Early Winchester 1876

I have a fairly early Winchester 1876 #1685 built in 1877. As most familiar with the 76 know the early guns were made as open tops without a dustcover (lid) and in 45-75 caliber only/ According to Winchester records provided by the Cody museum the ledger states that the gun, along with 4 others, was special ordered with a lid. The gun I have is order number 15092 on the ledger record. According to Cody these are the first 5 guns to have the lid added. I am trying to find other early 1876s, either those other 4 on the ledger or any other early gun that has had the lid added. I have inquired on the Winchester Collector site to no avail. Thanks in advance.

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I can't add at all, but that that's one beautiful rifle! looks like a set trigger too, wow!

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Originally Posted by Ajohns

I can't add at all, but that that's one beautiful rifle! looks like a set trigger too, wow!

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Thanks. Yep the set trigger is listed in the factory letter.

Holy cow… can you give a bit of info about how you came into the gun??? And any history you might know about previous owners or???

And the most important question… what mold are u using to feed it and is it a shooter??? What about load? BP only?

Marko

Well, your so called lid is really a Dust Cover and Winchester referred to them this way. I also have a 45-75 with set trigger but not one of the 4 your referring to and yes, it has the Dust Cover. Your rifle looks very nice! wow! does it have express sites? a very nice addition to these old rifles. I also have the musket version but in 45-60 and enjoy shooting that one due to less recoil.

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Originally Posted by gc45

Well, your so called lid is really a Dust Cover and Winchester referred to them this way. I also have a 45-75 with set trigger but not one of the 4 your referring to and yes, it has the Dust Cover. Your rifle looks very nice! wow! does it have express sites? a very nice addition to these old rifles. I also have the musket version but in 45-60 and enjoy shooting that one due to less recoil.

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Gc45,
Oh contrar. As you can see in the Winchester ledger it is referred to as a lid. Also you can see in the Winchester factory letter it is also called a lid. But thanks for your 2 cents.

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Originally Posted by Markopolo

Holy cow… can you give a bit of info about how you came into the gun??? And any history you might know about previous owners or???

And the most important question… what mold are u using to feed it and is it a shooter??? What about load? BP only?

Marko

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Heard it through the grapevine. Guy thought it was a model 73 but that it shot 45-70 cartridges. Price was crazy low so I bought it sight unseen. Gun was in anchorage so had a friend there pick it up for me.
Cases are made from 348win brass. I cast with a 45-75 winchester tong mold. I load that bullet over a case of ffg.

https://i.postimg.cc/4N4dP315/receiv...2070791484.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/SNZKvpTp/receiv...0441442852.jpg

Nifty.

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Originally Posted by freakonaleash

Nifty.

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Now we know

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Originally Posted by square butte

Now we know

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I have far more interest in old lever guns than I do muzzle loaders. I haven't made a ML in more than a year. I think I must have retired.

I waver back and forth across the mid line, and am no snob one way or the other - Just a pleasure for me to get a bit more of you. Very happy to know you are here and that you are a lever gun type. I grew up in TX and worked most of my Forest Service career in MT - So you can just bury me in a box of Winchesters. This one here is a Dandy

The main reason for my inquiry is that the gun has the serial number stamped under the barrel, side of lower tang, stock in tang channel, buttplate, and most curious of all the bolt. Wondering if the bolt was stamped to keep it with the gun since it needed to be modified for the lid.

Very interesting… the whole gun is interesting, and it is an old Winchester with a story to tell…

Can we get a pic of that tong mold by Winchester? One showing the cavity also?

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Originally Posted by Markopolo

Very interesting… the whole gun is interesting, and it is an old Winchester with a story to tell…

Can we get a pic of that tong mold by Winchester? One showing the cavity also?

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Here you are!

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KAI - well I'm eating crow here. I have never heard the covers referred to as a lid after 50 years of collecting old Levers. We learn every day so I stand corrected.

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Originally Posted by gc45

KAI - well I'm eating crow here. I have never heard the covers referred to as a lid after 50 years of collecting old Levers. We learn every day so I stand corrected.

