Make: Winchester
Model: 1886
Serial Number: 14741
Year of Manufacture: 1888 / Antique
Caliber: .45-70 Government
Action Type: Lever Action with Full-Length Tubular Magazine
Barrel Length: 26", Octagonal
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to the barrel. The rear sight is a u-notch semi-buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the barrel. 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 nosecap, straight grip, straight comb, and steel crescent buttplate. There are light scratches, nicks, and compressions. The stocks have been sanded. There is a repair on the comb as well as the belly of the buttstock. The LOP measures 13" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has some wear at the heel, toe, and in the face with scattered light erosion. Overall, the stocks rate in Fair condition as repaired Antique.
Type of Finish: Blue, Case Color
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is well defined. There is scattered light erosion and minor pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 6 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 0-5% of its metal finish. Most of the finish has worn to a white. There is scattered surface oxidation and erosion. There are dings and handling scratches throughout. The action shows operational wear. The magtube appears to have been repaired where there was some significant pitting and there is discoloration on the tube from being heated. The buttplate shows the same discoloration. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Good condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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 is a Cody Firearms Records Office factory letter which indicates that this serial number was applied February 20,1888, assembled as a rifle chambered for 45/70 with octagonal barrel, plain trigger, received in warehouse April 21, 1888 and shipped August 14, 1888 on order 9913. Also comes with 12x vintage cartridges of 45-70.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1886 stands as one of John Browning’s greatest contributions to the lever-action lineage, engineered to handle the powerful big-bore cartridges that earlier rifles could not. Introduced in an era when hunters demanded strength, reach, and reliability from their frontier tools, the 1886 quickly earned a reputation as a rugged companion capable of taking on the largest North American game. This 1888-produced example comes from the rifle’s earliest years—an era when the model was still new, its oversized frame and smooth-running action viewed as a bold leap forward from the lighter 1873 and 1876 predecessors. The 26-inch octagonal barrel and crescent buttplate evoke the classic styling Winchester preserved even as the design pushed into new ballistic territory.
The well-worn exterior finish and aged walnut stocks lend this rifle the unmistakable presence of a tool that lived its working life in the field rather than the closet. Its honest wear, scattered dings, and softened blue tell the story of a rifle that saw real use across decades, yet still preserves its correct configuration and clear markings. As an early-production Winchester 1886 with documented shipping history, correct octagonal barrel, and authentic frontier character, it stands today as a vivid relic of the black-powder big-bore era—a tangible reminder of the power, craftsmanship, and reach that defined Winchester’s late-19th-century sporting rifles.
