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Make: Winchester
Model: 1890 (Second Model)
Serial Number: 63787
Year of Manufacture: 1898, Antique
Caliber: .22 Short
Action Type: Pump Action Rifle
Barrel Length: 24” Octagon
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed to the barrel. The rear sight is a “U”-notch sheet metal sight screwed to the barrel with elevation screw adjustment. The tang is mounted with a Lyman tang sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are elegant two-piece deluxe walnut with a “pistol grip stock of fancy wood, checked”, as Winchester would catalog it, grooved slide handle, straight comb, and crescent steel buttplate. The back of the stock under the buttplate is marked “90 / 6869”, indicating this was a special order stock. The LOP measures 12 3/4” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate, which is a deviation from the standard 12 7/8" LOP (part of the special order). There are no chips or cracks. There is, however, a deep nick in the bottom of the grip between the grip cap and the lower tang. There are a few scattered compression lines, nicks, and scratches. Overall, the stocks are in Excellent Condition.
Type of Finish: Case Color receiver and hammer. Niter Blue trigger and mag tube brackets.
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp where not interrupted by erosion. There are a few pits between the midlength and muzzle end. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 8/10 for Antique.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish shows light operation wear and minor thinning throughout. The case color is lightly muted throughout the metal, but the color is still well visible and is especially strong in the protected areas, on the sides of the trigger guard, and around the hammer in front of the tang sight. There is finish loss on the leading edges. There is freckled corrosion on the receiver and muzzle. There are a couple nicks on the left side of the barrel on one of the octagonal edges. The screw heads are tool marked but sharp with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Excellent Condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment:Winchester was the first American company to offer a practical .22 pump-action rifle, the Model 1890. Designed by gunmaking genius John Moses Browning, the Model 1890 was patterned after Winchester's iconic lever-actions with a tubular magazine under the barrel, an exposed hammer, and top ejection. Winchester had asked Browning to design the rifle as a replacement for the rimfire versions of the Model 1873, which had never achieved great popularity. The Model 1890 was an instant success, and set the standard for all .22 repeaters that followed. Only the first 115,000 Model 1890s had case-hardened receivers (it was standard until 1901), out of a production run of over 40 years and nearly 850,000 rifles, making any such examples scarce today.
This Antique Special Order Deluxe Winchester Model 1890 (Second Model) Takedown Rifle was made in 1898 and is in Excellent Condition. It features a 24” octagonal barrel, 80% of its original blued and case colored finish, with some vibrant case coloring in the protected areas, on the sides of the trigger guard, and around the hammer in front of the tang sight, and some deep bluing on the remainder, a “WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.” hard brown rubber grip cap, a Lyman tang sight, clear markings, and a bright bore with sharp rifling and only minor erosion. This is a rare gem, distinguished as a special order deluxe Model 1890 by its elegant two-piece high grade walnut “pistol grip stock of fancy wood, checked”, as Winchester would catalog it, and the rear of the buttstock having a special order stamp, befitting of the custom length of pull of 12 3/4” as opposed to the standard 12 7/8". This special order deluxe rifle represents the pinnacle of late 19th-century gun-making, and such high grade versions were usually only commissioned by well-heeled shooters. These remain highly sought after today for their exquisite detailing and historical significance, making this rifle a prestigious addition to any collection.