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gc45,
How about a little hot sauce to go with that crow??!! Just kidding of course. I too have been collecting lever winchesters for many years and when the museum sent the ledger, which I received before the letter, I had to inquire what was meant by lid. Lol. Like you said we are always learning. I too have a 76 in 40-60. Do you cast/load for yours? If so, what are you using for a mold and what diameter are you sizing the bullets to? Thanks,
Kai

I have made several molds over the years, some from old Lyman round ball molds. Some molds I have were my Dads and Grandads both, and they taught me to make my own molds and to Smith my own Winchesters, Colts and Smiths.
old calibers I load: 45C, 44-40, 32-20, 32-40, 40-60, 45-60, 45-70, 45-90, 40-82, 40-65, 50-90 and 50-100 Sharps

All my 45's are cast .459, the 40's are cast .407 or .408 based on the guns I have. - I do not re-size them but shoot as cast hand lubed with my own witches brew. My loads all use 5744 power other than handguns.

That's some cool stuff right there Kai!

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Originally Posted by gc45

I have made several molds over the years, some from old Lyman round ball molds. Some molds I have were my Dads and Grandads both, and they taught me to make my own molds and to Smith my own Winchesters, Colts and Smiths.
old calibers I load: 45C, 44-40, 32-20, 32-40, 40-60, 45-60, 45-70, 45-90, 40-82, 40-65, 50-90 and 50-100 Sharps

All my 45's are cast .459, the 40's are cast .407 or .408 based on the guns I have. - I do not re-size them but shoot as cast hand lubed with my own witches brew. My loads all use 5744 power other than handguns.

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Gc45
We have a bit in common. I too load the calibers you mentioned plus 3030, 2535, 32spcl, 2520, 38wcf, 3856, and 4575. Sometimes it's a challenge to get some of the old guns to shoot but it sure is rewarding when it all comes together!

What mold do you use for your 4065?

One of the engineers must have kept pestering Oliver Winchester about adding a dust cover despite the need for cost-saving measures. Out of frustration, Winchester dismissed him by pointing at the door while yelling, "OH PUT A LID ON IT ALREADY!!"

The rest is history.:wink:

I do have to wonder though. . .did the '73's have these "lids" from the start or did they and the '76 get them simultaneously?

The '66 did not have a dust cover so I suspect the lid on the '73 was an intentional improvement to keep dirt out of the action. It was a smart solution since the cover could be kept closed until the user starting firing and ejecting shells. It is logical to assume the '76 benefitted from the same design changes.

I have 3 Uberti 76's with "lids", never used one. Course, I don't traipse around the country side with them either, so never had a need for them. Just wonder how often they were actually used back in the day?

My son does a lot of work from horseback and keeps a '94 Winchester in 30-30 in a saddle scabbard. It gets absolutely filthy after a couple weeks out in the world of cow ranching - which leads me to believe the environment was just as dirty in the old days. A handful of grit inside any action will grind down the fit and function in short order.

Well that’s is a real dandy. I am just now getting around to catching up on this thread. I didn’t know that Winchesters ‘76s were made without lids in the beginning. Nor that they were called lids. I appreciate your sharing it with us all Kai.

Did they add lids to the ‘73 at the same time? Or did they have them from the beginning?

So it was a special order item at the time. Was lids ever available on the ‘66?

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Originally Posted by Bazoo

Well that’s is a real dandy. I am just now getting around to catching up on this thread. I didn’t know that Winchesters ‘76s were made without lids in the beginning. Nor that they were called lids. I appreciate your sharing it with us all Kai.

Did they add lids to the ‘73 at the same time? Or did they have them from the beginning?

So it was a special order item at the time. Was lids ever available on the ‘66?

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what i wanna know is how many lottery tickets Kai bought the day he took delivery of this "sight unseen" gem - its sort of find we all dream of and most never see

Such marvelous toys.................

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Originally Posted by Bazoo

Well that’s is a real dandy. I am just now getting around to catching up on this thread. I didn’t know that Winchesters ‘76s were made without lids in the beginning. Nor that they were called lids. I appreciate your sharing it with us all Kai.

Did they add lids to the ‘73 at the same time? Or did they have them from the beginning?

So it was a special order item at the time. Was lids ever available on the ‘66?

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First off I have never heard of the covers on 1873s being called lids only referred to as dust covers. Then again because all 1873s all had dust covers from the beginning of production I have never seen one called out in a factory letter as was the case with the 1876. What differed was the style of dust cover and how it was held onto the gun. There were basically 3 different styles: round thumb print, oval thumb print, and plain covers. Early covers were held to the receiver in a mortise cut into the top of the receiver. Second models had a rail screwed to the top of the receiver that the dust cover rode on. Third models had the rail milled into the top of the receiver. Because the 73s had dust covers from the beginning of production it seems a bit odd that the 76s did not have covers from the beginning although I suppose it was some sort of cost savings since the rifle was so expensive to make.