This special order Winchester Model 1886 rifle is documented with a Cody Firearms Museum letter. The letter states that this rifle was shipped from the Winchester Warehouse on July 27, 1891, with a 28 inch octagon barrel chambered for the .40-65 W.C.F. cartridge, plain pistol grip stock, plain trigger and Lyman sights. The rifle has the highly desirable casehardened frame, forearm cap, crescent buttplate, loading lever and hammer. The barrel, magazine tube, bolt and loading gate have a blue finish. The straight grain walnut stock and forearm have a varnish finish; the bottom of the pistol grip has an ebony inlay. The barrel is fitted with a special order "Winchester Express" front sight with colored bead and a sporting style rear sight with a four-step elevator with serrated thumb piece and screw-adjustable aperture. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped with the two-line legend: "-MANUFACTUED BY THE-/-WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.NEW HAVEN. CONN.U.S.A." ahead of the rear sight. The caliber: "40-65 W.C.F." is stamped on the top barrel flat between the rear sight and the frame. The upper tang is roll-stamped: "-MODEL 1886-". The lower tang is marked: "-PAT. OCT.14.1884./JAN.20.1885-" in two lines behind the trigger and engraved with the serial number "54905".

Excellent. The rifle retains 95% plus of the original blue finish on the barrel, magazine tube, and bolt. Wear is limited to some very minor finish loss on the edges of the barrel flats. Most of the niter blue finish remains on the loading gate. The frame, loading lever and hammer have 85% plus of the original casehardened finish. The casehardened finish has silvered very slightly but retains most of the vivid case colors. Most of the wear is concentrated on the forearm cap and buttplate. All of the markings on the barrel and the frame are crisp. The stock and forearm are in very fine condition with nearly all of the original varnish finish. There is an old barely noticeable 1/2 inch crack in the stock wrist extending from the top tang. This is an exceptional, original example of a Model 1886 Winchester sporting rifle with the very desirable features including extra length barrel, casehardened frame and plain pistol grip stock.