Winchester Model 1890 Rifle

This is a Winchester 1890 Rifle in caliber .22 WRF. It's an early 2nd Model with the Takedown Action (see photos). Antique pre-1898, 22,000 serial range and was manufactured in the year 1894. Back when this rifle was new 118 years ago, it would have been quite a sight with its rainbow case color hardened frame, rust blued barrel, nitred bolt, and reddish-orange varnished walnut stocks. These were such fantastic plinking rifles that most saw a great deal of use in the hands of their original owners. One of the biggest problems with early black powder era .22 rifles is that the bores would rapidly corrode if not cleaned after every time it was used. Note the comment about cleaning the bore in the photo from an original Winchester catalog dated from the fall of 1893. As a result improper care of the bore, many of these early 1890 rifles had to have their barrels replaced with post-1900 era Winchester mail order replacement barrels. This is one of the most important things to pay careful attention towards whenever purchasing one of these rifles. We're happy to report that this rifle is still wearing its factory original 24" octagon barrel...and with a good bore too! It has the early two-line Winchester address on the top flat, no post-1900 Winchester proofs or the circle P mail order designation, as well as early block style rear sight and standard front. The upper tang has the mf'r and model designations along with the inventor's (John Browning) original June 25, 1888 and December 6, 1892 patents.

Overall Condition grades to NRA Antique Very Good with the metal turned to a smooth gray patina with sharp edges, good screws, and strong markings throughout. There are slight hints of silvery remains of original case colors in protected areas of the frame. The wood is solid. It has been lightly cleaned a long time ago but exhibits good edges that aren't rounded over. One small sliver of wood has chipped out along the left edge of the upper tang (see photo). I will have this fixed free of charge if the customer wishes...but it's fairly minor. Otherwise, no cracks, chips, or major repairs. The action works properly, locks in battery, with hammer working on both half and full cock positions. The bore is in Good+ condition with all rifling intact and no rings, bulges, or patches of pitting. Fewer than 7-1/2% of Model 1890 production qualify as pre-1898 antiques. Of the few we do find in our travels, it's tough to find good rifles that are all original with decent bores for under $1K!

Item# 1539

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