Museum Quality Winchester 1887 12GA 32” Lever Action Shotgun,1893 Antique
SOLD FOR: $3,156.00
Make: Winchester Repeating Arms Co.
Model: 1887
Serial Number: 49972
Year of Manufacture: 1893
Caliber: 12 Gauge
Capacity: 5+2
Action Type: Lever Action, Tubular Magazine Shotgun
Markings: The serial number “49972” is marked on the underside of the receiver; the lower tang is stamped, “MANUFACTURED BY THE / WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / -NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.- / PAT. FEB. 16, & JULY 20, 1886”. The “WRAo” monogram logo is engraved on the left side of the receiver.
Barrel Length: 32″
Choke: Improved Cylinder, Fixed
Sights / Optics: The receiver has a shallow groove and the front sight is a brass bead screwed to the front of the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are walnut with a two-piece forearm and one-piece buttstock with rounded pistol grip and checkered steel buttplate. The Buttstock and Forearm are in Excellent condition. There are only a couple minor scratches and overall the Stocks rate in Excellent Condition. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The metal buttplate has well defined checkering with minimal wear on the buttplate finish. Overall, the stocks are in Excellent condition as a Highly Collectable Antique.
Type of Finish: Blued & Case Color
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore on this shotgun is very bright and shiny. This writer would rate the bore as 10/10.
Overall Condition: This highly collectible 1887 still exhibits approximately 75% of its original case color-hardening and bluing. The Hammer, Receiver Firing Block and the internal lever mechanism still exhibit VIVID rainbow Case Coloring which is extremely rare for a black powder shotgun that is over 130 years old. There is almost no observable operational wear on the internal lever action. The bluing on the barrel and tubular magazine is fading to a pleasing plumb patina. The screw heads are all sharp and unmarred. The markings are sharp and clear. Overall, this Exceptional shotgun is in Excellent Condition as highly collectible Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions perfectly, the lever moves smoothly, and the trigger trips the hammer. We have not test-fired this gun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: This is a must-have for any high-end Winchester collector!!! You won’t find many examples of a 130 year-old shotgun that are in this condition with this level of remaining finish outside of the finest firearms museums.
The 1887 Winchester is the only example of a lever action smoothbore shotgun, which has been a precious prize for collectors over the years. The Winchester factory produced about 65.000 pieces between 1887 and 1901 and it is renowned for being the first truly successful repeating shotgun ever made. Its unique lever-action design was chosen by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and designed by the legendary designer, John Moses Browning, to complement their popular lever-action rifles.
There is an interesting story about the development of this shotgun. At the beginning of the 1880’s the Winchester Repeating Arms Company asked Mr. John Moses Browning to design a shotgun for them, which could shoot 12 gauge cartridges but which would look like a typical Winchester rifle. Browning took the job and the result was outstanding: the unique look of the 1887 Lever Action shotgun. After J.M. Browning sold the patent for this shotgun to Winchester, he decided to go on a two-year mission across the U.S. as a member of the Mormon Church. About two months after the beginning of his mission, he and his fellow traveller arrived in a village in Georgia and saw the brand new 1887 shotgun in a shop window. They went in and John asked the gunsmith if he could take a look at the shotgun. Once he had the shotgun in his hands, he handled it with such dexterity that the gunsmith was surprised, and asked Mr. Browning how a man like him could know Winchester’s new shotgun so well, considering that no one had ever seen one before. Browning’s friend promptly replied that the man in front of the gunsmith was the designer of the shotgun. The gunsmith hastily took the shotgun off John’s hands and chased away the two. He evidently did not trust the two strange Mormon evangelists!
Nevertheless, speed and loading ease, coupled with the large capacity of the loading tube were the points of strength of this weapon in those years. It was used by the agents of the famous Pinkerton Detective Agency to defend stagecoaches and, a few years later, by Bonnie & Clyde- for far different purposes – in a short barrel version.
This model has become an iconic favorite from the Big Screen, VideoGames, to competition shooting events since its conception, and for good reason – it’s absolutely gorgeous and powerful. For this reason you might remember Arnold Schwartzenegger flipping this shotgun while on the back of a motorcycle blasting away in Terminator 2. Every arsenal needs at least one 1887 shotgun for its extremely satisfying lever action and rich history. This will make a nice addition to the collection of any Winchester collector of fine antique firearms, or aficionados of the American West. Please see our photos for a better explanation of condition and good luck!
