That sounds like a cool gun! Another tell tail sign of being a lightweight is a ramp front sight, please post some photos of this gem!

ken1989 said
I have a special order 1886 with a 26" barrel that letters as a lightweight. Burt, back in 2019 we had some email communication about this rifle. These are your comments "I have not seen an ELW Rifle with a 26-inch barrel until today.  All of them I have encountered thus far have had a 22-inch barrel.  In addition to the extra long extra lightweight barrel, the plain PG stock without any checkering is somewhat uncommon, and the sight configuration is quite unusual as well (I would have expected a Lyman tang sight with the Lyman No. 6 rear sight and the Lyman No. 4 front sight).  Somebody specifically special ordered the Marbles Flexible Joint tang sight."
WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 - SERIAL NUMBER 13910X
Serial number application date not available
Type: Rifle
Caliber: 40/65
Barrel Type: Round
Barrel Length: 26 inches
Extra Light
Trigger: Plain
Plain, Pistol grip
Sights: Marbles flex joint rear, Lyman leaf, Lyman hunting front sights
1/2 Magazine
Shotgun butt rubber
Received in warehouse on October 07, 1907
Shipped from warehouse on October 09, 1907, Order number 113329
 
FYI,  This is my first post. Long time Winchester collector.  Presently a "Guest", will join when my Cody membership is up for renewal.
  

What you have is a special-ordered rifle with a barrel that is lighter than standard.  In the strictest sense, it is not a true ELW. 

Based on the factory ledger record information, it apparently does not have Nickel Steel (smokeless powder) barrel.  How is the front sight attached to the barrel?  Does it have large bored hole in the butt stock?

Bert

WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 - SERIAL NUMBER 13910X
Serial number application date not available
Type: Rifle
Caliber: 40/65
Barrel Type: Round
Barrel Length: 26 inches
Extra Light
Trigger: Plain
Plain, Pistol grip
Sights: Marbles flex joint rear, Lyman leaf, Lyman hunting front sights
1/2 Magazine
Shotgun butt rubber
Received in warehouse on October 07, 1907
Shipped from warehouse on October 09, 1907, Order number 113329

FYI,  This is my first post. Long time Winchester collector.  Presently a "Guest", will join when my Cody membership is up for renewal.

Monte Carlo . . .rear sight looks just like yours.

As an interesting note (to me!) . . . .

I have the original bill of sale for this gem . . . .

”Purchased in 1952, from Haggetts’ (hardware store) in Concord, New Hampshire, $120”.

Low comb or Monte Carlo, and what rear sight is on it?  For the survey...

This is my earliest 22-inch Featherweight.  Low comb, S/N 224336.  It may provoke howls of disagreement, but in he early catalogs, the Featherweight was both pictured and described as having a folding rear sight (Marbles 69) regardless of stock style.  I believe that this is correct.  The tall version of the 22K "sporting" style sight for low comb Featherweights came about in 1954, so starts showing up on later 1953 receivers.  Of course, I could be mistaken!!!

Note that this one doesn't have the extra hyphen either.  I was worried about it, but I've since found about a half dozen early ones (22-inch barrel) marked with that die.  Look at Photo 4-32 in Rule's book (you might need to open your hard copy as the image reproduction in the paperback edition is lousy).  That one shows the "dash" on a barrel he said is dated '52...

Lou

For the record, I have an early 1952 Featherweight (#221891) 22” barrel, 308 caliber, of course.

It does NOT have the extra hyphen in the roll mark.

The 24-inch barreled Featherweight was specifically offered as an option in the 1952-54 catalogs.  I agree with you and Bob that they must not have sold many, and the option was dropped before the Featherweight was offered in anything except 308 WIN.  In surveying, I have only run across four that I thought were genuine (including the one in Rule's book), plus about that many fabricated ones...  The highest serial numbered one I've seen to date is in the 240,000 range.

