Winchester 1886 Pistol Grip Set Trigger .45-70 Lever Rifle, 1891 Antique

Sold For $5703.00

Make: Winchester

Model: 1886

Serial Number: 54306

Year of Manufacture: 1891

Caliber: .45-70 Government

Action Type: Lever Action with Full-Length Tubular Magazine & Single Set-Trigger

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “-MANUFACTURED BY THE- / -WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.-” and at the receiver with “45-70”. The upper tang is marked “-MODEL 1886-”. The lower tang is marked -“PAT. OCT. 14.1884. / JAN. 20.1885”- and “54306”. The left of the bottom tang has assembly number “1 CF”.

Barrel Length: 26?, Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a german silver blade in a slotted base dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “V”-notch elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel, the notch is fine-adjustable for elevation. The top tang is drilled, tapped and filled for a tang sight (none present).

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth select walnut with capped forend, pistol grip, straight comb and steel crescent buttplate. The stocks have some scattered minor nicks and scratches, most in the buttstock. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the stocks are in Excellent condition as refinished or replaced Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color

Finish Originality: This rifle has been professionally restored. Per our consignor, this rifle was restored by Roger Kurtz of Roger’s Restorations.

Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. Based on the appearance at the breech, as well as the condition of the bore, we believe it has been re-lined.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 96% of its current metal finish. The finish is lightly thinning at most edges. Most of the balance is scattered tiny spots of minor surface oxidation. There is infrequent minor erosion, most notable on the receiver. The action shows light operational wear. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are generally clear, the serial marking is shallow, but legible. Overall, this rifle is in Excellent condition as professionally restored Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock notch. The trigger is set by pressing it forward until it clicks, resulting in a very light, crisp pull. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a Cody Firearms Museum letter confirming that this rifle was received in the warehouse July 14, 1891 and shipped from the warehouse the same day on Order number 7338 in its current configuration.

Our Assessment: Winchester’s first attempt at a lever action rifle capable of handling a rifle cartridge was the Model 1876, which was a heavier framed version of the Model 1873. However, the toggle-link action used in the gun was still limited to short cartridges like the .40-60 and .45-60 Win, its development rushed to ensure that the new model was out in time for the American centennial. The Model 1886 was designed by John Moses Browning to handle longer cartridges like the .45-70 Govt., the .45-90 Win. and .50-110 Win. cartridges. The Model 1886 utilized a locked-bolt action that was much stronger than the M1876, and some seem to think it is faster and smoother as well. The Winchester Model 1886 was touted as a lever action express model, capable of handling any of the North American game animals.

This rifle is chambered in .45-70 Government, a cartridge which has a long history and has had a new lease on life with the advent of smokeless powder and improved projectiles. It was the U.S. Army’s service cartridge for the 1873 Trapdoor rifles as well as being quite popular with hunters to this day. This rifle has been quite expertly restored, by none other than Roger Kurtz of Roger’s Restorations according to our consignor.

Truly an artist, Roger is known for restorations which do not make a rifle look as if it is brand-new, but rather to make the rifle appear as an extraordinarily high-condition original. He has been so successful at this that he began placing an unobtrusive marking on concealed surfaces of the guns he restores, to prevent unscrupulous characters from passing off his work as a genuine original Winchester, which it easily could! This rifle is either not so marked or is marked on a surface covered by the forend, which we did not remove, but the work appears to be classic Roger’s.

This is an extremely nice-looking rifle, so please see our pictures. With the included factory records letter, this rifle is quite scarce with its pistol grip and single set-trigger. We suspect the collectors are going to be very interested!

Make: Winchester

Model: 1886

Serial Number: 54306

Year of Manufacture: 1891

Caliber: .45-70 Government

Action Type: Lever Action with Full-Length Tubular Magazine & Single Set-Trigger

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “-MANUFACTURED BY THE- / -WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.-” and at the receiver with “45-70”. The upper tang is marked “-MODEL 1886-”. The lower tang is marked -“PAT. OCT. 14.1884. / JAN. 20.1885”- and “54306”. The left of the bottom tang has assembly number “1 CF”.

Barrel Length: 26?, Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a german silver blade in a slotted base dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a “V”-notch elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel, the notch is fine-adjustable for elevation. The top tang is drilled, tapped and filled for a tang sight (none present).

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth select walnut with capped forend, pistol grip, straight comb and steel crescent buttplate. The stocks have some scattered minor nicks and scratches, most in the buttstock. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the stocks are in Excellent condition as refinished or replaced Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue & Case Color

Finish Originality: This rifle has been professionally restored. Per our consignor, this rifle was restored by Roger Kurtz of Roger’s Restorations.

Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion in the bore. Based on the appearance at the breech, as well as the condition of the bore, we believe it has been re-lined.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 96% of its current metal finish. The finish is lightly thinning at most edges. Most of the balance is scattered tiny spots of minor surface oxidation. There is infrequent minor erosion, most notable on the receiver. The action shows light operational wear. Otherwise, there are only light handling marks. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are generally clear, the serial marking is shallow, but legible. Overall, this rifle is in Excellent condition as professionally restored Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock notch. The trigger is set by pressing it forward until it clicks, resulting in a very light, crisp pull. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a Cody Firearms Museum letter confirming that this rifle was received in the warehouse July 14, 1891 and shipped from the warehouse the same day on Order number 7338 in its current configuration.

Our Assessment: Winchester’s first attempt at a lever action rifle capable of handling a rifle cartridge was the Model 1876, which was a heavier framed version of the Model 1873. However, the toggle-link action used in the gun was still limited to short cartridges like the .40-60 and .45-60 Win, its development rushed to ensure that the new model was out in time for the American centennial. The Model 1886 was designed by John Moses Browning to handle longer cartridges like the .45-70 Govt., the .45-90 Win. and .50-110 Win. cartridges. The Model 1886 utilized a locked-bolt action that was much stronger than the M1876, and some seem to think it is faster and smoother as well. The Winchester Model 1886 was touted as a lever action express model, capable of handling any of the North American game animals.

This rifle is chambered in .45-70 Government, a cartridge which has a long history and has had a new lease on life with the advent of smokeless powder and improved projectiles. It was the U.S. Army’s service cartridge for the 1873 Trapdoor rifles as well as being quite popular with hunters to this day. This rifle has been quite expertly restored, by none other than Roger Kurtz of Roger’s Restorations according to our consignor.

Truly an artist, Roger is known for restorations which do not make a rifle look as if it is brand-new, but rather to make the rifle appear as an extraordinarily high-condition original. He has been so successful at this that he began placing an unobtrusive marking on concealed surfaces of the guns he restores, to prevent unscrupulous characters from passing off his work as a genuine original Winchester, which it easily could! This rifle is either not so marked or is marked on a surface covered by the forend, which we did not remove, but the work appears to be classic Roger’s.

This is an extremely nice-looking rifle, so please see our pictures. With the included factory records letter, this rifle is quite scarce with its pistol grip and single set-trigger. We suspect the collectors are going to be very interested!