Model 1886 rifles with barrel lengths longer than the standard 26-inch barrel are scarce. This rifle is complete with a Cody Firearms Museum letter that describes it as: "Rifle, 38/56, 30-inch octagon barrel' and "Plain trigger". The letter further states that this rifle was shipped from Winchester on January 31, 1893. The rifle has the very desirable color casehardened, receiver, with forearm cap, hammer, lever and crescent buttplate. The barrel, full-length magazine, bolt and trigger have the Winchester commercial blue finish. The loading gate is fire blue. The stock and forearm are straight grain American walnut with a varnish finish. The barrel has a Lyman, "Winchester Express" front sight with colored bead and buckhorn, sporting style, rear sight. The receiver is factory drilled and tapped for a tang sight. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped with the Winchester legend: "-MANUFACTURED BY THE-/- WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.NEW HAVEN CONN. U.S.A.-" in two lines ahead of the rear sight. The caliber: "38-56 W.C.F." is roll-stamped on the top barrel flat between the rear sight and the receiver. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "-MODEL 1886-". The lower tang has the "1884/1885" patent dates stamped behind the trigger and the serial number, "61599" stamped in script letters behind the rear tang screw.

Excellent. The barrel retains 90% of the original blue finish with sharp markings. Most of the blue is present on the magazine with some traces of surface rust along the right side. The bolt and trigger have most of the blue finish while the fire blue finish on the loading gate has faded a thin blue patina. The forearm cap, sides of the receiver, sides of the lever and the hammer have 85% original case colors. The case colors on the contact points on the bottom and top of the receiver and bottom of the lever are thin with traces of a silver patina. The case colors on the crescent buttplate have faded to a dove-gray patina with a few scattered spots of age discoloration. The walnut stock and forearm retain nearly all of the original varnish finish; wear is limited to a few shallow scratches on the right side of the stock near the buttplate. This is an excellent example of a Winchester Model 1886 Sporting Rifle with scarce, special order, 30-inch octagon barrel.