GUN FALL 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1876 OPEN TOP RIFLE WITH 3-DIGIT SERIAL NUMBER AND FACTORY LETTER.WINCHESTER187659045-75Cal. 45-75. 28" rnd bbl, full magazine, full blue finish. Straight grain American walnut stocks with crescent buttplate. Bbl shows 2-line Winchester address rolled in front of rear sight. Standard sights for this model. Receiver is of the rare open top variety. Upper tang is marked "MODEL 1876" without finials. SN is hand engraved on the lower tang behind the lever latch. Elevator is unmarked. Lever is of the 2nd Type with a pin inserted in the lever to depress the trigger block. Steel buttplate is of the 1st Type with a thick toe. There is a 5-pc steel cleaning rod in the butt compartment. Accompanying this rifle is a Cody Firearms Museum letter confirming features and showing shipment on November 24, 1877 to Order Number 10535. Winchester 76's with these early features are extremely rare and desirable to collectors and are seldom found in very good condition. CONDITION: Fine for this model. Bbl shows a smooth mottled plum/brown patina overall with a generous amount of blue in protected areas and very little roughness or erosion. Bbl marking is sharp and clear. Sights are very good. Rear sight shows considerable blue finish. Magazine tube is also a smooth mottled blue/brown patina with traces of blue in protected areas and some very slight roughness at the mid-point in front of the forend. Bore is frosty with some stains and strong rifling. Receiver retains 50-60% of the bright blue finish with the balance drifting into a pleasing plum/brown especially at the carry point. Bright blue is evident in protected areas, especially under the lever and around the hammer. There is a small dent on the right sideplate behind the loading gate. Tang markings are sharp. SN engraving is unmolested. Hammer is a deep plum/brown patina with a generous traces of case color showing on both sides. Stocks are very good, full sized and show handling marks overall commensurate with the age of the rifle. Forend has some slight dents on left side. Stocks show a very light coat of varnish that was applied many years ago. Buttplate is a mottled silver/grey patina with some erosion at the heel and toe. Buttplate screws show considerable blue. Forend cap shows generous traces of orig blue with some staining and slight roughness. Mechanics are crisp. This is an opportunity for an advanced Winchester collector to obtain an extremely rare Winchester open top Model 1876 rifle in far above average condition for this model. These rifles are rarely seen in the condition that is exhibited by this very fine example. 52303-2 TEP (20,000-30,000)