As for Wayne's 24-inch Featherweight, the S/N is 219278, one of the lowest Featherweight serial numbers recorded, as Featherweights don't become common until around S/N 222,000.  I know that the person Wayne sold it to is NOT the collector who purchased his special order 308 WIN Bull Gun...

I do not know why the Forum site stopped displaying thumbnails in the text a week or so ago...  For those eagle eyed and critical viewers, the wonky "FEATHERWEIGHT" letters and extra dash in "MODEL-70-FEATHERWEIGHT" is a "real" roll die used in some early 308 WIN Featherweights.  Most 308 WIN Featherweights, unlike all other Featherweight chamberings, are usually marked "MODEL-70 FEATHERWEIGHT" (without the extra dash).   

If you find another genuine 24-inch Featherweight I hope you'll tell me the S/N and whether it's got a MC or LC stock (for the survey)...

Best,

Lou

thank you

Not many, me-thinks!)

Mark Douglas said

Chuck said
 
Or buy a new firing pin and the striker and modify them.  Grind the pins off the striker and have a pin inserted in the end of the firing pin.  This will allow you to shoot center fire.  
  

Chuck. I like your enthusiasm for the simplicity of converting an 1866 to centerfire.  However, this is exactly the type of improper conversion I talked about in the video and even showed a firing pin/striker assembly that had been converted in the manner you described.  It's a very bad idea to fire one that's been converted this way (don't ask me how I know) When converted this way, the face of the striker and the newly installed firing pin retract into the bolt far enough that the primers back out nearly all the way and most of the time are now unseated enough that they are impaled on the firing pin when the cartridge is ejected.  
Take it from me, it's not a lot of fun to clean up the black powder blown past the primer (and possibly the primer itself) out of your receiver after firing, not to mention lovely experience of the puff of burnt black powder exiting the top of the receiver.  Note the two puffs of black powder smoke from this never before released still photo. This 1866 was fired using the converted striker shown in the recent video.  It caused no damage, but it sure made a mess in the receiver.
In my experience, the only correct way to convert to a Henry or 1866 to centerfire is to bush the front of the bolt like shown in the video and make a new firing pin.  It's a pretty simple process for an experienced gunsmith or machinist and can be returned to rimfire relatively easily.  Of course, there will be some shallow threads that aren't original but can't be seen with the original striker installed.  A second bolt would always be ideal if one could be located.  
Mark
  

You are probably right.  I've never shot them that way.  But the striker is threaded onto the firing pin and is the bushing. Can't you just not thread it on all the way to take up any space?  The striker can't rotate once installed.  I'll have to watch the video again.  I did learn a lesson once.  I had some once fired cases that the backside of the cartridges were bulging out. The original cases will bulge in the rear because there is so much space between the bolt face and the case.  The strikers hit the case and the area between them never touches the case until they bulge. 

Firearms were 'ubiquitous' in my household as well. My children grew up with them in plain sight. It was my job to 'demystify',  and teach and maintain safety through all the curious and formative years.

My favorite teaching experience was to place a revolver, semi auto pistol, bolt action rifle, semi-auto rifle, and shotgun in conspicuous places around the living room, with all the actions closed.  I'd then tell the kids that we'd learn how to identify a 'loaded and unsafe' firearm from across the room.  I'd then ask them to tell me if each firearm was 'loaded' or 'unloaded'.  The correct answer, of course, is that they were always loaded until you picked them up and personally made them 'safe'.

So I'd pick up a  firearm, demonstrate that it was unloaded and safe, then put it back in place. A few minutes later, I'd ask again, 'is that rifle loaded?'.  The initial response would be 'no, it's safe'. But I'd correct them that 'no, it's loaded. It is loaded until you walk over to it, pick it up, and safely determine that it is not.' 

My kids took hunter safety classes at 12 years of age so they could start big game hunting. I always said that if they learned anything new in those classes, then I hadn't done my job well enough.

Paul