Original U.S. Winchester 4th Model 1866 "Yellow Boy" .44RF Repeating Rifle with 24" Octagon Barrel Made in 1882 - Serial 158662

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a rare treat! A genuine M-1866 YELLOW BOY, the legendary Brass-framed first Winchester Repeating rifle! 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. Many refer to the Winchester repeating rifle as the "GUN THAT WON THE WEST"! While the Model 1873 improved on many aspects of the Model 1866, it lacked the beautiful lines and lovely "gunmetal" frame that its predecessor had.

Both models were made concurrently for decades, and this example was made in 1881, 8 years after the introduction of the Model 1873. It is also an example of the standard commercial repeating rifle, something that we have not had before! We have had multiple examples of the Carbine, and even a few of the Military Rifle or Musket, but amazingly, this is only the second commercial rifle we have had. Definitely a great collector's opportunity here!

This Yellow "Gunmetal"-Framed Beauty is still in original .44 Henry Rimfire chambering, with a desirable 24" octagonal barrel and full-length magazine tube. 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 many period conversions to other centerfire cartridges. We checked the end of the breech block, and it definitely has the double sided rimfire striking system, with no evidence of a center fire conversion.

The rifle features a standard blade front sight with a replaced silver blade, and the rear sight was replaced with a two leaf flip sight, which looks to have been on the rifle for a very long time. The serial number is 158662, denoting the year of manufacture as 1882, nine years after the release of the Model of 1873. Model 1866 Winchesters with serial numbers over 149,000 are considered the "fourth model", with all of incremental design improvements introduced with the previous models. The most produced type had been the "third model", with serial numbers between 25,000 and 149,000. After this, the "Henry Drop" at the upper rear receiver was smooth out even more, and the serial numbers changed from "block" letters to the more "script-like" italicized font as seen on most Model 1873. The location was also moved from under the lever to the rear of the tang, the same location as the Model 1873. After this point production slowed down, with the total production numbering 170,100.

This example has definitely seen some use and wear from service, however the original barrel address markings are still fully legible, something very rare to see on a model 1866!:-

WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT.
KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860.

The action has a beautiful patina on the "gunmetal" frame, which we have left intact. The barrel has had the original bluing fade to a gray oxidized patina, with some spots of peppering on the sides, which we have left in place to preserve the fantastic patinated look that this rifle has. The magazine tube is in similar condition, and is dent free.

The stocks are in very good condition, showing wear but also a lovely color, and do not look to have seen any restoration or refinishing in the past. The fore stock has some dents and dings, and there is a some cracking on both sides next to the barrel, but none reach the top of the stock. There is also a crack on the lower left side where the wood meets the receiver. The butt stock is in similar condition, and shows a crack on the left side running forward from the end. The hook-shaped iron butt plate is in lovely shape, showing some past oxidation and cleaning, and the butt trap opens easily, but is unfortunately empty.

The rifle is in overall very nice condition, with a fantastic look. 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 is still in very good condition, showing the six groove rifling clearly. It has a bright finish, showing some past oxidation and fouling, now removed, meaning that it was well cared for over the years. We would probably rate this at an 8 out of 10. Most of the 1866's that we see have bores like a stovepipe, so this is definitely a prime example!

A fantastic example of an iconic and historically significant gun, only the second example of the "Yellow Boy" Commercial Repeating Rifle that that we have ever offered for sale! This rifle is ready to research and display!

Specifications:-
Year of Manufacture: 1882
Caliber: .44 Henry Rimfire
Cartridge Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 43 1/2 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 15-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.

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