Winchester 1886 .40-82 WCF 26″ Octagon Lever Rifle MFD 1895 Cody Letter
SOLD FOR: $1,860.00
LSB#: LSB260702WF003
Make: Winchester
Model: 1886 Rifle
Serial Number: 98838
Year of Manufacture: 1895 / Antique
Caliber: .40-82 WCF
Action Type: Lever action rifle with John Browning’s vertical dual locking lug design, fed from a tubular magazine.
Markings: Standard Winchester Model 1886 factory markings. The serial number “98838” matches the factory letter.
Barrel Length: 26″, octagon
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to the barrel, and the rear sight is a V-notch semi-buckhorn leaf dovetailed to the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The rifle wears a wood stock with a straight wrist and straight comb and a smooth steel crescent buttplate. 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 Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is grey with well-defined rifling, and there is corrosion throughout. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 6/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 45% of its original blue, with the balance toned to a grey-brown patina. The receiver, barrel and magazine tube show handling wear and light surface oxidation consistent with age. The wood is free of major damage. Overall, this rifle is in Good condition as an antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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: Cody Firearms Museum factory letter
Our Assessment: The Model 1886 was John Browning’s first design for Winchester, and its strong vertical locking lugs allowed the company to chamber a lever action for the big black powder cartridges of the day. The .40-82 WCF was one of these large-bore rounds, favored by Western hunters for elk and other large game.
This example comes with a Cody Firearms Museum factory letter confirming it as a .40-82 rifle with an octagon barrel and plain trigger. The serial number was applied on February 25, 1895, and the rifle was received in the warehouse on April 4, 1895 and shipped on April 6, 1896, order number 8783. It retains about 45% of its blue, the bore rates 6/10 and the wood is free of major damage. It is a documented, antique big-bore Model 1886 in a scarcer original chambering.-C.M.