Winchester Model 1876 .45-60 28″ Octagon Lever Action Rifle 1884 Antique
SOLD FOR: $2,051.00
LSB#: LSB260711RS004
Make: Winchester Repeating Arms Company, New Haven, Connecticut
Model: 1876
Serial Number: 43827
Year of Manufacture: 1884 / Antique
Caliber/Gauge: .45-60 W.C.F.
Action Type: Lever action with an exposed hammer, top ejection, a sliding dust cover on top of the receiver, and a loading gate in the right sideplate, fed by a full-length tubular magazine.
Barrel Length: 28″ Octagon
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade on top of the barrel near the muzzle. The rear sight is a sporting leaf sight with a stepped elevator on a flat spring base, mounted on top of the barrel ahead of the receiver.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth wood with a straight wrist, straight comb, and smooth crescent metal buttplate with a brass gate to the trapdoor compartment. The forend is finished with a metal forend cap. The wood has darkened with age and shows scattered dings, scratches, and handling marks, most noticeably on the buttstock toward the buttplate, along with worn edges. There is no major damage. The length of pull measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. Overall, the stocks rate in Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is dark and the rifling is defined. There is heavy corrosion and erosion throughout. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 4/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 35% of its metal finish. The remaining blue is concentrated on the barrel and magazine tube, where it has thinned and toned toward brown, with scattered spots of finish loss and light scratches along the barrel flats near the muzzle. The receiver, sideplates, hammer, lever, and dust cover have worn to a gray patina, with scattered freckling and light pitting on the right sideplate. There is general handling and operational wear consistent with age. The screw heads show light to moderate wear with serviceable slots. The top of the barrel ahead of the receiver is marked “CAL. 45-60”. The top of the barrel ahead of the rear sight is marked with the Winchester New Haven address and the King’s Improvement patent dates. The upper tang is marked “MODEL. 1876.” between scroll flourishes, and the lower tang is marked with the serial number. The markings are legible, with the beginning of the barrel address faint. Overall, this rifle rates in about Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.
Our Assessment: Unveiled at America’s Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the Winchester Model 1876 “Centennial” was the company’s answer to the call for a lever-action repeater with the power to take the larger game of the American West. Built around a toggle-link action resembling an enlarged Model 1873, it was launched in .45-75 W.C.F., and Winchester added the .45-60 and the .50-95 Express in 1879 and the .40-60 in 1884. The .45-60 paired a 300-grain bullet with 60 grains of black powder for a more moderate load that sold briskly from its introduction. Theodore Roosevelt endorsed the Model 1876 during his ranching years, the Canadian North West Mounted Police and Texas Rangers carried it, and fewer than 64,000 were made before production ended in the 1890s.
This 1884 rifle presents in the classic sporting configuration, pairing a 28″ octagon barrel and full-length magazine with a straight-wrist stock, sliding dust cover, and smooth crescent buttplate with a brass-gated trapdoor compartment. It retains about 35% of its original blue, concentrated on the barrel and magazine tube, with the receiver worn to a gray patina, and its “CAL. 45-60” barrel stamp, King’s Improvement barrel address, and scroll-flanked “MODEL. 1876.” upper tang remain legible. The 4/10 bore is dark with defined rifling and heavy corrosion, the stocks are free of major damage, and the action functions correctly. An honest, original-finish Centennial rifle in its moderate .45-60 chambering, this big-bore Winchester from the frontier era should draw strong interest from lever-action collectors. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids!