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Winchester Model 1886 .38-56 Lever Action Rifle

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:3,800.00 - 5,200.00 USD
Winchester Model 1886 .38-56 Lever Action Rifle
Offered in this lot is a rare, special order Winchester Model 1886 Sporting Rifle in seldom seen .38-56 caliber with unusual and desirable features. A scarce western big game chambering in the Model 1886, the .38-56 cartridge is simply the big .45-70 case necked down to .38 caliber which provided high velocity and the knockdown power needed for the largest game on the frontier. The original .45-70 Government cartridge was the chambering that John Browning used to make the big Model 1886 the strongest and most potent lever action rifle of the day. Few surviving examples of such an unusual special order 1886 like this remain today and are seldom offered on the collector market. This special-order Winchester is fitted with the rarely seen half-octagon/half-round barrel as well as a half-length magazine. Further, it was specifically ordered with a shotgun butt instead of the standard curved butt plate. The serial number on this example is 58640 which indicates a manufacture date of 1891. The special aspects of this fine rifle have been verified by the Cody, Wyoming Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which contains the original Winchester shipping records. Members of the museum may contact the records department for specific Winchester rifle data. This was done with this rifle. The “Call-In” sheet that accompanies Model 1886 with serial number 58640 was sent by the records department and states that this rifle had its serial number applied on July 11, 1891. It further verifies that it originally left the Winchester factory as a rifle, caliber .38-56, with ½ Octagon barrel, plain trigger, ½ magazine, shotgun butt, was received in the warehouse on July 23, 1891 and shipped from the warehouse on July 24 , 1891 to order number 7824. To illustrate the rarity of these optional, special order features of this rifle, the standard reference, The Winchester Handbook, by George Madis, indicates that of the approximately 160,000 Model 1886 rifles manufactured only 1,632 had half-octagon/half-round barrels; only 477 had magazine tubes shorter than standard; and only 867 had special butt plates. Astute riflemen of the day preferred half-magazines because it was known that while they held fewer rounds, accuracy was improved by not having a long tube filled with heavy cartridges hanging from the bottom of the barrel. In period photographs of Theodore Roosevelt, it can be clearly noted that all of his special-order fancy Winchester rifles had half-magazines. Placed together, these three special-order, seldom encountered features make this a very rare Winchester Model 1886. Additionally, the .38-56 is a very scarce caliber in this model; the .45-70 being the standard and most often encountered chambering. It is very possible that there isn’t more than a small grouping of Model 1886 Winchesters built and chambered exactly like this one. Also, the fine overall condition of this unusual rifle places it head and shoulders above most standard rifles of this model seen today. The 24” barrel shows a soft aged blue appearance that is extremely attractive and retains the crisp Winchester markings that include: “MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO., NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.” The case colors on the receiver have faded to an appealing aged silver gray with excellent blue on the bolt on the receiver top. This rifle is also equipped with a very desirable Lyman tang sight in addition to the standard elevation adjustable buckhorn rear sight and a very rare white bone-blade front sight. The forend and butt stock are in exceptional condition showing only the lightest of handling wear and, importantly, showing very tight wood to metal fit, which indicates that the stock on this rifle has not been sanded or refinished. The excellent condition of the screws attests to the fact that this rifle has not been disassembled or altered. The smooth steel shotgun butt plate is also original and perfectly fitted at the Winchester factory 129 years ago! The bore is also in very fine condition with strong rifling all the way through. This is an exceptionally rare and seriously powerful frontier rifle in particularly fine condition that is worthy of the finest Winchester or western firearms collection. It would be nearly impossible to find one exactly like this. This firearm qualifies as an Antique, and does not require FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.