1886WIN Custom License Plates!

[trickg]

When my wife asked what I wanted for Christmas this year, I joked that I wanted some custom license plates to reference the Winchester 1886 I had inherited from my late father. Much to my surprise, she got them for me! Here's a couple of pictures with me, the rifle and the plates.

Do I have a great wife or what?

[Loudenboomer]

A good woman. A good truck. A Good rifle. You got what you need on this earth!

[trickg]

A good woman. A good truck. A Good rifle. You got what you need on this earth!

It's a great rifle, but its shooting days are done - at this point it's a genuine Safe Queen. At some point I'd like to get another one to use as a shooter - maybe one of the new Brownings or one that isn't quite so old - that one is 117.

[Jim]

a good woman. A good truck. A good rifle. You got what you need on this earth!

and a great dad!

[trickg]

and a great dad!

Yes, but my actual acquisition of this rifle took a few twists and turns along the way - I didn't actually acquire it until last February, 11 years after he passed, and it was one of 12 guns from a collection of nearly 130 that I managed to keep from being sold. It's a long story and one I'd rather not get into, but let's just say that I have my will slightly more detailed than my father did. Whatever his spoken intentions may have been regarding his wishes for his belongings were lost after his passing.

The interesting thing is that Dad only paid $60 for that rifle in the 1950s. Needless to say, his investment has worked out pretty well.

[KirkD]

Now that's a license plate number! I'm envious!

[mroliver77]

I would shoot it!!

[charger 1]

SHOOT THAT CARBINE

What cal is it?

[Lloyd Smale]

agreed. If it were my dads id want to kill at least one more animal wiht it myself and then keep it to pass on to the next generation and have them do the same.

[trickg]

A few details on this rifle.

1.) This is a rifle - not a carbine. Yes, I realize that it has a short barrel - 22" to be exact, (factory standard was 26") but it is not a carbine. My letter from the Cody Firearms Museum confirms that it came from the factory with the short barrel - it was not cut down.

2.) It's in .45-90

I've learned some neat things about this rifle since I acquired it. During the entire production run of the Model 1886 between 1886 and 1935, out of the approximate 160,000 that were produced, only around 8,000 were made with a 22" barrel. Of those 8,000 nearly 6,000 of them were carbines. Only 2,213 of them were rifles. Mine is one of those. Then add that it is almost 100% factory original and it's in really good shape for being made in 1891, it's kind of a special collector's piece. The sights on the barrel are not factory original, but they were likely changed out within the first decade or so of the gun's life, and they are nearly as rare as the rifle. The rear sight is the earliest version of the Lyman #6 folding leaf sight, and the front I'm told is known as a Lyman Hunting sight with an ivory bead. In regard to the overall condition, it retains about 45-50% of the CCH colors on the right, and 60-70% on the left, and about 90% of the barrel bluing - not bad for a gun 117 years old.

So, given the value of the rifle, I can't in good conscience take it out and shoot it, but considering the nature of what it is and how special it is - both from a sentimental standpoint and a collectible standpoint - that's why I semi-seriously joked to my wife about wanting license plates for it.

[trickg]

Here are a couple of pics of the sights on the barrel, along with a picture that shows a couple of the variations of the Lyman No. 6 sight - I outlined the version that is on my rifle. As for the front sight, the ivory bead is broken, but the fact that part of it is still there is a plus.

Also, in the picture of the rear sight, you can see the rub mark from where the original Express sight was. I had asked a noted collector about the idea of finding original antique sights that would put this gun back to 100% factory spec and having them installed, but he basically told me not to bother, that given the rarity of the gun itself and the age and rarity of the sights currently on it, that it wouldn't affect collector enough to bother.

[WARD O]

I also have a 1886 in similar excellant condition in 45-90. Mine is a four digit number which places it in 1887 according to the 'letter.' It has a heavier than standard 26" barrel with an excellant bore. My wife surprised the ____ out of me when she gave it to me for Christmas back in the 70's shortly after we were married. I have hunted with that rifle several times over the years. I was able to put the final shot into a nice elk she had drawn first blood on!

While it was quite valuable even back in the 70's it has of course grown in value greatly. I don't take it in the woods much anymore but I still shoot it with black powder and home cast bullets and it still shoots quite well.

Don't be afraid to shoot it - just use some commom sense.

Yes, we are still married and she still enjoys a little hunting now and then. Life is good!

[trickg]

I've fired this rifle before when my Dad was still alive - that was back in the mid 90s and probably the last time it has been shot. As I recall, it's a good shooter, and the bore is in great shape.

We all knew it was worth a lot, but we have come to find out that due to that short 22" barrel, it's worth considerably more than we thought. I've been told that there are maybe ten to fifteen other 1886s in existence in the same league in terms of collectibility. I took it to an antique arms show out here in Maryland once, and I literally had collectors jumping up and chasing me down after I walked by, wanting to know how much I wanted for it. Some were quite put out when I told them it wasn't for sale.

I was chatting it up one day with some guys at a local gun shop and we came to the subject of antique Winchesters. When I started talking about the features of the rifle, since I obviously didn't know what I was talking about, the guy pulled out the appraisal book to prove to me that I didn't know what I was talking about (he insisted that if the barrel was 22" that I had a carbine, not a rifle) and couldn't possibly have what I said I did because it wasn't listed in the book. Besides, a rifle like that would be too rare for someone like me to have, right? I took it in and showed it to them the next time I went in, along with my letter from the Cody Firearms Museum. They about fell all over each other trying to get a look at it once they figured out I wasn't making it up.

I'm probably a little bit cocky about it, but considering the mess I had to go through to get it, I figure, why shouldn't I enjoy it?

[Echo]

A little appropriate cockiness is balm for the soul...

You are a good steward fo this piece of history, but I agree with the others - SHOOT the thing! It's a GUN! Guns should be SHOT! (They waste away if not exercised...)

[trickg]

A little appropriate cockiness is balm for the soul...

You are a good steward fo this piece of history, but I agree with the others - SHOOT the thing! It's a GUN! Guns should be SHOT! (They waste away if not exercised...)

I'll certainly keep that in mind - I just don't want to mess up part of what makes it collectible - chiefly the case hardening colors that are left. If I handle it too much, I can fade those considerably, although shooting it a bit here and there shouldn't hurt the barrel or the action at all.