Win. 86 serial #

oldiron

oldiron

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I was looking at a model 1886 Win. today. A 26 in. oct. barrel in 40-65 cal. There is no sign of a serial # ever being on the lower tang. And no sign of any work done on the tang. All the other markings are good.
Is there #s under the fore-wood or anywhere else on these? Also, could you guess it's birthday with this info?
The gun has a good bore, I'd like to take it out to the bush where it belongs.
Thanks..
 
Unfortunatly, the other parts of a Winchester rifle are not serial numbered. Back in the old days (until 1968), serial numbers were not a legal requirement but a form of inventory control. Most likely the tang was broken at one point and replaced with a factory part that was not numbered. Perhaps it snuck through the manufacturing process without ever getting stamped (it has been known to have happened).

Was the action blued (post 1901 I think) or case colour hardened (1886 to 1900'ish). Correct me if I'm wrong on that.
 
If my memory is correct, some Winchesters were made without serial numbers, deliberately. I have forgotten the complete explanation but Winchester insisted that guns be sold at prices they specified and some stores used them as loss leaders (ie to attract customers) and therefore were being sold at a price lower than Winchester specified. The lack of serial number prevented the guns being traced back to a particular jobber (wholesaler) or retailer

cheers mooncoon
 
Personally I have never heard any credible accounts of Winchesters being made without serial numbers except for bottom of the line .22's and single shot shotguns.
 
I wish I could remember the title of the book, but I borrowed it and read the book about 3 or 4 months ago. The book was a history of the Winchester company and I am tempted to say that you almost required a degree in advanced accounting to read it. Interesting book but a lot of accounting information to explain the financial history of the company. Part of this dealt with Winchester's attempts to control the selling price of their guns.

cheers mooncoon
 
Possibly the rifle did have a ser# at one time but it got worn off. The numbers were engraved quite lightly on the bottom tang and would have worn off easily if the rifle was handles or rubbing in a scabbard. I've seen acouple that had the numbers almost worn off and they didn't really show any wear to speak of.
 
jethunter said:
Possibly the rifle did have a ser# at one time but it got worn off. The numbers were engraved quite lightly on the bottom tang and would have worn off easily if the rifle was handles or rubbing in a scabbard. I've seen acouple that had the numbers almost worn off and they didn't really show any wear to speak of.
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Not so. I own nine 86's, and can tell you that the serial numbers are stamped deeply on all of them. I couldn't imagine how they could ever be worn off through normal usage.
 
tjsudbury said:
Not so. I own nine 86's, and can tell you that the serial numbers are stamped deeply on all of them. I couldn't imagine how they could ever be worn off through normal usage.
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I have one in the safe right now that is scroll engraved, not stamped. It's a 4 digit number. I have no proof that it is or is not original, but I've seen 2 others like it.
 
jethunter said:
I have one in the safe right now that is scroll engraved, not stamped. It's a 4 digit number. I have no proof that it is or is not original, but I've seen 2 others like it.
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Just looking at Arthur Pirkle's book on the 1886 and 1892

All serial numbers were stamped, but the earlier ones (below ser. no. 120,000) were more lightly stamped than the later ones. Looking at my earlier ones, I'd have to say that they weren't stamped a whole lot lighter.

serial numbers up to 145,000 were stamped in italics, and from 145,000 to end of production in block letters.

I should mention that one of my 86's, like the OP's, has no serial number. It also is a 40-65. It is registered with a stick on firearms identification number. The serial number on this one was filed off, long ago, and the lower tang area where it was nicely polished up afterwards so that there is no sign of it having been there. But it is. Using a formula from an old book on forensics, I was able to "lift the serial number" just like in the movies. Distilled water, copper something or other, and some kind of acid.It was a few years ago, so I cant remember the formula, but it does actually work. The numbers stay visible for a few minutes only, so you should get a photo.
 
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