single shot rifles. Since they had no distribution set up, the rifles were simply sold locally off the racks placed in the front of their store. Legend has it that in 1883, a Winchester salesman named Andrew McAusland came across one of the Browning Brothers rifles in his travels. He purchased the rifle for $15 and shipped it back to Winchester thinking it might interest his company back East. He attached a letter stating such with along with the hopes they would reimburse him the fifteen bucks. All that was stamped on the gun was a serial number and the name Browning Bros., Ogden, UT. The rifle impressed management at Winchester so much that Vice President T.G. Bennett (Oliver Winchester's son-in-law) boarded a train for Ogden in hopes of buying the design from ????... well, quite literally... whoever these Browning guys were.

What I wouldn't give to go back in time and see that Yale-educated Vice President of Winchester Repeating Arms Company dressed in a suit wandering the frontier-era streets of Ogden, Utah in search of the Browning Brothers shop. Can you imagine his surprise when he realized, that the rifle (in 1883, his company had no equivalent to this rifle in their product line, nor a single model that could handle calibers 45-70 and up), had been in production for four years by young Mormon brothers in their teens and twenties on the American frontier? These guys were living quite literally on the very last stop for the railroad on the frontier just about as far as you could get from the Industrial Revolution back East... yet at that moment, they were arguably building the best single shot rifle in the world. At any rate, to get to the point, Bennett purchased the rights to manufacture the Browning Bros. rifle and made them Winchester dealers, "jobbers", in the process. The rifle would be manufactured by Winchester as the Model 1885 Single Shot.

Before departing, John Browning told Bennett about another design he was working on: a new lever action repeater that could handle the 45-70. Bennett was quite interested and encouraged Browning to let Winchester have the first crack at it when a prototype was completed. The following year in 1884, it was John and his younger brother, Matt Browning, who boarded the train, this time for New Haven, CT with their new rifle in tow. This new lever action was granted US Patent No. 306,577 on October 14, 1884. John Browning was just 29 years old. BTW, this was his fifth patent! The 1886 was the first lever action repeater that could handle the Gov't 45-70 as well as the 45-90 and 40-82. These were the first three calibers offered in their new lever action but many more calibers would come over the next several years. The 50-110 was offered for the first time in the Model 1886 in 1887.

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.

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.