Original Item: Only One Available. This is a rare treat! A genuine M-1866 YELLOW BOY, the legendary Brass-framed first Winchester Repeating rifle! First introduced in 1866, having taken over the Henry Rifle Company, Oliver Winchester launched one of the iconic Firearm names in the history of THE OLD WEST. Many refer to the Winchester repeating rifle as the "GUN THAT WON THE WEST"! While the Model 1873 improved on many aspects of the Model 1866, it lacked the beautiful lines and lovely "gunmetal" frame that its predecessor had.

Both models were made concurrently for decades, and this example was made in 1881, 8 years after the introduction of the Model 1873. It is also an example of the standard commercial repeating rifle, something that we have not had before! We have had multiple examples of the Carbine, and even a few of the Military Rifle or Musket, but amazingly, never the regular rifle. Definitely a great collector's opportunity here!

This Yellow "Gunmetal"-Framed Beauty is still in original .44 Henry Rimfire chambering, with a 26" round barrel and full-length magazine tube. These were originally all made in .44 Henry Rimfire, however a few late production Winchester 1866 rifles were configured to fire .44 Henry Centerfire. There were also many period conversions to other centerfire cartridges. We checked the end of the breech block, and it definitely has the double sided rimfire striking system, with no evidence of a center fire conversion.

The rifle features a standard brass blade front sight, and the iconic "Buckhorn" rear adjustable sight, which is fully functional. The serial number is 154811, denoting the year of manufacture as 1881, eight years after the release of the Model of 1873. Model 1866 Winchesters with serial numbers over 149,000 are considered the "fourth model", with incremental design improvements over the first three models. The most produced type had been the "third model", with serial numbers between 25,000 and 149,000. After this point production slowed down, with the total production numbering 170,100.

This example has seen fair amount of use, however the original barrel address markings are still fully legible, something very rare to see on a model 1866!:-

The action has a beautiful patina on the "gunmetal" frame, which we have left intact. The barrel has had the original bluing fade to a gray oxidized patina, but there is no major oxidation or peppering we can see, just wear from use and cleaning. The magazine tube is in similar condition, and does show a few small dents on the side, so we do not know if it is able to feed at present.

The stocks are in very good condition, showing wear but also a lovely color, having been refinished some time in the past. The fore stock has some dents and dings, but not any cracks or other major damage. The butt stock is in similar condition, with some cracks next to the frame on the right side, which were repaired long ago. The hook-shaped gunmetal butt plate is in great shape, with a beautiful color, and the butt trap opens easily, but is unfortunately empty. 

The rifle is in overall very nice condition, with a fantastic look. The action cycles well, and does not have any issues that we can see, though we did not do any tests to see if it can still feed correctly. The bore is still in very good condition, showing the five groove rifling clearly. It has a partly bright finish, showing some past oxidation and fouling, now removed, but no major issues. Most of the 1866's that we see have bores like a stovepipe, so this is definitely a prime example!

A very nice example of an iconic and historically significant gun, the only example of the "Yellow Boy" Commercial Repeating Rifle that that we have ever offered for sale! This rifle is ready to research and display!

Specifications:-
Year of Manufacture: 1881
Caliber: .44 Henry Rimfire
Cartridge Type: Rimfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 26 Inches
Overall Length: 45 1/2 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 17-round tube magazine

The first Winchester rifle – the Winchester Model 1866 – was originally chambered for the rimfire .44 Henry. Nicknamed the "Yellow Boy" because of its receiver of a bronze/brass alloy called gunmetal, it was famous for its rugged construction and lever-action "repeating rifle" mechanism that allowed the user to fire a number of shots before having to reload. Nelson King's improved patent remedied flaws in the Henry rifle by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round, sealed magazine which was partially covered by a forestock.

France purchased 6,000 Model 1866 rifles along with 4.5 million .44 Henry cartridges during the Franco-Prussian War. The Ottoman Empire purchased 45,000 Model 1866 rifles and 5,000 carbines in 1870 and 1871. These rifles were used in the 1877 Russo-Turkish War, causing much surprise when outnumbered Turks at the Siege of Plevna inflicted many times more casualties than their opponents armed with single-shot Krnka and Berdan rifles. The Model 1866 compelled Russians to develop a new rifle, the Mosin–Nagant, after the war.

The Swiss Army initially selected the Model 1866 to replace their existing single-shot Milbank-Amsler rifles. However, ensuing political pressure to adopt a domestic design resulted in the Vetterli Model 1867, a bolt-action design utilizing a copy of the Winchester's tubular magazine, being adopted instead.

Due to public demand, the Model 1866 continued to be manufactured and sold until 1899, mainly because they were less expensive than the later steel-framed centerfire models. Later models were chambered for the .44-40 Winchester cartridge.

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