Winchester First Model Hotchkiss Carbine 45-70 Govt 24″ Bolt Rifle Antique
SOLD FOR: $1,525.00
LSB#: LSB260602CL070
Make: Winchester
Model: Hotchkiss
Serial Number: 196
Year of Manufacture: 1879 Antique
Caliber: 45-70 Govt
Action Type: Bolt action, centerfire rifle, fed from tubular magazine
Barrel Length: 24″
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade pinned to a base soldered to the barrel. The rear sight is a folding ladder style adjustable screwed to the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is one piece smooth walnut, banded forend, straight grip, straight comb, and smooth iron buttplate. The LOP is 13 1/2″ from trigger to buttplate. This stock has been refinished. There are scratches and compression dents throughout. There are some spots where sanding has left the metal proud. There is some iron staining at the buttplate. There are some chips on the comb. There is a small crack at the tang. Overall this stock is in Fair condition as refinished.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi bright. The rifling is faint. There is heavy erosion. There is moderate pitting. In this writer’s opinion this bore rates 5/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains virtually none of its original finish. The majority of the finish has been aggressively cleaned. There is light pitting throughout. There are some tool marks on the barrel band. The screw heads are tooled but serviceable. The markings are legible. Overall this rifle is in Fair condition.
Mechanics: The action functions incorrectly. The follower is sticky and does not feed cartridges. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: The Winchester-Hotchkiss First Model Carbine is an important early American bolt-action repeater developed during the military’s transition from single-shot arms to repeating cartridge rifles. This 1879 antique example is chambered in .45-70 Government and features a 24″ carbine-length barrel, tubular magazine housed within the buttstock, military-style walnut furniture, and folding ladder rear sight. Serial number 196 places this example very early in production, adding particular interest to an already uncommon 19th-century Winchester military arm.
The Hotchkiss was designed by Benjamin B. Hotchkiss and manufactured by Winchester beginning in the late 1870s, becoming Winchester’s first bolt-action repeating rifle. Its unusual tubular magazine ran through the buttstock and fed cartridges forward into the action, while carbine versions used a shorter 24″ barrel for mounted use. The system underwent U.S. military testing as the Army explored repeating alternatives to the single-shot Springfield Trapdoor, making surviving First Model carbines significant artifacts from an experimental period in American military small-arms development.
This carbine retains virtually none of its original finish, with the metal aggressively cleaned and showing scattered light pitting and tool marks. The refinished walnut stock rates in Fair condition due to scratches, compression dents, chips along the comb, a small tang crack, iron staining, and sanding that has left the metal proud in several areas. The semi-bright bore has faint rifling with heavy erosion and moderate pitting and rates 5/10. Mechanically, the follower is sticky and does not feed cartridges, so the action does not function correctly. Overall, this is a Fair-condition First Model Winchester-Hotchkiss with considerable age-related wear and a significant feeding issue, but its very low serial number, early production, and historical importance still give it substantial collector interest. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids! MF