NOTE: this is an example of a previous customer restoration, and therefore the firearm is not for sale. Please browse the showroom for our current selection of restored, pre-owned and refinished firearms that are for sale, as well as other collections. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to be among the first to learn about new additions to our website.

First Year Winchester 1886 Restored: Classic .45-70 Government Elegance Reborn

There is a special hush that settles over the shop when a first year Winchester walks through the door. This one arrived in 2023: a three digit serial number, chambered in .45-70 Government, with a 26-inch full octagon barrel and a full length magazine. It’s a rifle that carries the literal weight of the 1886 pattern and a lot of lived history in its wood and metal. The 1886 is one of John Moses Browning’s great lever action answers to big bore hunting needs, built to take cartridges that older actions couldn’t handle. Ours had been loved and altered over generations, reblued at some point, a tang sight relocated by a previous owner, and its original wood gone to humidity and handling. It came to us asking to be put right.

Disassembly and Inspection

We began with a full, methodical strip-down, cleaning and inspection. There were signs of previous work: the tang sight had been moved from its original location, and numerous screw heads showed wear or damage. The prior reblue deviated from the factory specification, which called for color case hardening. These findings set the scope: correct the altered tang, replace damaged wood, address worn screws, and return the metal surfaces to period appropriate finishes.

Woodwork: Replacement and Finish

Both stock pieces were remade. We turned a new butt from field grade American walnut and fitted it with the rifle’s crescent buttplate. The forend was also turned from American walnut and fitted to the action and octagon barrel. The wood was finished in hand rubbed oil, aiming for the classic Winchester red shading, using multiple thin coats rubbed by hand to build depth and a satin feel.

Metal Repair and Finishing

The tang sight hole, previously relocated, was welded closed and re-drilled and tapped in the correct position. Screws were repaired or replaced as needed.

Surface prep included polishing the receiver, barrel, magazine, and small parts to a historically correct level of finish. The barrel and magazine received a rust blue finish. The receiver, lever, hammer, forend cap, and crescent buttplate underwent bone charcoal color case hardening. Smaller components, including the trigger, bolt, sights, and screws, were charcoal blued to match the quality typical of late 19th century sporting arms. A No. 21 front sight and a sporting rear sight were selected, fitted, and charcoal blued as well.

After finishing, we oiled and greased appropriate parts and reassembled the rifle. Function checks confirmed smooth cycling of the action and reliable engagement of the locking surfaces.

The Finished Rifle

What we returned to our client was a stout and purposeful Winchester 1886 reflecting its first-year production specification. The three digit serial shows its 19th century birth. The 26-inch octagon barrel and full length magazine maintain its original silhouette. The case hardened receiver and blued touches reflect its late Victorian sporting elegance without theatricality, and the new walnut now dresses the rifle in a way we believe Browning himself would have approved of for a rifle intended to harvest big game on open country.

Restoration is not only resurrection; it is stewardship. We preserved the rifle’s utility and identity while correcting past mistakes and replacing what time had taken. This 1886 left our shop ready to be carried, collected, and loved again, a careful bridge between its first life and the next keeper who will make new stories with it.

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