Winchester 1886 Lever Actions Rifle Instructions Manual

							This is one of the  famous  line of Winchester 
World  Standard  arms. 
As one of the  Classic 
Traditions  models  you can expect  the  same 
quality  and satisfaction  as with  the original 
historic  Model 
1886 introduced  over a  centu- 
ry ago. And  as with the  original,  you’ll appre- 
ciate its elegant  design, strong action  and 
smooth functioning. 
U.S. REPEATING  ARMS COMPANY,  INC. 275 Winchester Avenue 
New Haven, CT, U.S.A.  06511-1970 
Administrative Offices: 
275  Winchester Avenue, 
Morgan, 
UT, U. S. A.  84050-9333 
Winchester trademarks licensed from Olin Corporation.  
						

							New gun owner’s record. 
Use the space  below  to record  information about  your new 
Winchester  Model 
1886 rifle. 
Serial  Number 
Caliber 
Grade  Purchase Price 
Purchased  From 
Date 
of Purchase 
Winchester trademarks  licensed from Olin Corporation 
Printed  in  Japan  99043  
						

							Contents Page 
Gun  safety  warnings 
........................ 3 
Terminology  and descriptions 
. 9 
General description ......................... 8 
Serial number ............................ 11 
Ammunition 
............................. 11 
Initial cleaning 
12 
Oiling  the action .......................... 12 
Operation  of the  hammer 
& safety  13 
Assembly  and Disassembly 
... 20 
Loading ...... 21 
Firing 
..... 
In  the  case  of a misfire 
Sight adjustments 
......................... 30 
Cleaning and maintenance  suggestions 
........ 31 
Ordering  parts 
/ service or repair .............. 35 
Questions 
& Winchester-Guns.com ........... 36 
General operation 
......................... 20 
Unloading 
............................... 24 
......  
						

							With the introduction  of the  1886  the world  of lever 
actions  was changed  forever. 
No previous  lever action 
ever  handled  as well. 
No previous  lever was as strong. 
No other  offered  chamberings  in such  powerful 
cartridges. 
A  new  standard  was set, and  it would  be years  before 
another  lever action  would even come  close to the 
perfection  of a Winchester  1886. 
This  rifle accompanied  settlers all across  American. 
It  soon  became  the premier  big game  hunting  rifle. It 
was  the rifle  that  became  a Theodore  Roosevelt 
favorite when  he was  a working  cattleman in  the 
Dakotas 
- years  before  he was  President. 
Today’s  Classic Traditions  Model 1886 comes  in sev
- 
eral  versions  and caliber configurations.  Whether you 
have  purchased  one of the  exclusive  limited edition 
versions 
or one  of the  standard  in-line models,  all are 
beautifully  finished and  made to the  level  of precision 
and  quality  that made  the originals  famous.  
						

							IT IS  ESSENTIAL THAT  THESE OPERATING 
IED  BEFORE USING  THIS FIREARM 
TO 
DLING.  FAILURE  TO FOLLOW  THESE 
INSTRUCTIONS 
OR FAILURE  TO OBEY 
ANY  SAFETY  WARNING  MAY  RESULT IN 
INJURY  TO YOURSELF 
OR OTHERS, OR 
CAUSE DAMAGE  TO YOUR GUN. 
As a gun owner,  you accept a set of demanding 
responsibilities.  How seriously you take these  respon
- 
sibilities can be the  difference between  life and  death. 
There  is no  excuse for careless 
or abusive  handling  of 
any  firearm.  At all times  handle your rifle and any 
other  firearm  with intense  respect 
for its power  and 
potential  danger. 
PLEASE  READ AND  UNDERSTAND  ALL OF 
CEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS  OUTLINED 
IN  THIS BOOKLET  BEFORE USING  YOUR 
NEW  FIREARM. 
1. Do not carry  a loaded  gun with  a live round  in the 
chamber  while walking,  running, climbing a  tree, 
crossing  a fence 
or anywhere  you might  slip or fall, 
drop  the gun 
or otherwise  bump or jar the  gun. A gun 
that  is dropped,  bumped, 
or jarred with a chambered 
round might accidentally discharge  even with the 
safety  on, causing  serious injury to you 
or someone 
else.  When  a round  is chambered keep  the safety  on 
until  you are ready  to shoot. 
2. Do not rely on the safety to prevent accidental  dis- 
charge. Many safeties merely block the trigger  and 
prevent  firing 
by pulling the trigger.  The safety  may 
INSTRUCTIONS  BE THOROUGHLY  STUD- 
ASSURE PROPER  AND SAFE  GUN HAN- 
THE CAUTIONS,  PROPER HANDLING  PRO-  
						

