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I received a call last night from the owner of an apparently very rare 1886 Winchester rifle. The gun is absolutely not for sale, but she was concerned about insurance and wanted the gun appraised. I told her that I know just enough about those guns to be dangerous, but am far from being an appraiser. She asked if I could recommend someone and my reply was in the negative. There are no reliable and trustworthy dealers within a hundred miles, so the gun might take a trip to the November Reno Show. I have not yet seen this gun, but she told me that it has a 32" barrel and "fancy buttstock". I took the serial number and ran it with Cody this morning. WOW!! This one was a very special order. Incidently, it has been in her family since it was purchased new by her great grandfather. According to the owner, it remains in excellent condition.
Here is the information on the rifle:
On your model 1886, serial number 54XX:
Date In: 6-15-1887
Type: rifle
Caliber: 45/70
Barrel Shape: octagon
Barrel Length: 32”
Trigger: plain
Stock: checkered stock, pistol grip
Butt: Swiss
Date Shipped: 6-15-1887
Order Number: 18738
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged"....President Abraham Lincoln
I would love to see that rifle. It is indeed a rare one. I'd guess "somewhere" between 25k and 40k, if it's still in good condition with some colors. Be sure to let us know, and post pics if she doesn't mind.
Two observations / comments:
1. I'm curious to see what sights are on it, and wouldn't be at all surprised if it has some very nice (are rare) sights. On the other hand, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to have had a scope on it at one time, being such a specialized rifle.
2. I'm surprised to see that with the options chosen there is not a set trigger. That would seem like a logical accompanying feature for this rifle.
Here are some stats out of John Madl's book:
# of 32" barrels - 574 total (200 rifles, 374 muskets)
# of Swiss butt plates - 112
This is out of about 140,000 recorded 1886s. A RARE piece indeed!!
Anyway, thanks for the post Mike D. and I hope you can feed us more information.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
I think Insurance is going to require a written appraisal from a dealer, or more likely a licensed appraiser for a high value piece like that. That would be a tough road to go. I think that I would call someone like Merz or another big name Winchester dealer, explain the situation and see if you couldn't get a reference of someone to appraise based on a series of photo's. Perhaps even Cody could suggest someone. Another option might be to call over to Turnbull and see if he has any ideas. The problem with insurance is, that something of that value they are going to rape you with premiums, so you have to appraise it based on what you're willing to pay in premiums, balanced against what you'd not gripe about getting if it was stolen or lost in a fire. The other problem with appraisals, is that they are only current till the market recovers, then they will have to be redone again....and with the market at it's bottom now, (even the Winchester market), two years will probably see a dramatic increase in the value of that fine rifle.
Chad, there were 159,956 '86s manufactured. Well, at least that's what has been recorded, but there are "rumors" of serial numbers above 160,000. I own two of the very last of series guns, both being 159,9XX. Of course, both are ELTDs, and .33 WCF. I'd die for a .45-70 in that range, but such would be impossible to verify. Fakes abound.
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged"....President Abraham Lincoln
Mike D. wrote:Chad, there were 159,956 '86s manufactured. Well, at least that's what has been recorded, but there are "rumors" of serial numbers above 160,000.
Yes, but when you account for missing records, Madl only includes about 140,000 to 141,000 guns in his counts. So any numbers gleaned from his pages have to take into account the missing 20,000 rifles. Theoretically, in this case, there could have been a run of 100 32" Swiss butt rifles somewhere between 146,000 and 150,799. Not likely, of course, but you get my point. So whenever I look at numbers I qualify it as representing only 140,000 guns instead of the entire run.
Well..... it only took 12 years for me to notice this post.
This rifle under discussion is my rifle. It is still quietly resting in the safe and is in great shape. Good color, sharp edges and nice tight action. Sorry that the photos are a little poor. I can upload some better ones if anyone is interested. We are thinking of placing the gun into the family trust so we are looking for an idea of its value if anyone would like to opine on that.
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Thats a wonderful example , ultra rare . One person that comes to mind for appraisals on rare Winchesters is
Leroy Merz .He probably has had more rare Winchesters through his hands than anyone I know.
You have to appreciate the craftsmanship of these fine old Winchesters.
