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Winchester hooked up with John Browning in the early 1880s and for the next 20 years, Browning designed most of the Winchester firearms. I've got a Winchester Model 1886 Lightweight Takedown Rifle made in New Haven, Connecticut. It has the exposed hammer, typical of most lever-action guns. It has a smooth trigger and, of course, the lever. The stock is a straight grip design, but you'll see a few of the pistol grip-style stock. The buttplate is made of hard rubber and is what Winchester called a shotgun-style buttplate because it was more commonly used on shotguns. You'll also find model 1886s with a rifle-style buttplate and a few with the carbine style. This rifle has a 22-inch round barrel, standard sporting rear sight and a Lyman hunting front sight. Winchester made this model from 1886 to 1935, with a total production of 160,000. This particular gun is in the 153,000 serial number range, which puts its manufacturing in 1914. This Winchester has a special takedown feature that requires no tools, hence its name. To take the gun down for cleaning or travel, simply lift the takedown lever and rotate the magazine tube, unscrewing it from the receiver. Open the lever slightly to disengage the extractor, rotate the barrel a quarter turn, and slip it out. It's that simple. This gun is chambered for the 45-70 Government cartridge, and it loads quickly and easily. The magazine holds four rounds, and it unloads just as fast.
--Larry Potterfield
