Original U.S. Special Order Winchester Nickel Plated 2nd Model 1866 "Yellow Boy" Carbine with Octagonal Barrel Serial 21217 in .44 Centerfire - Made in 1869

Original Item: One of a Kind. Every Schoolboys dream! A genuine M-1866 YELLOW BOY, the legendary Brass-framed first Winchester Saddle Ring Carbine. First introduced in 1866, having taken over the Henry Rifle Company, Oliver Winchester launched one of the iconic Firearm names in the history of THE OLD WEST.

This "Gunmetal"-Framed Beauty is definitely a unique offering, looking to have been Special Ordered from the factory, and possibly customized again later at the factory. all parts of the frame and even the gunmetal crescent butt plate were fully nickel plated long ago, which now shows a lovely worn patina. It has the correct carbine length 20" barrel, however it is octagonal, and has a gold inlay band near the breech, as well as "Bank note" style floral engraving on the top near the muzzle and breech. The magazine tube is attached to the barrel via a ring that fits into a dovetail, as with the rifle version, as the double ring sight of the carbine is not compatible with octagonal barrels. It also has had a Model 1873 style foregrip added, and we can see two areas on the rear left receiver where there may have originally been a saddle ring. Definitely a carbine with a very interesting history!

These were originally all made in .44 Henry Rimfire, however a few late production Winchester 1866 rifles were configured to fire .44 Henry Centerfire. There were also period conversions to other centerfire cartridges. This example has definitely been converted, and it looks like it may have been a factory conversion, as we cannot see any evidence that the breech block in the carbine was set up for rimfire in the past. We do not currently know what cartridge it is chambered for, but assume it is .44 Henry Centerfire.

The carbine features a rifle style front dovetail sight with a nickel blade and iconic "Buckhorn" rear adjustable sight. The stamped block style serial number is 21217, denoting the year of manufacture as 1869, very early in Model 1866 production, 4 years before the steel frame Model 1873 would be introduced. At this point the design was undergoing relatively rapid development as issues were noted and reported by workers at the factory and customers. It is important to note that the model 1866 production continued throughout the 1870s and 1880s, as the model 1866 was cheaper, and remained popular. This meant that factory parts were readily available for later modifications.

Model 1866 Winchesters in the 5,500 – 25,000 serial number range are considered the "Second Model", and differ from the "First Model" or "flatside" with the introduction of the flared front end of the receiver to match with the fore stock. Second Models also had a different profile to the upper rear of the receiver by the hammer, with less of the "Henry Drop" at the top. Subsequent models would continue reducing this feature until it was removed. The last major change to the receiver was the attachment method of the side plates, which for First Models had a dovetail on both the front and rear, but for the Second model the rear dovetail was removed, and a screw was used to secure the side plates together at the rear, as they would be with the model 1873.

First Model 1866s all had the serial numbers marked on the side of the tang, so it could not be seen until the rear stock was removed. This continued through Second Model production until serial number 21,000, after which it was stamped in block letters between the trigger and main spring screw. Later, these numbers would become Italicized around serial 25,000, which was the most noticeable difference when the "Third Model 1866" started being produced. During "First Model" production, both the carbines and rifles featured the saddle ring on the rear left receiver, but this stopped with the Second Model, and after that only the carbines had the ring. First models also did not have a half cock position on the hammer, which would continue through the Second Model until serial number 23,000.

There were some additional differences brought in over the years, but this example definitely has all the correct aspects of a Second Model, including the block letter serial number and hammer with no half cock position. The top of the barrel is marked with the early period patent markings, which still mentioned the Henry patent, which would be removed from the barrel markings during 3rd Model production:-

HENRY'S PATENT OCT 16, 1860
KING'S PATENT MARCH 29,1866

As mentioned previously, there is no saddle ring on the receiver, however we can see the outline of where they were originally, and then filled. The nickel plating is overall in very good condition in most areas, with wear around the edges and near some of the screws. The stocks are in great condition, showing the lovely red brown color of aged walnut, only achieved after decades. They show only light wear, with no cracks or other issues, possibly having been replaced long ago when the carbine was further customized. The butt stock features a crescent gunmetal butt plate with a working flip-open style storage compartment, which is empty.

The action cycles well, and does not have any issues that we can see, though we did not do any tests to see if it can still feed correctly. The bore on this example is in good condition, still showing clear lands and grooves, however the finish is definitely dark from past oxidation and fouling. This has been mostly cleaned away, but we can definitely tell it saw a good amount of use, and was probably not cleaned properly afterwards. However, the bores we usually see on Model 1866 carbines and rifles usually look like stovepipes inside, so it is definitely above average.

This is a fantastic and unique offering that we are very unlikely to have again in the future! A truly "one of a kind" early Winchester 2nd Model 1866 carbine, special ordered from the factory and expertly customized later, possibly also at the factory. Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1869
Caliber: .44
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 39 1/4 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 13-round tube magazine

The first Winchester rifle – the Winchester Model 1866 – was originally chambered for the rimfire .44 Henry. Nicknamed the "Yellow Boy" because of its receiver of a bronze/brass alloy called gunmetal, it was famous for its rugged construction and lever-action "repeating rifle" mechanism that allowed the user to fire a number of shots before having to reload. Nelson King's improved patent remedied flaws in the Henry rifle by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round, sealed magazine which was partially covered by a forestock.

France purchased 6,000 Model 1866 rifles along with 4.5 million .44 Henry cartridges during the Franco-Prussian War. The Ottoman Empire purchased 45,000 Model 1866 rifles and 5,000 carbines in 1870 and 1871. These rifles were used in the 1877 Russo-Turkish War, causing much surprise when outnumbered Turks at the Siege of Plevna inflicted many times more casualties than their opponents armed with single-shot Krnka and Berdan rifles. The Model 1866 compelled Russians to develop a new rifle, the Mosin–Nagant, after the war.

The Swiss Army initially selected the Model 1866 to replace their existing single-shot Milbank-Amsler rifles. However, ensuing political pressure to adopt a domestic design resulted in the Vetterli Model 1867, a bolt-action design utilizing a copy of the Winchester's tubular magazine, being adopted instead.

Due to public demand, the Model 1866 continued to be manufactured and sold until 1899, mainly because they were less expensive than the later steel-framed centerfire models. Later models were chambered for the .44-40 Winchester cartridge.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.