by Mike Nesbitt

Often called Winchester's finest lever action rifle by both hunters and collectors, the Model 1886 was usually a rather heavy gun.

Throughout this rifle's fairly short life (only 50 years) there were various attempts made to reduce the big gun's weight, especially after 1895 when the first smokeless powder loads were introduced in factory loadings for the .45/70 and the .45/90. Out of all the versions of the famous old '86-including the saddle-ring carbine-the very lightest was the Extra Lightweight rifle, and this gun's size and weight makes it the handiest version of the Model 1886 for hunters.

There is no better way to describe the Extra Lightweight than to quote from the 1916 Winchester catalog:

"The Extra Light Weight Model 1886 represents the lightest weight possible in a gun of such power, without the sacrifice of strength or good shooting qualities. Before it was placed upon the market this rifle was subject to the severest of tests for strength, etc., all of which it underwent without displaying the slightest weakness of any sort."

"It will be made to order according to the following specifications: Barrel, round, nickel steel, 22 inches long, chambered for the .45/70 cartridge only. Full magazine holding 7 cartridges, or half magazine holding 4 cartridges. Straight grip stock of plain wood, not checked, with shotgun butt and rubber butt plate. Weight, about 6 pounds. Price, $25."

That's actually very light in weight for any .45/70, especially when it is compared to the 1886 Winchester saddle-ring carbine, which was listed at 8 pounds. One slight difference between the original Extra Lightweight '86s and the new ones is that the new ones have steel buttplates, which might raise the rifle's weight by an ounce or two.

This is intended to be a performance review of the new Winchester Extra Lightweight '86, but it simply must have the foundation of that brief history before getting to the good shooting. My own familiarization with the Extra Lightweight actually began in 1964, when I purchased one that was made in 1907.

This original has the full magazine and it is equipped with a Redfield peep sight. It shoots very well, but this is a rifle that I always held in reserve and never used with blackpowder loads. One load that easily excels in this gun is Federal's 300-grain high velocity round, which duplicates the old Winchester High Velocity loading with a muzzle velocity of over 1,800 feet-per-second (fps). Shooting with my original '86 Extra Lightweight could be elaborated on more, but my comments about blackpowder loads must be gathered from other guns.

With the background that I have with the '86 Extra Lightweight, I was rather excited to find out that Winchester was offering a limited edition of this rifle in 2001. To put it bluntly, I jumped at the chance to get one and successfully grabbed when one in standard grade was offered to me. Then, even before shooting it, I thought of how this rifle would be used. My intentions are to make this lever-action my blackpowder cartridge rifle for a lot of my hunting, primarily for deer. Perhaps mental pictures of myself out on the trail with this light rifle are the major inviting ingredient for this, and yet the rifle must perform well with soft cast bullets and blackpowder loads to qualify.

First Shots . . .
And, because I really believe that a rifle which is used with cast bullets should not be fired with jacketed bullets-which seem to "wipe out" the buildup of lubricants in the bore-lead bullets were all my new Extra Lightweight would "eat." With that in mind, the first shots fired through this rifle used Black Hills Ammunition's .45/70 "Cowboy loads," featuring a lead 405-grain bullet at standard velocity, propelled by smokeless powder.

Those were such a blast that I recommend them highly, especially for shooters and hunters who have original .45/70s such as old Winchesters, Marlins and Springfields that have the soft barrels intended for blackpowder. Jacketed bullets erode the bores and rifling on those old barrels, and the lead bullets of the Black Hills Ammunition are easier on those old guns while still delivering plenty of performance for hunting.

In addition, the Black Hills .45/70s were very accurate and my rifle was sighted-in with that ammunition. Sighting-in took only nine rounds. A target was posted at 50 yards and the first three shots, fired from a bench rest, hit the target high and to the left. Those three shots grouped within an inch.

The rear sight was lowered one notch and three more shots were fired. Those grouped almost as tightly, hitting the target to the left of center but right on for elevation. Then the rifle was taken to the shop so the rear sight could be drifted to the right. My "guesstimations" were pretty close, and the next three shots all cut the "X." The Black Hills ammo is certainly accurate.

Shooting Continues
Then the target was changed and three more shots were fired. The first shot was a 9, striking the paper a bit low and to the left of the target's center. That must have been my fault, because the next two shots both cut the "X" and the target I'm talking about is shown in the photo on Page 1. My goal was to show a real group with the new '86, but at the same time I didn't want to shoot another target just to show a better group.

What I did want to do was to use some loads with the famous 330-grain Gould hollow-point bullet propelled with 70 gains of Goex Cartridge powder. Those loads have proven themselves in other .45/70s and they have taken a lot of game too, ever since the 1880s when that bullet and load were introduced. (Friend, Les Miller took a fine black bear with that load when he and I went on a bear hunting trip in British Columbia in 1996.) So, another target was posted and I tried to relax behind the Extra Lightweight .45/70 on the shooting bench to fire a group with five shots.

Lower Groups
That group wasn't disappointing, but it sure wasn't as good as the groups fired with the Black Hills ammo. More importantly, the group was lower than the 405-grain bullets and that is a result that we've seen before, both with my other .45/70 lever-action and with Les Miller's High Wall. The loads with the 405-grain bullets (and heavier) have a level of recoil that does not show itself as much with the 330-grain bullets, and that single factor can make the 330 bullets group a bit lower. This means the 330-grain loads will need a special sight setting, which is certainly appropriate because the 330-grain loads are the ones I want for a hunting load.

To be more specific, the group with the 330-grain bullets fired with black powder were about 2 inches lower than the group fired with the 405-grain bullets. That is probably not enough of a difference to take hits out of the "boiler room" on game animals, but I'd still rather have my rifle sighted-in very well for hunting. Before that hunt can take place, of course, this new lever-action rifle will have a lot more shots fired through it and perhaps some other changes, too.

New Sights?
One of those other changes might be a new set of sights. I'm not completely pleased with the open sights that came on this rifle, and the receiver is drilled and taped for a peepsight. A good peepsight, such as the Lyman #66, will be a very good and real practical investment. A peepsight will make this very light and quick handling .45/70 even easier to aim and handle. Also, I believe the front sight should be changed to an ivory bead, such as the old Marble's front sights, so it can be seen clearly in the darkest woods. With new sights such as those just described, new shooting tests will certainly be in order.

Those new sights aren't needed or necessary to see that this Model 1886 Extra Lightweight is certainly one of the handiest .45/70 rifles ever put on the market. Just like the original Winchester Extra Lightweight Model 1886 rifles, the new ones that go into the field will do a very good job.

This rifle of mine is one of a limited production of only 3,500 guns in the plain grade with another 1,000 fancied up (checkered walnut stock and engraved game scenes of elk and whitetail deer on the blued receiver) and labeled as the high grade. How many of these .45/70 limited production rifles will be bought for hunting is something I cannot say, but this one was obtained mainly for hunting, and hunting stories with it in hand will follow.

This is, of course, a very select rifle and it will very likely be taken on some rather select hunts.

For more information, contact US Repeating Arms Co. (Winchester Firearms), 275 Winchester Ave., Dept. GWK, Morgan, UT 84050; phone: 801-876-3440; on-line: www.winchester-guns.com.