Lot 16: Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1886 Fancy Sporting Rifle

Manufactured in 1888. This rifle is complete with a Winchester Museum letter that describes this Model 1886 as: "Rifle, 45/90 caliber, 28 inch 1/2 octagon barrel, plain trigger, checkered stock, pistol grip" and "Lyman sights, sporting leaf sight". The letter states this rifle was shipped from Winchester on March 24, 1888 and repaired and returned on "5/7/88". The rifle has a special order blue half-octagon/half-round barrel with full-length magazine. The barrel has a "Winchester Express" front sight blade with colored bead and sporting style, folding leaf rear sight. The rear sight leaf is dated "1876" the top of the leaf and graduated to "10". A Lyman folding combination rear sight with coarsely knurled post is mounted on the receiver tang. The forearm and pistol grip stock are deluxe, highly figured, fancy grain walnut with checkered panels and piano finish. The pistol grip has a ebony inlay. The bolt and loading gate have a high polish blue finish. The forearm cap, receiver, hammer, trigger, lever and crescent buttplate are color casehardened with vivid case colors. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped with the two-line legend "-MANUFACTURED BY THE-/-WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A.-" ahead of the rear sight. The caliber designation "45-90 W.C.F." is roll-stamped on the top barrel flat between the rear sight and the receiver. The 1884 and 1885 patent dates are roll-stamped on the lower tang behind the trigger, and the serial number is stamped in script numerals between the rear tang screws.

Extremely fine. The barrel, magazine and rear sight retain 95% of the original blue finish with perfect markings. The bolt and loading gate have 90% of the high polish blue finish. The forearm cap, receiver, hammer, trigger, lever and crescent buttplate have 80% of the casehardened finish with strong case colors. Wear is limited to some fading on the case colors on the bottom of the receiver and lever and patches of dark corrosion visible on top right rear, with some silvering on the buttplate heel. The stock and forearm are both in excellent overall condition. The checkered panel on the stock has been professionally recut which may have occurred when the rifle was returned to the Winchester for repairs. The recut checkering is expertly done and only noticeable with very close inspection. The highly figured walnut stock and forearm retain nearly 95% of the piano finish; there is some light finish wear on the bottom of the forearm between the checkered panel and the receiver and right side of the pistol grip and a few insignificant handling marks. This is an extremely fine example of a scarce and desirable special order Winchester Deluxe Model 1886 Fancy Sporting Rifle with unique extra length half octagon barrel.