GUN FALL 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/4/2016
RARE AND EXTREMELY FINE ULRICH FACTORY ENGRAVED DELUXE WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 LEVER ACTION RIFLE. WINCHESTER 1886 99572 45-90 IVORY Cal. 45-90. Deluxe special order Model '86 with 26" oct bbl, full magazine, ivory bead Lyman front sight and Marbles folding rear sight with a Lyman large loop tang sight. Receiver and forend cap are color case hardened and engraved in No. 10 style by most likely by Conrad or John Ulrich. Engraving consists of the large vignette of a standing whitetail buck in a mountain scene surrounded by a large counterpoint circle with foliate arabesque patterns front and back and a dbl line border. Right side is lightly engraved in matching foliate arabesque patterns and borders. Top and bottom of receiver, back of hammer slot and each side of forend cap are engraved to match. An identically engraved '86 rifle is SN 99552 as pictured in The Winchester Book, Madis. Rifle is mounted with beautiful XXX center crotch, flame grain burl walnut with matching forearm, checkered in "H" style with serpentine pistol grip that has a black insert and a Winchester hard rubber buttplate. Left side of lower tang, under the wood, is marked with the assembly number "556" and "XXRB". The assembly number is also found in the top tang channel of the buttstock. Although the code "XX" as stamped on the lower tang indicates medium quality wood, the wood mounted on this rifle is at least XXX with matching forearm. Accompanied by copy of a a Winchester Firearms Factory letter and a Cody Firearms Museum fact sheet which identifies this rifle, as found, with "$2.00" engraving, 45/90, oct bbl, plain trigger, checkered stock, pistol grip, Lyman front and rear sights, with blank in the rear seat, shotgun butt, and rubber butt plate. It was received in the warehouse on 2 May 1895 and shipped on 13 May 1895 to order #10873. PROVENANCE: Ex-Dave Bichrest (1997); Ex-Robert Howard Estate Collection; Ex-Wes Adams Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine overall, all matching. Bbl and magazine tube retain 96-98% strong orig factory blue with only faint sharp edge wear and a few small scattered nicks; receiver retains about all of its orig case colors, strong and bright in sheltered areas with traces of orig lacquer, lightly to moderately faded elsewhere; lever and hammer retain most of their orig case colors, strong & bright on sides, faded on outer edges; forend cap also retains about all of its orig case colors and about 50% orig lacquer with the exposed area moderately faded; wood is sound with very minor nicks & scratches and retains virtually all of its orig piano varnish finish; toe of rubber buttplate has a minor chip. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore; may have been fired but if so very little, bolt face retains most of its orig blue. 50412-10 JR173 (40,000-80,000)