Original U.S. Winchester M1876 28" Octagonal Barrel .40-60 Big Game Rifle with Set Trigger & Factory Letter Made in 1885 - Serial 48475

Original Item: Only One Available. If you were looking to do some big game hunting with Teddy Roosevelt out in the "Old West", this is just what you need! This very fine example of the "Second Model" Winchester Model 1876 repeating rifle is in the "big game hunting" .40-60 Winchester caliber, with a 28" octagonal barrel and full length magazine tube. This barrel length identifies it as the "Sporting Rifle" version of the 1876 "Centennial Model." Teddy Roosevelt's Model 1876, on the other hand, was one of those with the half octagonal barrel and half length magazine tube, and his gun was significantly more ornamented.

Correctly marked on the upper receiver tang with MODEL. 1876., the rifle is also marked with the caliber CAL 40 - 60 over the chamber on the barrel and 40 - 60 on the brass carrier block. Per our research only 9,275 M1876 rifles were made in this caliber, and only 6,612 of those were made with the 28" barrel. It also has a fantastic set trigger, which was only fitted to 1,426 of these rifles. It bears serial number 42690 on the lower receiver tang, denoting the year of manufacture as 1885. The barrel is fitted with a standard Winchester brass blade front sight and a rear adjustable ladder sight, which was fitted at some point after purchase.

This rifle also comes with an original factory letter from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West at the Cody Firearms Museum, which now houses the original Winchester factory records. This is printed on watermarked WINCHESTER REPEATING Fire Arms letterhead, and dated March 14, 2005. It indicates that it is a Model 1876 Rifle in 40/60 caliber with an Octagon barrel and are Set trigger. There is no indication of barrel length, which means it was made with the standard 28 inch "Sporting RIfle" barrel, so this rifle is still in the original configuration as shipped! The letter also indicates that the order for this rifle was received in the warehouse October 30, 1885, and shipped on January 21, 1886 as part of order 3830. There is no other information available for the serial number, but that is not uncommon for a rifle that did not see customization. The letter is signed by Waddy Colvert and still bears the correct raised seal.

This Winchester lever-action repeater is in lovely condition, with the original bluing and case hardening faded to a nice light gray patina overall. There is however still some of the original finish on the sides and underside of the barrel. There is just a bit of past peppering in areas, and no major rust or other issues. The engraving on top of the barrel is still fully legible:

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

Stocks are in very good condition, and are the lovely reddish-brown color of aged finished walnut, with a great grain. There is however a 2 5/8" inch wide circular wood graft repair on the right side of the butt stock, which we assume was done to repair some damaged area, or maybe some kind of compartment that was installed for a time. The fore stock is really lovely, showing wear but also some lovely curly figuring to the grain. The crescent butt plate is in good shape with a working storage compartment door, however the compartment is empty.

This lever action repeater is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition, with a working original dust cover. We did not notice any of the sloppy movement that this type of action can develop over time. The Set Trigger adjustment is still present, though it has not been adjusted in some time. The bore is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There definitely is some wear along with past oxidation and fouling, now cleaned away, but we would still rate this about a 7-8 out of 10, well above average.

A great example of an iconic big game hunting rifle, complete with a Winchester Factory letter! These are hard to find in any condition. Fully cleaned and ready for display!

Specifications:-

Year of Manufacture: 1885
Caliber: .40-60 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 28 Inches
Overall Length: 48 1/2 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 12-round tube magazine

The Winchester Model 1876, or Centennial Model, was a heavier-framed rifle than the Models 1866 and 1873, the "Guns that Won the West." The new design was chambered for full-powered centerfire rifle cartridges suitable for big-game hunting, rather than the handgun-sized rimfire and centerfire rounds of its predecessors. While similar in design to the 1873, the 1876 was actually based on a prototype 1868 lever-action rifle that was never commercially produced by Winchester.

Introduced to celebrate the American Centennial Exposition, the Model 1876 earned a reputation as a durable and powerful hunting rifle. Four versions were produced: a 22-inch (56 cm) barrel Carbine, a 26-inch (66 cm) barrel Express Rifle with a half-length magazine, a 28-inch (71 cm) barrel Sporting Rifle, and a 32-inch (81 cm) barrel Musket. Standard rifles had a blued finish while deluxe models were casehardened. Collectors identify a first model with no dust cover, a second model with a dust cover rail fastened by a screw, and a third model with an integral dust cover. Total production was 63,871 including 54 One of One Thousand Model 1876s and only seven of the One of One Hundred grade.

Originally chambered for the new .45-75 Winchester Centennial cartridge (designed to replicate the .45-70 ballistics in a shorter case), versions in .40-60 Winchester, .45-60 Winchester and .50-95 Express followed; the '76 in the latter chambering is the only repeater known to have been in widespread use by professional buffalo hunters. The Canadian North-West Mounted Police used the '76 in .45-75 as a standard long arm for many years with 750 rifles purchased for the force in 1883; the Mountie-model '76 carbine was also issued to the Texas Rangers. Theodore Roosevelt used an engraved, pistol-gripped half-magazine '76 during his early hunting expeditions in the West and praised it. A '76 was also found in the possession of Apache warrior Geronimo after his surrender in 1886.

The Model 1876 toggle-link action receiver was too short to handle popular big-game cartridges, including the .45-70, and production ceased in 1897, as big-game hunters preferred the smoother Model 1886 action chambered for longer and more powerful cartridges.

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