Got an original Winchester 1876 - share pics!

[Josie Wales]

Very nice rifles Heinz.  They look like they're all in really good shape. 

Josie

[Josie Wales]

Howdy fellas.  I know this isn't a model 76 but I figured you might enjoy seeing an old Winchester just the same.  Here's the 86 I picked up recently.  Manufactured in 1894 it is 45-70 caliber with a 24" half octagon barrel and a half magazine.  You can still notice a little bit of the original case colors around the loading gate and on the endcap and underside of the lever.







Here it is along with my 76 rifle that I posted pics of earlier and a model 94 rifle in 32-40 caliber that was manufactured in 1902.

[Buck Stinson]

Josey,
That's a very nice '86 with exceptional wood.  Have you pulled the buttstock?   My guess is that the lower tang and the upper tang channel in the stock are marked with an "X".  The number of X's denotes the grade of the "special order" wood.  You probably already knew all of this.
Very nice.

[Grizzly Adams]

That's a great looking trio you have there, Josie.  Super 86!  Thanks for posting the pics for us to lust over!

[Josie Wales]

Thanks Buck! Thanks Griz!  When I first got this rifle I thought the same thing about the wood Buck.  I did know that Winchester marked there stocks with X's to denote the grade of wood.  I didn't know where to find this notation however.  I tried pulling the butt stock but couldn't get it off and I don't want to force it.  I'm assuming all you have to remove is the two large screws, one in the top tang and one in the lower tang but I took them out and the stock doesn't even feel loose so I'm not sure if there is something else that holds it or not.    Anyway, I'm glad you liked the pics fellas!  Talk to ya later.

Josie

[wofat]

here's mine, 1881. 45-60

[Grizzly Adams]

Very nice, wofat!   Thanks for posting the pic.

[Josie Wales]

I have to agree with Griz, that's a good looking 76.

Josie

[KarlB]

Greetings!

I stumbled upon this site while searching for rifles used by the Royal Northwest Mounted Police... My grandfather served
with them around 1906 to 1909.  (Sgt.)  I recently inherited the rifle he carried with him on his adventures out West,
particularly near Fort Whoop-Up.  The thing is, it's NOT a 76, or 86, or a 73, but a 94!  Made in 1906, judging by the
serial number.

I have a couple of photos of him shooting it when it was brand-new, and a couple new shots of the rifle itself.

Actually, it's a saddle-ring carbine, with a tang sight, calibre 25/35.  Stamped into the forend is his regimental number.

I can find NO documentation that would indicate that the RNWMP (not NWMP) actually purchased these carbines for issue.

Does anyone have any information on the Model 1894 used in RNWMP service?

Great site, by the way!

KarlB

[Buck Stinson]

There were no model 1894 Winchesters purchased by or issued to the NWMP, RNWMP or the RCMP. 

[KarlB]

That's what I thought!  But nevertheless, here's a picture of him carrying it!

Perhaps, privately purchased, it was permitted to use as a service rifle??





And one of him shooting it.  In 1906:





KarlB

[shrapnel]

Hi, Shrapnel.

I have had a couple of members of the 76 forum contact me in regards to the loss of some of the pics you had posted in the originals thread.  Any possibliity of getting those reposted?  Folks sure enjoy them.

Thanks, and come "visit" when you can.

Grizzly Adams

Evidently Photobucket lost a few 1876 pictures I had posted, so here are some more. The octagon is a 45-60 and the round barrel is a 45-75 stamped "W.F. Sheard, Livingston, Montana". They have both taken game and the 45-75 even went to Alaska on a bear hunt...

[Grizzly Adams]

Great pics!  Thanks for putting them back up for us, Sharpnel.

[Buck Stinson]

KarlB,
It's pretty clear from the photos that he isn't wearing his Mountie uniform, so my guess is that these photos were taken while he was not on duty and that both the Winchester and the pistol were his private purchase firearms.

[Icebox Bob]

KarlB,
It's pretty clear from the photos that he isn't wearing his Mountie uniform, so my guess is that these photos were taken while he was not on duty and that both the Winchester and the pistol were his private purchase firearms.

I would say it is a fair guess that adherence to uniform regs slipped a lot when away from barracks, given the diverse duties that were performed on patrol.

A great source for the life of the mountie in the late 1800's is Superintendent Richard Burton Deane's "Mounted Life in Canada: a Record of Thirty-One Years Service" published in 1916.  You can download a copy here:
http://www.archive.org/details/mountedpolicelif00deanuoft
You can also download an audio version here:
http://librivox.org/mounted-police-life-in-canada-a-record-of-thirty-one-years-service-1916/
I just finished listening to it a few days ago.  It is quite long, but rich in details.  The reader's voice took some getting used to.

[Buck Stinson]

I agree with you, but the question pertains to the 1894 Winchester carbine being issued by the RNWMP as a service weapon and the answer is no.  The only Winchesters every purchased by and issued to the NWMP were the model 1876 carbine and the model 70.

[Josie Wales]

Very nice rifles Shrapnel.  It's very cool to see someone hunting and getting game with these old rifles!

KarlB those are some really great old pics of your grandfather.  It's always neat to see turn of the century photos such as those.  If it'd be possible I'd like to see some more recent pics of the rifle itself if you have any.

Take care,
Josie

[KarlB]

Wow!  Thanks a lot for sharing knowledge and links!  I'm trying to do some research on Grandad's activities at the
turn of the century, there's a LOT of work to do!  And yes, I was told that the uniform regulations did tend to be
relaxed away from base camp. I understand that the gloves were a gift from an indian chief, (Blackfoot, I think)
and that he often spent weeks at a time alone on patrol. I think my aunt still has those gloves! He has also written
several stories that are preserved in the RCMP Archives, and I'm trying to get copies.

I do have a few recent pictures of the carbine, one showing his regimental number stamped in the forend:








Thanks very much for your input!

KarlB

[Buck Stinson]

That's a great carbine KarlB.  You're very lucky to have a gun with family history.

[Grizzly Adams]

Very nice, Karl.  Thanks for sharing this with us.