Winchester 1886 ’86 26″ Octagonal 40-82 WCF Lever Action Rifle 1888 Antique
SOLD FOR: $3213
LSB#: 210412CG17
Make: Winchester
Model: 1886
Year of Manufacture: 1888
Caliber: .40-82 W.C.F. (Winchester Center Fire)
Action Type: Lever Action Rifle
Serial Number: 16678
Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “-MANUFACTURED BY THE- / -WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.-” forward of the rear sight and “40-82 W.C.F.” behind the rear sight. The top tang is marked “-MODEL 1886-“. The bottom tang is marked -“PAT. OCT. 14. 1884. / JAN. 20. 1885”- under the lever and “16678” behind.
Barrel Length: 26?, Octagonal
Sights: 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 flat-top elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The top tang is drilled, tapped and filled for a tang sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with capped forend, straight grip, straight comb and steel crescent buttplate. The stocks have scattered nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches. The forend has small losses at the rear edge on the left and bottom. The wood has dark discoloration where it meets the metal at most edges with a streak of discoloration on the comb. There are no cracks. The LOP measures 13? from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has mostly gone to a light-moderate patina with scattered spots of solid erosion. Overall, the stocks are in about Very Good condition as Antique.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case-Color
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is dark gray with well defined rifling where not interrupted by erosion. There is light-moderate erosion and pitting scattered through the bore.
Overall Condition: The rifle retains approximately 50% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The barrel and bolt have generally strong blue finish with some scattered wear and patches gone to a light patina. The magazine tube and receiver have mostly worn to white with scattered minor discoloration from oxidation. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches with tool marks around some screw heads. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good-Fine condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly and smoothly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box / Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: The 1886 is another of John Browning’s industry-changing designs. It is our favorite Winchester here, certainly the strongest built at the time and function leads to beauty. The 1886 was available in a variety of cartridges over its nearly 40 years of production and, while there were standard configurations, there were also special-order features which led to a wide number of variations available to the collector today. This example is a standard rifle with a 26″ octagonal barrel chambered for the .40-82 WCF cartridge. The cartridge was fairly popular, chambered in approximately 21% of 1886 rifles and is fairly flat-shooting for a black powder cartridge. This rifle is in Very Good-Fine condition, with fairly strong blue remaining in the barrel and bolt. Altogether, this is a beautiful example of a Winchester 1886, in nice condition for a 130 year old hunting rifle. It will make a nice addition to a Winchester collection with its original finish and early production. Please see our pictures and good luck!