GUN FALL 2015
The live portion of this session begins on Monday, October 5, 2015.
WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 LEVER ACTION RIFLE.WINCHESTER186615250244 RF HENRYCal. 44 RF Henry. Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4" oct bbl, full magazine, altered half nickel front sight & semi-buckhorn rear sight. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut with straight stock & crescent buttplate with trap. This is a late model ''66 with steel forend cap & buttplate. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with assembly number "117" & another number "1605". Assembly number "117" is also found in top tang channel of buttstock & inside toe of buttplate. Wood screw in buttplate toe is a replacement. This rifle was produced in about 1880 by which time center fire cartridges for Winchester Models 1873 & 1876 had captured most of the market and the popularity of rimfire cartridge was seriously waning. A large proportion of these late ''66s were sold into Mexico, Central & South America where the rimfire cartridge was still popular. Those rifles that have been repatriated back to the U.S. usually show very hard service with little orig finish. PROVENANCE: The William Smith Collection. Cody Firearms Museum letter. CONDITION: Very good. Bbl retains a plummy-brown patina with fine pitting. Magazine tube is a cleaned silver-gray patina with fine pitting & damage around plug retainer screw. Receiver shows moderate to heavy wear with a few light scratches & nicks. Lever & hammer are a dark brown patina. Buttplate and forend cap are cleaned metal patina with pitting on buttplate heel. Wood is sound with a few light nicks and scratches and retains a hand-worn patina. Mechanics are fine. Strong bore with sharp rifling, dark & frosty in grooves. 49312-68 JR (8,000-10,000)