April 24-25, 2019 Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/24/2019
One of the finest early Winchester model 1866 Flatside rifles ever offered. Caliber .44 RF Henry. Standard rifle with 24-1/4" octagon barrel, full magazine with screwed-in cap and attached magazine spring follower stop. Barrel band is attached to the barrel with two screws and has a thru-pin securing the tube. Front sight is German silver with a 900 yard Henry-pattern ladder rear sight. Top flat of the barrel has the 2-line Henry’s & King’s Patent markings. Receiver has a staple & saddle ring attached to the left side which is correct for early 1866 rifle. Mounted with highly figured, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent brass buttplate with trap containing an original four piece iron wiping rod with brass tip. Forearm is matching figured wood of the earliest type without forend, having a single screw through brass escutcheons to retain the forearm through a hole in the bottom of the barrel. Tip of the forearm has tapered ends. Serial number is found on left side of lower tang under the wood, in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Bottom tang also has the tiny assembly numbers “1611” which are also found inside each sideplate. These early 1866 rifles began production as the parent 1860 Henry rifle was going out of production with the early 1866s having many features of the parent rifle including a sharp radius at the top rear of the receiver, dovetailed sideplates and the small Henry-style finger lever. These rifles held 17-rounds and were extremely popular on the American frontier. They are almost never found in original configuration with any original finish. This rifle was produced in about 1867 at the height of the Great Westward Expansion and almost certainly would have seen continuous hard service on the American frontier. The fact that it survived at all is a testament to the durability of these rifles. CONDITION: Fine, all matching. Barrel & magazine tube retain over 15% fading blue finish in protected areas with balance turning a wonderful honest patina. This is the most blue you will ever find on a REAL 1866 Flatside rifle. Side plates & buttplate show lightly rounded edges and may have been cleaned a long time ago, retaining a current medium mustard patina; loading gate retains much factory nitre blue in protected areas. Lever is mostly a light coffee brown. Hammer has large areas of faded but visible case colors. Forearm has a small 1 inch sliver missing from the front right tip area. Otherwise wood is very fine with light nicks & scratches and retains most of its factory varnish. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good rifling & scattered pitting. Cleaning rod is fine. This is the most difficult Winchester rifle to find that is authentic and this is certainly one of the finest ever brought to market.