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Thread: Browning 1886 date of manufacture?

  1. #1
    Boolit Man
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    Aug 2011
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    Browning 1886 date of manufacture?

    Hello, I’m in the process of picking up a 45/70 lever gun after selling my marlin/ Remington sbl. I’ve was going to grab a Case hardened Henry, but after seeing pictures of the fancy case hardened Winchester 1886 I thought I would keep a eye out for one of those, and have a work of art that I can also shoot.

    But after finding that Winchester added the tang safety along with the rebounding hammer to the original design, I started looking else where and found that browning had one made in the same factory in japan but with out all the lawyer parts added to it.

    So my questions are what years did browning have those made and second question is how hard is it to find a fancy version these days and for what price? I found a normal one in like new condition 4 hours from me and am trying to decide if I should grab it or wait for a fancy one.

    Thanks for any info you can give me on my question or any other items I should know.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master veeman's Avatar
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    Look them up on the internet, Gunbroker.com. usually several there.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    If you want it and can afford it, I would get it before somebody else does. People who want these rifles usually aren't looking for a bargain and aren't afraid to spend alot to get a nice one. Worse comes to worse you are all but guaranteed to get your money back out of it and then some if you ever decide to sell.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    The Browning 1886s first came out in the mid 80s. The first issue were 26" rifles. I have one. They are wonderful rifles! Everyone complains about the chamber having basically has no throat. But, if you shoot cast it works perfectly. I have shot the RCBS 405 grain and currently shoot almost exclusively the Lyman Gould bullet cast 1-30, sized to .454 before being paper patched. I load the Gould bullet over Elmer Keith's load of 53.5 grains of 4895. This load is about 1700 fps out of the 86s 26" barrel. Mine has been re-stocked from a crescent butte plate rifle to a shotgun butte plate rifle with checkering in an original Winchester style. I also found and mounted an original Lyman tang sight. It shoots as well as it looks. Get one you will not be disappointed.
    Bill

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    I got a Chiappa - proper copy of an original, no lawyer bits, looks the part, very accurate.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master



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    Quote Originally Posted by barkerwc4362 View Post
    The Browning 1886s first came out in the mid 80s. The first issue were 26" rifles. I have one. They are wonderful rifles! Everyone complains about the chamber having basically has no throat. But, if you shoot cast it works perfectly. I have shot the RCBS 405 grain and currently shoot almost exclusively the Lyman Gould bullet cast 1-30, sized to .454 before being paper patched. I load the Gould bullet over Elmer Keith's load of 53.5 grains of 4895. This load is about 1700 fps out of the 86s 26" barrel. Mine has been re-stocked from a crescent butte plate rifle to a shotgun butte plate rifle with checkering in an original Winchester style. I also found and mounted an original Lyman tang sight. It shoots as well as it looks. Get one you will not be disappointed.
    Bill
    Who did your restock work - I have one of the 26" versions that I had shortened to 20" and made into a half magazine. Dennis Olson in Plains, MT did that job for me about 1995 or so. Love it in this configuration
    Being human is not for sissies.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    Now I lay me down to sleep
    A gun beside me is what I keep
    If I awake, and you're inside
    The coroner's van is your next ride

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by square butte View Post
    Who did your restock work - I have one of the 26" versions that I had shortened to 20" and made into a half magazine. Dennis Olson in Plains, MT did that job for me about 1995 or so. Love it in this configuration

    Years ago I picked up a stock set from a Winoku 1886 Extra Light - these came with a shotgun style buttstock. Oddly enough it was not a drop in fit on my Browning 1886 SRC but with a little fitting it worked just fine. It’s much more comfortable to use cf the carbine stock it came with.

    I believe Chiappa 1886 rifles are what Turnbull now uses for his conversions. IIRC Turnbull had Chiappa change the threads to match those of original Winchesters and are probably the closest to originals.

  9. #9
    Boolit Bub
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    1886

    My Browning 1886 45/70 SRC was produced in 1992. It goes to the woods a lot more than my other rifles.
    It has a few scratches now and it still looks good. 405 gr flat point ahead of 17grs. unique gives me a bang-flop
    at100 yds in the timber. nuf said

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    My 1886 was restocked by Rogers Gun Works in Fayetteville, Georgia. Roger and I were Majors together at USARCENT/Third Army when it was in Atlanta. We got to spend some time in the desert together. He also re-did my Marlin 1893 in 38-55. The shotgun butte plates came from Numrich and were supposedly old Winchester parts. The 1893 has an unbelievable beautiful piece of walnut. It was too narrow to be used for a bolt gun stock so Roger was able to get it for a song. This is the 1893.
    BillClick image for larger version. 

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  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by william l evans View Post
    My Browning 1886 45/70 SRC was produced in 1992. It goes to the woods a lot more than my other rifles.
    It has a few scratches now and it still looks good. 405 gr flat point ahead of 17grs. unique gives me a bang-flop
    at100 yds in the timber. nuf said
    What boolit are you using? I have the Lee 405 hollow base that I'm going to try when my Henry comes in.
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  12. #12
    Boolit Bub
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    B a bore on this site made the mold for me prior to 2008. He also made a 330 gr wfp gas check in the same mold block. I don't have anymore info on him, sorry

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    If you found a case hardened finish on one, it didn’t come from the factory that way. I have a Win/Miroku 1886 and had the finish case hardened by Turnbull and while they had the gun they removed the safety and put in the Browning parts. They also filled in where the safety was and you can’t tell it was ever there. No rebounding hammer, great CC finish, and shoots like a champ. Just send Turnbull a “plain” Win/Miroku and some money and you’ll get what your looking for. About a grand or a little less for all the Turnbull work on top of the price of the gun.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check