Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
Was just curious about a stamp on my winchester 1886, build date 1894. It has a stamp on the bottom to the front right of the trigger, it is an uppercase i. I can’t find any reference to what this stamp is for anywhere. It looks original, like the rest of the stamps. The gun goes back 7 generations in my family (only 3 owners, my great great great great uncle, my grandfather and me)
Offline
Lewis,
The odds are very high that it is simply an inspector’s stamp.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Bert,
Here is a picture Lewis emailed me. I emailed him back that it looked like a inspectors stamp to me.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Bob,
Thanks for posting the picture, and we are in agreement… inspectors stamp.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
The “I” inspectors mark can also be seen as far back as the Henry military style rear sights.
Thanks guys, you’re an awesome help. Just inherited the gun and it’s been in my family for the full 124 years of its life and hopefully another +100. Going to order factory letter from Cody Museum next week
Lewis Scribner said
Thanks guys, you’re an awesome help. Just inherited the gun and it’s been in my family for the full 124 years of its life and hopefully another +100. Going to order factory letter from Cody Museum next week
It’s very rare that an antique Winchester can be documented with 100% accuracy from it’s inception. Very special.
Winchester Model 1873 44-40 circa 1886
Yes it is Kevin Jones, my great great great great uncle Sumner Merryfield bought it new and taught my grandfather to shoot with it which got my grandfather into competition shooting. He left it to my grandfather and my grandfather left it to me. My family is covered in the St Croix Valley geneology project so I know every ancestor back to my great great great great great great grandfather Samuel Scott who settled the Downeast in Maine, first white man to set foot in the Downeast and explore Machais in 1762, he also built a double sawmill, incorporated the town and was the lot layer in charge dividing up land, and later settling other towns and fighting in the revolutionary war. His father Sylvania Scott first showed up with his marriage to Sarah Moses 21 Oct 1714 in Portsmouth, NH… my family did a lot of exploring in the early days of the USA so they are very well tracked, especially since the still live in the section of the USA they settled in 1762.
Lewis Scribner said
Was just curious about a stamp on my winchester 1886, build date 1894. It has a stamp on the bottom to the front right of the trigger, it is an uppercase i. I can’t find any reference to what this stamp is for anywhere. It looks original, like the rest of the stamps. The gun goes back 7 generations in my family (only 3 owners, my great great great great uncle, my grandfather and me)
I’d be curious as to the chambering of this fine rifle.
Lewis Scribner said
steve0 It is chambered in 40-65
Thanks for the information. About how many years was is it in use for hunting? Do recall if there ever was a struggle to find ammunition for it? Any idea how many deer it killed?
Probably a lot of deer killed with it, most of my family survived off the land as recent as my grandfather and he used it. Hasn’t been fired in at least 20 years but before that it was used most of its life for hunting. My grandfather “poached” most of his life but he did it out of necessity due to lack of jobs and anything really in northeastern maine. He had a lot of guns but he used a 22 for partridge and could take out an entire tree if he started at the bottom and worked his way up quickly (he always said they were the stupidest birds around). Had a 45 revolver he used for everything else and the 1886 for longer shots.
Oh and I can hey ammo made from my gunsmith for $45 for a box of 25
Lewis Scribner said
Probably a lot of deer killed with it, most of my family survived off the land as recent as my grandfather and he used it. Hasn’t been fired in at least 20 years but before that it was used most of its life for hunting. My grandfather “poached” most of his life but he did it out of necessity due to lack of jobs and anything really in northeastern maine. He had a lot of guns but he used a 22 for partridge and could take out an entire tree if he started at the bottom and worked his way up quickly (he always said they were the stupidest birds around). Had a 45 revolver he used for everything else and the 1886 for longer shots.
I had a strong feeling the rifle would have a rich history. I was curious about the ammunition as I know there was a long period where it was unavailable. The .40-65 cartridge has seen a resurgence in recent years. In fact, a few years ago, I ordered a case of PMC ammunition in .40-65 (at an extremely reasonable price). I use it in my Bullard, Colt Express slide action and Marlin M1881. In the past, I’ve had rifles in this chambering in both Model 1886 Winchester and Marlin M1895’s as well. It is a fine performing cartridge and I’ve handloaded it for several decades. It doesn’t have the case capacity of longer .40 caliber cartridge (e.g. .40/70, .40/72 and .40/82) but it doesn’t need to when smokeless powder is used.
Way back, my family also used some obsolete caliber lever action rifles and I know ammunition was a struggle to find. I believe they had the address of the Connecticut Cartridge Company and would order from them. Hence my curiosity – from the time the cartridge was discontinued up until he quit using it – maybe a span of 50+ years? – do you have any idea what your grandfather did for ammunition?
Again, truly amazing to have a rifle remain in the family from the time of original purchase to now.
steve004 said
I had a strong feeling the rifle would have a rich history. I was curious about the ammunition as I know there was a long period where it was unavailable. The .40-65 cartridge has seen a resurgence in recent years. In fact, a few years ago, I ordered a case of PMC ammunition in .40-65 (at an extremely reasonable price). I use it in my Bullard, Colt Express slide action and Marlin M1881. In the past, I’ve had rifles in this chambering in both Model 1886 Winchester and Marlin M1895’s as well. It is a fine performing cartridge and I’ve handloaded it for several decades. It doesn’t have the case capacity of longer .40 caliber cartridge (e.g. .40/70, .40/72 and .40/82) but it doesn’t need to when smokeless powder is used.
Way back, my family also used some obsolete caliber lever action rifles and I know ammunition was a struggle to find. I believe they had the address of the Connecticut Cartridge Company and would order from them. Hence my curiosity – from the time the cartridge was discontinued up until he quit using it – maybe a span of 50+ years? – do you have any idea what your grandfather did for ammunition?
Again, truly amazing to have a rifle remain in the family from the time of original purchase to now.
Honestly I don’t know much beyond that on the guns history. No one except my grandfather’s wife knows he had it. She asked to meet me alone the day before the service and handed me the gun and a hand written letter from my grandfather detailing the history and I tracked where the original owner was in our family through the St. Croix Valley Geneology Project on rootsweb
Lewis Scribner
1 Guest(s)
