GUN FALL 2015
The live portion of this session begins on Monday, October 5, 2015.
RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 BIG 50 SPECIAL ORDER LEVER ACTION RIFLE.WINCHESTER18868928950 EX (50-110)Cal. 50 EX (50-110). Standard grade rifle with 26" rnd bbl, button mag, Jack (Winchester Express) front sight and 3-leaf platinum line carbine/Express rear sight. Left side of bbl and receiver have small British proofs. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut that includes straight stock and smooth steel shotgun buttplate. Receiver is color case hardened, which is somewhat more scarce on the 50 cal rifles than blued receivers. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum records office information request sheet which identifies this rifle in cal 50-110 with rnd bbl, plain trigger, half magazine, and shotgun butt, received in warehouse June 29, 1894 and shipped the next day to order #14061. By the time Winchester began chambering their 1886 rifles for this caliber color case hardening on receivers was a special order feature and not often seen on the 50 caliber rifles. The configuration found here was very popular with the British but usually with a 22" bbl. They favored it for tiger and lion hunting and other major African game. They usually saw very hard service on these safaris and are rarely found today with orig high finish, most often having altered sights and English style finish. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains 90-92% strong orig blue with a thin spot just above the forend cap. Receiver retains about all of its orig case colors, strong and bright to brilliant on the sides, moderately faded over the top and fading to silver on the bottom. Hammer retains bright case colors, turned a little dark on the top edge. Lever retains bright case colors on side, fading on outer faces. Buttplate is a gray metal patina. Stock has a series of small gouges on left side, otherwise wood is sound with a few light nicks and scratches and retains most of its orig oil finish. Mechanics are crisp. Very bright shiny bore, shows very little use. 49622-3 JRL (15,000-25,000)