The factory letter confirms the serial number was applied on November 21, 1887, the carbine was received in the warehouse on December 3, and that it shipped as a .45-90 carbine with 1/2 nickel finish on December 12 to fill order 272. This carbine has a special order nickel plated finish on the receiver and buttplate. Early production Model 1886 carbines with full-length forearms are very rare. Any Model 1886 carbine with a special order feature like the nickel plated receiver and buttplate on this carbine is extremely rare. The carbine has a standard 22-inch round barrel with full length magazine. The barrel has a steel, block-mounted front sight and folding leaf rear sight marked "1873" at the top of the leaf. The carbine has the distinctive forend tip, extended 18-inch forearm, staple-mounted saddle ring on the left side of the receiver, and carbine style buttplate. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped for a peep sight. The barrel, forend tip, barrel band, bolt and loading gate have the Winchester charcoal blue finish. The hammer, trigger and loading lever are color casehardened. The stock and forearm are straight grain American walnut with a varnish finish. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped with the two-line legend: "-MANUFACTURED BY THE- / - WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN CONN. U.S.A. -" located between the barrel band and the rear sight. The legend has arrows at either end of the marking. "45-90/W.C.F." is roll-stamped in two lines on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and receiver. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped with the first style markings: "-MODEL 1886.-". The 1884 and 1885 patent dates are roll stamped on the lower tang immediately behind the trigger and the serial number. The serial number is stamped in script numerals between the tang screws.

Very fine. The barrel has 85% of the original blue finish and a few tiny dents on the right side near the barrel band. The blue finish on the forend tip and barrel is thin with some high point wear. 97% of the original blue is present on the bolt and loading gate. The receiver has 95% of the original nickel plated finish with traces of age discoloration on the sides and some very minor flaking on the edges of the bolt channel. The left side of the receiver has some light scuff marks from contact with the saddle ring. Handling wear is most pronounced on the buttplate which retains about 75% of the plated finish with some flaking on the top of the heel and finish loss and light pitting on the contact points on the bottom of the buttplate. The hammer, trigger, and sides of the lever have most of the casehardened finish with strong case colors. The case colors on the bottom of the lever have faded to a silver-gray patina. The stock and forearm are both in fine overall condition and retain 85% of the original varnish. The stock has some finish loss on the right wrist and the forearm and stock have some scattered shallow dents and light handling marks. This is a extremely rare, early production, special order Winchester Model 1886 full-stock saddle ring carbine.