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LOT 3018
Exceptional Antique Winchester Deluxe Model 1886 Lever
Action Rifle in Desirable .45-90 W.C.F. with Factory Letter - Serial no.
68140, 45-90 WCF cal., 26 inch octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock.
Manufactured in 1892, this is an exceptional example of Winchester’s large caliber Model
1886, which was designed by the legendary John Moses Browning. Browning’s design refined by
Winchester’s team was capable of firing more powerful cartridges than any Winchester repeater
before, making it an excellent big game rifle. A powerful and robust rifle such as this would have
been a highly valued companion in the American West, having the power and dependability to
dispatch almost any danger one might come up against. The included factory letter lists the rifle in .45-90 caliber with an octagon barrel,
plain trigger, and a checkered pistol grip stock when received at the warehouse on 23 June 1892, and shipped the following day in order
number 547. John T. Madl’s research of the surviving records of Model 1886 carbines indicates that only 941 were chambered in .45-90
W.C.F., indicating the relative rarity of rifles in the caliber. According to noted author and Winchester historian George Madis in “The
Winchester Book”, approximately one of every 320 Model 1886s had special wood, one of every 400 had a pistol grip stock, and one out
of every 570 had checkered or carved wood. The earlier 1886s, especially high condition deluxe rifles with stunning original case colors
like this one, are highly sought after and valuable firearms. The casehardened receiver finish, as seen on this example, was standard on
the Model 1886 until around 1901. The top of the barrel is marked with the standard two-line Winchester address and the desirable
“45-90 W.C.F.” caliber marking at the breech, both of which appear lightly struck in some areas due to worn factory dies. The upper tang
is marked with the model designation, while the lower tang is marked with the two-line patent dates and the serial number. The left side
of the lower tang is marked “227 XX”, with “227” repeated in the stock inlet and inside the buttplate. It is fitted with a beaded blade front
sight and an elevation adjustable No. 24 notch rear sight. It is mounted with a very nicely figured, H-pattern checkered forearm and
pistol grip stock with an ebony insert in the pistol grip and a crescent buttplate.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, retains 75% plus of the original blue finish, 80% of the vibrant original case colors, and 85% of the
original nitre blue on the loading gate, with the balance mostly a smooth grey patina, a few scattered minor dings/scratches, and a few
markings slightly light (see above). The wood is also very fine with some scattered minor dings/scratches, and the checking mostly crisp.
Mechanically excellent. Even deluxe examples of these large caliber Model 1886 rifles often saw frontier use, leaving few examples in
high condition like this!
Estimate: 18,000 - 27,500
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