Winchester Model 1876 .50-95 .50 Express Lever Action Rifle 1882 Antique
SOLD FOR: $4,550.00
LSB#: LSB260602CL011
Make: Winchester
Model: 1876
Serial Number: 27809
Year of Manufacture: 1882 Antique
Caliber: 50-95 WCF, 50 Express
Action Type: Lever action, centerfire rifle, fed from tubular magazine.
Barrel Length: 24″ Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a silver blade dovetailed into the barrel. The rear sight is a spring leaf U notch dovetailed into the barrel. The elevator is missing. The upper tang is drilled and tapped for a peep sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is two piece smooth walnut, capped forend, straight grip, straight comb, and crescent iron buttplate. The trapdoor in the buttplate contains nothing. The LOP is 13 1/4″ from trigger to buttplate. There is heavy handling and use wear. There are scratches, gouges, and compression dents throughout. There are no major structural cracks. Overall this stock is in Fair condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi bright. The rifling is well defined. There is light erosion and pitting scattered throughout the bore. In this writer’s opinion this bore rates 7.5/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains virtually none of its original finish. The metal has worn to brown patina with corrosion staining. There are scratches and light corrosion pits scattered throughout. The screw heads are lightly tooled but serviceable. The markings are legible. Overall this rifle is in Fair to 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: Factory records check from Cody Firearms Museum.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1876 is one of the great large-frame lever-action rifles of the late 19th century, developed to provide substantially more power than the smaller Model 1873. This 1882 antique example is chambered in the formidable .50-95 W.C.F., also known as the .50 Express, and features a 24″ round barrel, full-length tubular magazine, straight-grip walnut furniture, crescent iron buttplate with trapdoor, and traditional barrel-mounted sights. Its large-bore chambering and classic rifle configuration give it substantial visual and collector appeal.
Introduced as Winchester’s Centennial Model, the Model 1876 was essentially an enlarged evolution of the toggle-link system used in the Model 1873 and was intended for heavier sporting cartridges. The .50-95 Express was among the most powerful chamberings offered in the platform and was designed around a relatively light .50-caliber bullet driven at comparatively high velocity for the era, giving it a flatter trajectory than many heavier black-powder cartridges. Rifles in this chambering are especially evocative of the western hunting and sporting market of the 1870s and 1880s, and the included Cody Firearms Museum factory records check adds useful documentary interest to this example.
This rifle retains virtually none of its original finish, with the metal worn to brown patina and showing corrosion staining, scratches, and scattered light pitting. The walnut stocks rate in Fair condition due to heavy handling wear, gouges, scratches, and compression dents, though there are no major structural cracks. The semi-bright bore has well-defined rifling with light erosion and pitting and rates 7.5/10, while the action functions correctly. Overall, this is a Fair to Good antique Winchester Model 1876 with desirable .50-95 Express chambering, strong historical character, and added collector interest from the Cody factory records check. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids! MF