Item:
ONJR23HRAN24

Original U.S. Winchester Model 1886 .45-70 Sporting Rifle with 26" Octagon Barrel made in 1896 - Serial 105171

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This pretty much is the Cadillac of late 19th century big game hunting rifles! Many consider the Winchester 1886 to be the finest lever action repeating rifle ever made! This very fine example is in .45-70 "Government" caliber (marked 45-70 on the chamber) with a special order 26" octagon barrel, which looks to have been factory replaced long ago. It also has a full length magazine tube, probably with a capacity over 9 rounds. It has the classic Winchester "blade" front sight, and iconic "buckhorn" adjustable rear sight. The serial number on the lower receiver tang is 105171 denoting the year of manufacture as 1896, one of 6,568 made that year.

The top of the barrel and the adjacent top of the receiver are marked with the WP in an Oval "Winchester Proof", which was not introduced until 1908. This indicates that the rifle was returned to the factory at some point, and had a brand new Winchester barrel installed. It has the later pattern markings on the left facet of the barrel, which read:

MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.
NEW HAVEN. CONN. U. S. A. PAT. OCT. 14. 1884. JAN. 20. 1885.

This 1886 has John Browning's PAT. OCT. 14. 1884 and JAN. 20. 1885 patent dates stamped on the lower receiver tang as well, as when this was originally made, they were not stamped on the barrel. The upper tang simply marked - MODEL 1886. -, the standard marking for this model. The stocks are in very good condition, especially the butt stock, which has a great color and a lovely grain. The fore stock shows a bit more wear, and does have cracks along the grain running the full length on both sides.

This example is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition. Metal work is very good, worn mostly bright steel on the receiver, while the barrel and magazine tube have faded to a plum patina. The bore is in excellent condition, and looks to have seen little to no use after it was replaced years ago. It shows a bright finish with crisp lands and grooves, and would be very difficult to improve upon. Probably rates a 9.5 out of 10, maybe better, if that is possible.

These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in such lovely condition. Just what you needed when going "On Safari" with "T.R." Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1894
Caliber: .45-70 "Government"
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 26 Inches
Overall Length: 44 1/2 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: tube magazine

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: 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.

  • This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey

    This product is available for international shipping.
  • Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon

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