Winchester 1886 .33 WCF 24″ Lever Action Rifle MFD 1905 Cody Letter C&R
SOLD FOR: $3,025.00
LSB#: LSB260706WT022
Make: Winchester
Model: 1886 Rifle
Serial Number: 135898
Year of Manufacture: 1905 / C&R
Caliber: .33 WCF
Action Type: Lever action rifle with John Browning’s vertical dual locking lug design, fed from a tubular magazine.
Markings: The upper tang is marked “MODEL 1886 – WINCHESTER – TRADE MARK”. The top of the barrel is marked “MANUFACTURED BY THE – WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.”
Barrel Length: 24″, round
Sights / Optics: Front sight is a blade dovetailed to the base that is fixed to the barrel. The rear sight is a semi-buckhorn leaf dovetailed to the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The rifle wears a wood stock with a straight wrist and straight comb, a checkered hard rubber shotgun-style buttplate and a wood forend. There is no major damage. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The stock is in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 9/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 75% of its original blue. The receiver and barrel show light handling wear and some thinning of the blue at the edges, and the wood is free of major damage. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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: Cody Firearms Museum records letter
Our Assessment: The Model 1886 was John Browning’s first design for Winchester, and its strong vertical locking lugs let the company bring big-bore black powder cartridges like the .45-70 to a lever action. In 1902 Winchester added the .33 WCF, a smokeless, flat-shooting round that became a popular big-game chambering for the 1886.
This 1905 rifle comes with a Cody Firearms Records letter that lists it as a .33 caliber rifle with a round barrel, full magazine and rubber shotgun butt, received in the warehouse on October 24, 1905 and shipped on November 2, 1905, order number 27841. The letter lists a 33 inch barrel, while the rifle currently measures 24″. It retains about 75% of its blue with a bright 9/10 bore and solid wood. It is a desirable, documented Model 1886 in its most popular smokeless chambering. -C.M.