Make: Winchester

Model: 1886 Carbine

Serial Number: 155156

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1917

Caliber: .50-110 Express

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Tubular Magazine

Markings: The left of the barrel is marked “MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. PAT. OCT. 14.1884. JAN. 20.1885” and at the receiver with “50-EX.". The lower tang is marked “155156 A”. The top tang is marked "MODEL 1886 / -WINCHESTER- / TRADE MARK". There are Winchester proofs on the chamber ring and the top-rear of the barrel.

Barrel Length: 22", Round

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade pinned to a slotted base in front of the front barrel band. The rear sight is a folding ladder-style sight presenting a "V"-notch when folded down and with a "V"-notched slider on the ladder, graduated from 0-30. The top tang is drilled, tapped and filled for a tang sight (none present).

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with banded forend, straight grip, straight comb, and steel carbine-style buttplate. The stocks have some scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is a more notable ding in the left of the wrist. There is a ding in the front of the comb, possibly from a previously installed tang sight. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has wear on the top tang, some nicks in the face, mostly at the heel, and infrequent minor erosion. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is infrequent minor erosion and some stubborn fouling in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8+ out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 87% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at most edges. There are some nicks and scratching on the magazine tube in front of the forend. There is light handling wear on the bottom of the receiver. There are a few other scattered minor nicks, scuffs and scratches. There is infrequent minor surface erosion, most notable at the top-rear of the receiver to each side of the bolt. The top tang shows light wear from a previously installed tang sight. Some worn areas show minor oxidation. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock notch. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: Included are printouts of photos showing the rifle in various states of disassembly to show the bottom barrel markings, indexing screw cuts on the barrel and magazine, and the receiver tangs.

Our Assessment: Winchester’s first attempt at a lever action rifle capable of handling a rifle cartridge was the Model 1876, which was a heavier framed version of the Model 1873. However, the toggle-link action used in the gun was still limited to short cartridges like the .40-60 and .45-60 Win. The Model 1886 was made to handle longer cartridges like the .45-70 Govt., and the .45-70 Win. and .50-110 Win. cartridges. The Model 1886 utilized a locked-bolt action that was much stronger than the M1876, and some think it is faster and smoother as well. The design was touted as a lever action express model, capable of handling any of the North American game animals.

The 1886 was available in a variety of cartridges over its nearly 40 years of production with this example having a barrel chambered for .50-110 Express, a cartridge introduced to the line in 1887. The .50-110 Express is one of the most powerful cartridges ever to be chambered in a lever action rifle and would have been suitable for just about any game a hunter could expect to encounter in 1911. This example is a saddle ring carbine, a configuration that was only found on about half a percent of production. Carbines in this chambering are even more scarce, making this a great find for collectors, especially in its high condition. This 1886 Express Carbine will be a nice addition to even an advanced Winchester or lever gun collection, but should also still prove to be a handy, but potent hunting rifle. Please see our photos and good luck!