Got an original Winchester 1876 - share pics!

[Blackpowder Burn]

Dusty,

If you run out of room in your safe for the "Queens", I just purchased another one and have plenty of spare room.  I'll be happy to provide a nice, safe environment for any of them you don't have room for! I know you keep acquiring more of those lovelies, and you'll likely need more storage room at some time...............

[dusty texian]

Ha , may have to take you up on that BB , during the flood the wife got an eyeball of how many Winchesters was around the house  . Now the cat is outa the bag!  And with two more on the way , I may be needing a safe place for myself .,,,,,DT

[Blackpowder Burn]

Come on over - plenty of room for all of y'all!

[Boone May]

Greetings, I have been away from the fire a long spell.

This 1876 deluxe was shipped in September 1880 and is a .45-60 rifle with pistol grip and checkering, case hardened, plain trigger.  I have wanted an 1876 deluxe for over 30 years.  Finally got this one in October 2017 and it relit the fire to get me back into 1876 collecting.

[dusty texian]

Wow that's  a beautiful 1876  Boone May . ,,,,DT

[Coal Creek Griff]

Wow that's  a beautiful 1876  Boone May . ,,,,DT

WOW! No kidding. Very nice, sir.

CC Griff

[King Medallion]

Sweat looking rifle. Hope it shoots as good as it looks!

[Cliff Fendley]

Very nice Boone May

[King Medallion]

Nice day out, so the rifles and camera went out.

[Boone May]

My 1876 "shooter," an 1887 vintage .45-75 with 28 inch octagon barrel and set trigger.  Bore is about a 9 out of 10, set trigger even works!  Some bruises and dings in the stock, but otherwise a pretty nice old rifle.  It has a Beach combination front sight.   I'm a fool for set triggers and special sights.  I'm going to install a graduated peep tang sight on it.

[Boone May]

My finger keeps slipping and hitting the buy button.      Just picked up this 1892 vintage .40-60 rifle with 30 inch barrel and set trigger.  I would say the bore is a 9 out of 10.  I have owned three other .40-60 1876's and all of them had bores like a sewer pipe.  This is the best one I have owned, bore condition wise.  This rifle has a Lyman #4 hunting front sight and sporting rear sight.   It appears it had a tang sight at some point in its service life.

I have some .40-60 brass made by Buffalo Arms.  They trimmed and resized Winchester .45-70 cases.  They chamber and eject nicely from this rifle.   Going to order some .406" Diameter 210 Grain FN 20-1 bullets from Buffalo Arms.  I don't have dies but I do have a vintage Winchester 1880 reloading tool.  It should work dandy for the small number of rounds I need to load.  I only have 50 cases.

Now we just need some spring weather here in mountain west...

[Cliff Fendley]

My 1876 "shooter," an 1887 vintage .45-75 with 28 inch octagon barrel and set trigger.  Bore is about a 9 out of 10, set trigger even works!  Some bruises and dings in the stock, but otherwise a pretty nice old rifle.  It has a Beach combination front sight.   I'm a fool for set triggers and special sights.  I'm going to install a graduated peep tang sight on it.

That is very nice. I'd like to find a 45-75 with set trigger in good condition like that.

[dusty texian]

My finger keeps slipping and hitting the buy button.      Just picked up this 1892 vintage .40-60 rifle with 30 inch barrel and set trigger.  I would say the bore is a 9 out of 10.  I have owned three other .40-60 1876's and all of them had bores like a sewer pipe.  This is the best one I have owned, bore condition wise.  This rifle has a Lyman #4 hunting front sight and sporting rear sight.   It appears it had a tang sight at some point in it's service life.

I have some .40-60 brass made by Buffalo Arms.  They trimmed and resized Winchester .45-70 cases.  They chamber and eject nicely from this rifle.   Going to order some .406" Diameter 210 Grain FN 20-1 bullets from Buffalo Arms.  I don't have dies but I do have a vintage Winchester 1880 reloading tool.  It should work dandy for the small number of rounds I need to load.  I only have 50 cases.

Now we just need some spring weather here in mountain west...

Good looking rifle ,finding one with a good + bore is better that outer finish in my book . Hope it shoots good as it looks .,,,DT

[BillKilgore]

Hello all.

I have recently discovered your wonderful forum and I am looking forward to participating in the discussions.

I have a vintage .45-60 Model 1876 that was made in 1884. It was given to my grandfather, when he was a young man, by an old gentleman who used it to hunt buffalo on the plains. This was probably in the late 30's or early 40's. My grandfather used it to hunt deer for a while. For the 60ish years of my life, it has been fired only once.

I have been reloading modern cartridges for a while now and I got the crazy idea to bring this old family heirloom back to life by refurbishing it and loading some soft-shooting black powder rounds. It would be a fitting tribute to the rifle and it's previous owners to allow the old girl to speak once again. I am excited to learn from the experts here as I embark on this journey.

At this point, I have completely disassembled the rifle, cleaned everything with Hoppes #9, then reconditioned every part with Eezox as I reassembled the rifle. I think I found dust from the great plains dustbowl and maybe some buffalo hairs inside (yuck). There are five pounds of Goex FFG and a set of 45-60 dies from RCBS inbound. I plan to buy some cast lead bullets and new Starline 45-70 brass when they become available online. I have three boxes of vintage Winchester and Remington UMC ammo. I have carefully measured the dimensions of all 20 Winchester rounds, so I have a good idea of the parameters needed to roll my own.

I am excited to be here and to have an opportunity to learn from the experts on the forum.

[BillKilgore]

A few more pics.

The bottom pic is the first swab through the tubular magazine. There was 137 years of dirt, powder residue and gun oil.

[King Medallion]

Great looking rifle! Hows the bore? I don't know what you mean by refurbishing, but as far as the outside, I wouldn't touch it other than normal cleaning. That's history right there, don't ruin it by sanding, refinishing, ect. But, it's your rifle, do what you think is best. Welcome to the group.

[BillKilgore]

The bore is in pretty good shape for 137 years old. There are a few small pits, but not bad. My goal is to preserve the rifle in the best possible condition. There was a little surface rust on a few pieces that required 0000 steel wool, but most cleaned up with just a plastic brush.

[Boone May]

It's a bit hard to tell but it appears that your rifle may have "nickel plated trimmings" as the Winchester catalog referred to it.  It looks like you are well on your way to making that old smoke wagon live again. 
Welcome to the forum!

https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/firearms-records/

[Slamfire]

 That is a perfect , perfect , example of a 76 !!! you are a lucky man !! 
I really like the pics. of the ammo , can you give the " OAL " of the cartridge & ( guess ) the depth of the bullet ? And " Welcome ".

coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.

[King Medallion]

That looks like a really good bore. Be sure to slug it. Should be a great shooter!