Original Item: Only One Available. Here we have a lovely patinated early 2nd 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 visible markings on the barrel due to wear and patination, however it measures out to .701" 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 14852 on the front underside of the receiver denotes year of manufacture as 1888, one of 13,422 made during the second 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 excellent condition with the classic red brown color of aged oiled walnut, and look to have been refinished at some time in the past, which is very well retained. The butt stock is in great shape, with a carved in pistol grip, and factory checkered metal butt plate. There are some scratches and dents from prior to the refinishing, but nothing out of line with long service. The fore stock is also in lovely shape, showing little wear and no cracking or other damage.

The metalwork overall shows a lovely aged plum brown patina, with some remnants of the original bluing on the barrel and receiver. It has a great "well-rested" look, with no signs of overly aggressive cleaning, just repeated polishing over the years. This has allowed it to mature beautifully and naturally, and we only gave it a quick wipe down, and do not recommend any further cleaning. The action is in fully functional condition and cycles well, with a crisp dry fire. The bore is clear, showing only light past fouling and oxidation, now cleaned away after having seen light use on the frontier. We do not see any major oxidation or other damage from use.

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

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1888
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.

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.