Winchester 1886 in 40 82 cal.

[Step N. Mud]

Yesterday I got this 1886 made in 1891 and intended to be a shooter grade, mostly for occasional target plinking. Have a couple other modern made rifles in 45-70 to shoot lots of smokeless and blackpowder.
Anyhow this new to me 1886 in 40 82 cal. just sounded like something fun to experiment with. Has a single set trigger with a small adjustment screw behind the trigger and normal trigger pull is fine about 4 lbs.,
however when setting the trigger forward for set trigger position, it's way to light, maybe a few oz. or hair trigger. The adjustment screw seems to set the trigger either too light or quarter turn clockwise back to the normal
4 lb. trigger pull. Actually I'm plenty happy with the 4 lb. trigger pull, so likely just leave well enough along. Rifle has a original Lyman tang sight and a folding front sight, might be whats called 'Beach folding front sight'.
26" octagon barrel mostly plum brown and bore in excellant condition and measures .810" at the muzzle. Slugged the bore and groove measured .408. Slight traces CCH on finger lever and receiver none, except when I pulled off the tang sight and has nice color case colors on the tang. Haven't shot it yet, but will this coming weekend. Planning on keeping my 45 70 brass for the other rifles and try out some Bertram head stamp 40 82 brass for this rifle.
Using Schuetzen FF black powder 76grs. was a loosely filled full case and lightly tapped to settle and compress approx. 1/4" with .406 LFN bullets, but have some .408 bullets ordered. Noticed the new Bertram brass appears
to have been neck annealed and primer pockets were also easy to prime with a Lee hand prime. Christmas came early.

[gmsharps]

Sounds like a great find and a good shooter.

gmsharps

[50target]

That is one classy outfit and with a great bore. You can tell when a gun guy owned one. Kept it clean but used and enjoyed it. Just what you're doing now. I wouldn't be ashamed to show up at anybody's dance with her. Really, really nice. Hard not to be jealous. Merry Christmas !!

[fordwannabe]

To start with let me say...I HATE YOU! ok only because I'm jealous. Nice find. I have been looking for that exact combination for a couple years now but when I have the money, no guns, when I see the guns no money. I bet that will be a great shooter for ya. Please keep us updated on your progress, for now I will live vicariously through your adventures with that gun. Tom

[stubert]

I have a .62 cal. flintlock with a set trigger that is also only ounces to fire. I was wary of it at first, when you get used to it, you WILL love it.

[Geobru]

That is a beautiful rifle! It has definitely been well cared for. Judging from the bore and overall condition, that gun has never been a truck gun. My 40-82 was made in 1887, and when I got it, it looked like it had been rode hard and put away wet for many years. They are a lot of fun to shoot and to find the right combination for each gun. Keep us posted of your progress as you start shooting it.

Sounds like you are going to go with black powder, but if you are interested, I have gathered a bunch of smokeless loads over the last 7 years. PM me if you'd like me to send you the spreadsheet.

[Step N. Mud]

Geobru and everyone, thanks for the comments. Yes I'd like to have you send a spreadsheet on your loads. I have a Browning/Winchester 1886 SRC in 45 70 and got the action to work pretty smooth, but the action on this one is really stiff.
Don't know if it just needs to be cleaned or if it's made to be like that. The other lever rifles I have are Marlins and Uberti and can lever them with one or two fingers. Seems like the last part of the lever throw that raises the carrier needs lots of pressure to complete the lever throw.

[osteodoc08]

Beautiful rifle

[TXGunNut]

Very nice, hope it works out for you.

[mac266]

NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!! I have to ask how much you paid for it. Those old Winchesters are not cheap!

That is truly a beautiful gun. Isn't it amazing how the craftsmanship in those old guns greatly surpasses modern ones?

[Step N. Mud]

Hey mac266,

I'd been looking hard for a 1886 original, since I'd recently got a like new 1886 Browning SRC in 45 70 and had almost decided to never buy another old gun for lack of parts or worn out condition.
So I changed my way of thought and waited till I found this 1886 with excellent bore and half way decent condition. At first I was planning on a 38 56 cal. so I could use same bullets as
my Marlin 38 55 and already had a couple 45 70 rifles. Then the 40 82 caliber came to my liking without a clue why, just different. This rifle has a couple issues, being it has a small hole in the butt stock
and a hole in the magazine cap apparently used for a sling, but had these cool front and rear sights. I choked up $2200.00 I was saving up for a downpayment on a new car that I really don't need right now.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I found a totally unsuspected single set trigger about a year into owning what I had thought was a well made and engraved Bohemian 14ga muzzle-loading shotgun. It was in the right barrel only, presumably to avoid jarring off, and the Damascus rib (better than watching television) showed no sign that it had ever had rifle sights. But it is now lined with bore liners from Track of the Wolf, to what I think it most likely was in its youth.

My 1886 is in similar condition to yours, with both the outside and the bore perhaps not quite as good, but usable. It is the plain standard round barrel model, with ordinary trigger and the plain Rocky Mountain blade front sight. But it got that way honourably. It was owned by a Norwegian immigrant who took it home to hunt elk, which in Scandinavia means moose. It was hidden under the floor of a mountain cabin during the German occupation, although I'm pretty sure it was never seriously intended as a weapon of resistance. Those got handed from one fishing boat to another. It was more the principle of the thing. Mine is also a .40-82, which is worth having if you plan to use only black powder. But with the .40-65 or .38-56 and smokeless powder, you give away next to nothing in exchange for getting to use that cheap, durable .45-70 brass, which will be in production as long as people use guns.

It is a rifle I have always particularly admired. Other Browning Winchesters followed, but the 1886 is the one that makes me imagine John M. looking in perplexity at existing lever-actions and the .45-70 cartridge, and light breaking as he thinks "Who made the rule that the lever has to pivot in the receiver?"