							not prevent  an accidental  discharge due to dropping, 
jarring,  or bumping a  gun. 
3. Use only ammunition  for which the gun is cham- 
bered 
as indicated  on the  barrel,  to prevent  excessive 
pressure  and possible serious  personal injury. 
4. Incorrectly  reloaded ammunition can  cause serious 
personal injury  and damage 
to the firearm  due to 
excessive pressure. Reload  only after proper instruc- 
tion  and in strict  compliance  with instruction and 
data contained  in current  reloading  manuals. 
5. Never point  a gun at anything  you do not  intend 
to  shoot.  Always  keep it pointed in  a safe  direction  in 
case 
of accidental  discharge. 
6. Always check to ensure that the barrel is free of 
obstructions  before loading  and using  the gun.  If you 
experience  light  recoil 
or off sound, check the barrel 
for obstruction. 
7. Before  firing, clean any grease  or oil out of barrel 
with cleaning 
rod and patch.  Grease or heavy  accu- 
mulation 
of oil can  cause  excessive pressure  and result 
in  serious  personal  injury. 
8. Keep barrel, chamber  and action free of rust.  Rust 
in the  barrel and chamber  can cause excessive pres- 
sures  resulting  in serious injury.  A rusted, pitted or 
eroded barrel should  be replaced. 
9. Use hearing protection to prevent ear  damage from 
repeated  exposure 
to gunfire. 
10. Always use proper shooting  glasses to prevent  eye 
injury  from flying particles. 
11. Never  carry a loaded  gun in a motor  vehicle or 
carry one into  a dwelling.  Always carefully  unload 
the 
gun before  entering  a motor vehicle, a dwelling or 
an area  such as a camp.  Always  point a gun  in a safe  
						

							direction while loading or unloading  to prevent  seri- 
ous injury in case  of an accidental  discharge. Never 
load  in the  house 
or in your  vehicle. 
12. Never shoot  at a hard, flat  surface or at the  sur- 
face of water  to avoid a  ricochet and  possible serious 
personal injury  to yourself 
or a bystander. 
13. Store guns in  a clean  dry place  out of reach  of 
children and  separated from stored ammunition. 
14. Never alter any parts of your gun.  Any alterations 
or adjustments  that may become necessary  to the 
operating  mechanism should  be performed by a quali- 
fied  gunsmith. 
15. Hunting  from elevated  surfaces such as tree stands 
is  dangerous.  Doing 
so may  increase  the risk  of han- 
dling 
any firearm.  Always make certain  that the  stand 
being  used  is safe,  sturdy and stable.  Always make 
certain  your firearm 
is unloaded  when it is being 
taken  up and  down  from the stand.  Always  make cer
- 
tain that  your  firearm is not dropped  from the stand 
or dropped while  it is being taken up or down from 
the  stand. 
16. Discharging  firearms in poorly  ventilated  areas, 
cleaning  firearms, or  handling ammunition  may result 
in  exposure 
to lead  and other  substances known to 
cause  birth defects, reproductive harm  and other seri- 
ous physical  injury.  Have adequate ventilation at all 
times. 
Wash hands  thoroughly  after  exposure.  
						

							The Winchester 1886  of  today  is  a  careful  reproduction  of  one  of 
the  original  configurations  made  over  110 years  ago. 
The  1886  design  hac  always  been  rich  in  the  visual  beauty  of  com
- plex  machining  and  hand  finish.  These  are  qualities  that  are  uncommon  in  most  of  todays  mass  produced  guns.  They  are  quali- ties  that  take  more  effort - but  that  you  will  appreciate  for  genera- tions. 
There  is  one  primary  differ, 
ence  between  the  original  1886  and  todays  version.  On 
the  top  tang  youll  notice  that 
your  new  1886  features  a  top  tang  mounted  safety  that 
serves  as 
a hammer block.  The hammer  is  also  of  the  rebound- ing  type,  to  help  prevent  acci- dental  discharge.  These  safety 
improvements  give  your  rifle 
an  added  level of  safety  you 
will  appreciate.  The  two  vertical 
locking  lugs  lock  into 
matching  recesses  in 
the  breech  bolt  for 
secure  lockup. 
Your  1886  hac  a  beautiful  stock  and  buttplate  design  pat-  terned  after  classic  versions 
popular  a  century  ago.  
						

							Traditional  open  sights.  Easily 
adjustable  for  elevation  and 
drift  adjustable  for  windage 
Cut  checkering  embellishes 
the  walnut  stock  and  forearm. 
The  tubular  magazine  loads 
through  the  right
-side  mounted 
loading  port  in  the  receiver. 
The  design  was  an  instant  success  due,  in  part,  to  its 
ability  to  handle  more  powerful  cartridges  like  45
-70  up 
to  50-110  Express,  among  others.  The  design  of  the  her 
and  Link  mechanisms  are  both  clever  and  unique.  Other 
levers  of  the  day  had  much  bulkier  designs,  and  still  could 
not  effectively  handle  the  cartridges  the  1886  could.  
						

							Your new Model  1886 rifle is a modem  version of the 
rifle  that  gained popularity  at the  height  of the  Wild 
West.  It immediately became a  favorite of hunters, 
ranchers  and lawmen  who demanded  a powerful car
- 
tridge. With a few  minor exceptions,  the action  is 
virtually  identical  to the  way  the originals were made 
in  1886.  The primary difference  is the  addition  of a 
top tang mounted  safety switch for added  conve
- 
nience and an increased margin of safety.  The 1886’s 
safety  mechanism  incorporates  both a hammer stop 
and  a rebounding  hammer. These advanced  features 
move  the traditional  Model  1886 design  to a new level 
of convenience  and safety.  These features  are 
explained 
in detail later in  this manual. 
Figure  1 covers  the general  features  and benefits  of 
the  Model  1886 design.  The appearance  of your  rifle 
may  be slightly different,  depending on the  version 
you  purchased.