Original Item: Only One Available. Here we have a lovely FIRST YEAR OF PRODUCTION example of one of the world's first successful repeating shotguns, the Winchester Model 1887 Lever Action. Designed by the famed John Browning during the late 19th century, it was designed to capitalize on the "lever action" fame of Winchester at the time. While it was later replaced by pump action designs, it carved out a solid place in history.

This example is in the smaller and more desirable 12 gauge chambering, and features the longer 30" barrel, not the shorter 20". There are no markings on the barrel, however it measures out to .720" at the muzzle. This means it is slightly underbored at the end, thought to help with the spread of shot, so it should never be used with slug ammunition. It has a nice brass bead front sight, and the rear sight is still the groove on the top of the receiver.

Serial number 4458 on the front underside of the receiver denotes year of manufacture as 1887, one of 7,431 made during the first year of production. Originally quite popular, by 1893 "Pump Action" designs had arrived, which slowed down production of the "Lever Action" Model 1887 significantly. The left side of the receiver is marked with the W R A Co overlapping monogram, and the lower receiver tang still has the correct Winchester markings fully intact and easily legible:

Original walnut stocks are in good solid condition with the classic red brown color of aged oiled walnut, and have a lovely glow. The butt stock is in great shape, with a carved in pistol grip, and factory checkered metal butt plate. It also shows some very nice curl to the grain, which has a good amount of chatoyancy on the right side, especially by the pistol grip. There are some scratches, dents, and gouges, but nothing out of line with long service. The fore stock is also in lovely shape, showing only light wear with no large chunks or slivers missing.

The metalwork overall shows wear consistent with use and age, with the original finish now worn to a light grain speckled patina overall from use and cleaning over a long amount of time. The action is in fully functional condition and cycles well, with a crisp dry fire. The bore is clear, showing only light fouling and oxidation, probably having seen only light use on the frontier. We do not see any major oxidation or other damage from use. 

Overall this is a lovely example of an iconic lever action repeating shotgun, from the first year of production! Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1887
Caliber: 12 gauge
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 30 Inches
Overall Length: 47 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 5 + 2 magazine (5 in the tube, one in the chamber, one in the carrier)

The Winchester Model 1887 (Dellosso Shotgun) is a lever-action shotgun originally designed by famed American gun designer John Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company during the late 19th century. It was a black-powder design, and was replaced by the similar Model 1901, which was designed to handle smokeless powder, but was otherwise identical.

The Model 1887 was one of the first successful repeating shotguns. Its lever-action design was chosen at the behest of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, best known at the time as manufacturers of lever-action rifles such as the Winchester Model 1873. Designer John Browning suggested that a pump-action would be much more appropriate for a repeating shotgun, but Winchester management's position was that, at the time, the company was known as a "lever-action firearm company", and felt that their new shotgun must also be a lever-action for reasons of brand recognition. Browning responded by designing a breech-loading, rolling block lever-action. To Winchester's credit, however, they later introduced a Browning designed pump-action shotgun known as the Model 1893 (an early production version of the model 1897), after the introduction of smokeless powder.

Shotgun shells at the time used black powder as a propellant, and so the Model 1887 shotgun was designed and chambered for less powerful black powder shotshells. Both 10 and 12-gauge models were offered in the Model 1887; 12-gauge variants used a 2 5/8" shell, 10-gauge variants fired a 2 7/8" shell. The standard barrel length was 30" with 32" available as a special order. In 1888 a 20" barrelled version could be ordered and Winchester offered the shotguns with Damascus barrels.

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.