1886|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

I agree it would be a great hunting rifle.  It has some condition issues that don’t make it a great collector item.  Quite a bit of blue loss on the receiver.  The wood has been sanded with much of the checkering gone.  It’s dinged up pretty good in the grip area.  The .40-65 is a fine round.  I shoot this in Winchesters, Bullards, Colt pumps and others.  However, in the land of the M1886’s, it’s generally toward the bottom of the list as far as collector desirability.  The .45-70, .45-90 and .50 Express are at the top of the list.  I wouldn’t mind owning that rifle but I wouldn’t pay a collector price for it.  

As far as accuracy goes the 40-65 is more accurate than the collector cartridges.  This was used as a target round in the day.  My most expensive 86 is in 40-65.  It’s all about condition.

Bert H. said

Calvin Chaffin said

Thanks guys for looking, he had it for 5400, said he would take 4900. I did not think it was worth that, but it does have some nice options albeit the stock I thought was sanded as well, he says no! I have all the dies, brass and some boxes of the PMC 40-65 ammo, I have been looking for a 40-65 for awhile and this one caught my eye! Would anyone want to give an idea on value as it is, thanks!

  

The seller is either highly optimistic or smoking something funny.  Based on what I am seeing in the pictures, it is at best a $3,500 rifle, and I personally would not consider it @ $3K.  The butt stock has positively been sanded at some time in its past life.

Bert

  

I am agreement with Bert on the pricing.

I do like the half octagon barrel feature and also the Lyman receiver sight.  Perfect for an ’86 you’re going to hunt with. It is a pistol grip checkered rifle but wow, some of that checkering is barely detectable.

As Chuck says, the .40-65 cartridge has a lot going for it.  It is quite accurate, brass easy to make or find (I ordered many boxes of it when PMC did their special run).  Unless you are loading with black powder (which I don’t) I like the fact that the .40-65 case is smaller (e.g. vs. .40-82, etc.). Given smokeless powder doesn’t fill these obsolete cases, the .40-65 has less empty space in the case to account for.

A gun in that condition will be tough to sell at any price. One principle of gun collecting that I have trouble grasping is that higher condition guns will always have a larger pool of enthusiastic buyers. You may not be thinking of selling it but someday you might see something you like better so your 40-65 will go from “keeper” or “shooter” to trade bait. I love old guns like this one, especially if I think it might shoot. But I won’t pay a silly price for it. This guy is looking for a low-information buyer. Your 1886 will come along some day, this game wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if we could walk into a store and buy what we want.

Mike