1887 Winchester Lever-Gun. Bert H.
Hi folkes. I recently came into an 1887 Winchester lever action 12 guage, and am trying to get a ballpark on it...going nowhere but my collection, but need to add to the insurance.
It is, sadly, a cut barrel to "26. The bore is pitted near the chamber, but is not badly so. The finish is around 80% blue turning a nice plum and the reciever is mottled silver and brown, appearing as though it was case colored at one time. Finish is even and not pitted externally anywhere except under the wood covers the mag tube. The numbers match, and it looks like an 1898 manufacture to me with the serial being #621xx. The edges are sharp on all parts, the trigger looks fire blued though a bit faded, and the metal butt plate is original, as is all wood by virtue of the grease pencil markings (I think anyway)in the channels. The forearm slats are nearly perfect with a few scratches and no splitting or chips and their brass ferrules are mustard. All screws are sraight and crisp. Has 12 marked near "Manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. New Haven Conn" forward of the 12. Marked same on lower tang under the lever and patent dates under that ending "July 20, 1886". Action is crisp and moves (dummy) short 12 guage shells perfectly...Had it a few months actually and haven't and don't really plan to shoot it. Has a big cursive WRA Co in a circle logo on the left reciever flat.
I hope i didn't ask this earlier (premature senior moments) and the Mavica is in for repairs, so I can't post pics just now. Any help would be appreciated!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)
It is, sadly, a cut barrel to "26. The bore is pitted near the chamber, but is not badly so. The finish is around 80% blue turning a nice plum and the reciever is mottled silver and brown, appearing as though it was case colored at one time. Finish is even and not pitted externally anywhere except under the wood covers the mag tube. The numbers match, and it looks like an 1898 manufacture to me with the serial being #621xx. The edges are sharp on all parts, the trigger looks fire blued though a bit faded, and the metal butt plate is original, as is all wood by virtue of the grease pencil markings (I think anyway)in the channels. The forearm slats are nearly perfect with a few scratches and no splitting or chips and their brass ferrules are mustard. All screws are sraight and crisp. Has 12 marked near "Manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. New Haven Conn" forward of the 12. Marked same on lower tang under the lever and patent dates under that ending "July 20, 1886". Action is crisp and moves (dummy) short 12 guage shells perfectly...Had it a few months actually and haven't and don't really plan to shoot it. Has a big cursive WRA Co in a circle logo on the left reciever flat.
I hope i didn't ask this earlier (premature senior moments) and the Mavica is in for repairs, so I can't post pics just now. Any help would be appreciated!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)
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I have no idea as to the value but seems to be a great one for your collection. Any Winny lever shotgun that functions and in the condition you described is worthy. Phil
sonandfather0 -
Yeah...I'm pretty tickled! Anything attributable to John Browning I'll take notice of any day! I know the cut barrel will not help...I just hope I didn't pay too much as always!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0 -
1KYDSTR: You have a winner there. So few moving parts one wonders
how it can work so good. I resurected one a while back and bought a
couple of parts for it from W.G.P. (Western gun parts Ltd) in Edmonton,
Alberta Canada. A mainspring for example was $25.00. A word of advise,
dont remove the mainspring as it is a bear to get back in without breaking it. I have all the details (parts list and assembly instructions if you ever need a copy. Both for the 1887 and the 1901.
I believe it is a black powder gun and would only use that. If you reload 12 ga all brass shells as I did, they must be trimmed to 2 5/8"
if memory serves me. It sure is a fun gun to shoot and really gets
attention.0 -
Hello Bill...
It sounds like a perfectly normal late production Model 1887 (with the exception of the cut-down barrel). It is unfortunately no longer considered a "collector grade" Winchester, but it is still worth at least $700 (Cowboy Action Shooters like them a LOT), and if it were stripped down and sold as parts, you could probably get at least $1000 - $1200 for it (it is real sad when a fine old Winnie is worth more as a parts gun than when it is whole[:(]).
The Model 1887 12 gauge guns were chambered for 2-5/8" black powder shells only. The frames were always color case hardened (as was the trigger).
Bert H.
Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!0 -
Thank you very much guys...as ussual, you saved me many hours and lost hair follicles on this one! I have yet to shoot the old girl, and it looks good enough that I might never. Some of the SASS guys at the range I frequent (and work at ) have been trying to talk me out of it for the last several months, though I really don't want to sell it; Dad bought it for me as a Christmas present, and I have yet to sell one of THOSE as it just seems kinda' crass.
It really saddens ( and I guess angers ) me that the gun would be worth more parted out than in one piece. I have a '74 charger with 13,000 miles on it that has a touch of surface rust on it and one dent in the left rear corner panel (put there by my Aunt Ruth backing into the garage when she owned it). I have been offerd $15,000 for the car with the assurance that the guy would be doing a complete frame off restoration. I lost interest in the whole deal when he said that, and am now resolute in my feeling that if I were offered TWICE that now I still wouldn't take it, as it is a PART OF MY FAMILY heritage!!! With the exception of the fluids, one belt, one hose and the oil filter, the car is ALL ORIGINAL! The little dings and dents (really VERY few) make the car valuable to me and another person wouldn't get it at all I'm sure. Anyway, enough of my rants. I again want to thank you all for your time and sharing of knowledge...I can always count on ya'll in a pinch! Have a great weekend, and keep 'em in the 10 ring...or Bin Ladens head, up to you!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0
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