GUN FALL 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
FINE WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 LEVER ACTION RIFLE.WINCHESTER186611870944 RF HENRYCal. 44 RF HENRY. Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4" oct bbl, full magazine, Rocky Mountain front sight with slightly altered nickel-silver blade and musket style rear sight graduated to 900 yards with exposed tension flat spring. Top flat of the bbl is marked with the 2-line Winchester & King's patent address. Mounted with uncheckered straight grain American walnut with straight stock & crescent brass buttplate that has a trap containing an orig 4-pc brass & iron cleaning rod. Last 4-digits of matching SN are found in top tang channel of buttstock & inside toe of buttplate. Bottom of stock & forend cap have factory style sling swivels. This rifle is produced in about 1874 when the west was still very wild and any repeating firearm was in great demand on the American frontier. Firearms of that era usually saw very hard and continuous service under extremes of weather and harsh conditions often with little or no maintenance. The Model 1866 was extremely popular and remained in service well into the 1880s in the U.S. and even longer in South & Central America. Very few are found today in orig configuration with orig finish. CONDITION: Very good to fine. Bbl retains 60-70% thinning orig blue with the balance a light patina showing a few minor nicks & dings. Magazine tube is mostly a blue/gray patina. Receiver & side plates have nice sharp edges with only a few minor nicks & scratches and shows a wonderful, even, smooth dark mustard patina. Side plates fit extremely well and show no evidence of battering. Buttplate & forend cap are of equal condition and patina. Hammer retains case colors on the right side and rear edge, faded elsewhere. Lever shows traces of case colors, being mostly a brown patina. Forearm has a small gouge and the wood overall shows a few light nicks & scratches and retains most of a restored finish. Mechanics are crisp, strong sharp bore with good shine and a few scattered spots of pitting. Cleaning rod is fine. 52665-1 JRL (10,000-15,000)