Got an original Winchester 1876 - share pics!

[dusty texian]

Welcome BillKilgore , nice rifle and even better its a family heirloom . ,,,DT

[BillKilgore]

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/

I was wondering about the finish because there is virtually no blue left on internal areas of the receiver that would not see wear. The springs that control the lever and the hammer are still blued. Were there certain pieces of hardware that were always colored case hardened (hammer, trigger, lever)? It is difficult to understand the the typical finish when you have only a single example and a few photos on the internet.

"Smoke Wagon"?! I have never heard that term before, but I like it. This old girl may have just picked up a nickname.

[BillKilgore]

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.

Yes sir, Slamfire. Of the 20 original Winchester rounds, the average overall length is 2.2654". Standard deviation in length is 0.0566". Min is 2.2450 and max is 2.5050". The image below presents averages of the 20 rounds. Some cases have a small ridge about 0.4" from the case neck. I think this may be where the brass was compressed around the base of the bullet. You can barely see a faint line in the brass at the white arrow.

[BillKilgore]

Welcome BillKilgore , nice rifle and even better its a family heirloom . ,,,DT

Thank you. It is precious to me.

[BillKilgore]

I have one box of Winchester and two boxes of Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridges. I am thinking about selling one box of Rem-UMC to fund the restoration of the Smoke Wagon. Any ideas how much a box of vintage 45-60 cartridges is worth?

[BillKilgore]

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

I need to read-up on how to slug the bore. Is this to confirm the bore diameter?

[Slamfire]

BillKilgore, thank you ,, that is a very fine example and nicely done, you now have the " 76 BUG " . Your pics are almost identical to way I am loading my 45-60 ( thanks to DT ),, enjoy !!!


  coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.

[King Medallion]

I need to read-up on how to slug the bore. Is this to confirm the bore diameter?

Yes, to confirm the bore diameter. you will likely be shooting .458/459 size bullets.

[BillKilgore]

I slugged the old girl tonight. The bore is 0.4570".

Now to check out Missouri Bullets for a suitable 300 grain projectile.

[BillKilgore]

A few pics of the clean and reassembled rifle.

[BillKilgore]

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/

Boone, where can I find more info about "nickel plated trimmings" and other 1876 options? I have searched online and found little other than blued and CCH finish options.

Thanks

[Boone May]

Welcome to the forum. 
You will want to add The Winchester Book to your reference library if you don't already have it.  It has been printed many times and can be found on Amazon.  It has a chapter on the 1876 and other chapters on options and special order features.
The best single reference on the 1876 rifle is The Winchester Model 1876 "Centennial" Rifle by Herbert Houze.   It only had one printing back in 2001 and is pricey today.   I see three on Amazon now, starting at $199. 
I looked at the letter for your rifle and it doesn't list nickel plating but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't done at the factory.  The surviving warehouse records don't always show all features of a rifle.  That would have been on the order form which have been lost to history.

[Trailrider]

A slight correction of terms: when you slug the barrel, what you are measuring on the outside diameter of the slug is the groove diameter, which is the maximum diameter of the rifling grooves, and from which you can determine what bullet diameter you choose. (Some say the bullet diameter should be groove+.001" or just groove diameter. The "best" is whatever gives the best accuracy and least leading, and can also be affected by the bullet alloy/hardness.

[LargoKC4440]

I've been working at this 76 for some time.Its is in 40/60.There is no sighn of A seriel # on it Has anyone ever come across this?
                                                                                                                                                                                Largo

[Slamfire]

 Hey Largo, yup y'a have. Sometimes the # can be found inside the lower tang or a 3 -digit number can be on the "original" toggle links & on the bolt.
I would be interested in knowing the depth of your chamber to the lands.
coffee's ready,  Hootmix.

[shrapnel]

Just got this 50 Express...

[King Medallion]

Very nice, Congratulations! Sweet looking rifle!

[dusty texian]

What a beauty , and a shooter to boot .,,,DT

[shrapnel]

What a beauty , and a shooter to boot .,,,DT

Yes, I got it out to the range already and I could get this group at 100 yards with those sights and 68 year old eyes...

[Boone May]

That's a daisy, Shrapnel.  Those are Freund patent sights.  He had shops in several different cities including Cheyenne during the frontier era.  He is known for customizing Sharps rifles in addition to Winchesters. 

That sling looks like a GI issue type for a 1903 or M-1 rifle.