The Winchester rifles had been synonymous with profitable the West, however to level out which of these rifles truly achieved that has been open for debate.
For years, most mentioned it was the 1873, however an increasing number of proof that one other Winchester rifle had a big hand in settling the frontier, and that’s the 1866 Yellow Boy, which didn’t all of a sudden stop being made when the 1873 Winchester was launched however ended up being produced till 1899, thirty-three years into its run.
In all that point, it left its identify on historical past, not simply right here in the USA, but it surely discovered favor within the armies of the French and Turkey and noticed battle throughout the Franco-Prussian and Russo-Turkish Wars.
The 1866 Winchester actually was a development of the 1860 Henry Rifle designed by Benjamin Tyler Henry, the place a wood forearm was added, and naturally, the loading gate, patented by Nelson King, meant you could possibly rapidly load the gun from the facet as a substitute of the entrance of the journal. The 1866 was the primary gun to bear the identify Winchester after Oliver Winchester renamed the New Haven Arms Firm the Winchester Repeating Arms Firm. Just like the Henry, the 1866 had a brass body, which gave a particular look, resulting in its nickname, the Yellow Boy. Produced from gunmetal, often known as pink brass, it’s a composition of principally copper, tin, and zinc. Just like the Henry earlier than it, the Yellow Boy was chambered within the .44 Henry also referred to as the .44 Rimfire. The spherical had a 200-grain bullet that averaged 1,100 fps and was .446” (not like later rounds just like the .44 Particular & .44 Magnum with a .429” bullet) and was pretty potent, solely 100 fps slower than the .44-40 that got here out within the 1873 Winchester. In direction of the tip of manufacturing, the 1866 was chambered in .44-40 in addition to .44 Rimfire. Colt even produced Single Motion Military revolvers in .44 Rimfire to accommodate those that carried the 1866 Winchester in order that they might have interchangeability with their firearms.
The Winchester 1866 was provided in full-length rifle variations with a 24-inch barrel, a 20-inch saddle ring carbine, and muskets that had a 27-inch barrel. There are the occasional uncommon exceptions of particular order variations, however they’re few and really far between.
The Winchester 1866 didn’t get all of the glory that the 1873 Winchester did, but it surely did see loads of use, on all sides and by all events throughout the settling of the West. Archeologists have discovered .44 Rimfire instances over time on the website of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The 1866 was a favourite of Native People when Nez Pearce chief Chief Joseph surrendered to then Colonel Nelson Miles on October 5, 1877, at Bear’s Paw Battlefield close to Chinook, Montana. He gave up a well-cared-for 1866 Winchester that was adorned with brass tacks. The gun at the moment resides on the Smithsonian Museum.
Authentic Winchester 1866 rifles are very dear, and with .44 Rimfire ammunition having been out of manufacturing for a lot of a long time, fortunately now we have reproductions as of late for these of us who wish to relive the previous. Uberti is making some glorious copies of the Yellow Boy, however not too long ago, I picked up a brand new Winchester 1866 Yellow Boy Quick Rifle in .45 Colt.
Winchester 1866 Yellow Boy Quick Rifle in .45 Colt
I do know some purists have points with a rifle that claims each “Winchester” and “Miroku” on the identical gun, however the high quality of this rifle is second to none. I don’t have an authentic right here to check it with, however the brand new Quick Rifle has a 20-inch spherical barrel, you can even get the full-length model which has a 24-inch octagon barrel. The Quick Rifle holds ten rounds, whereas the longer barreled model holds twelve rounds in .45 Colt and fourteen rounds in .38 Particular and .44-40. In response to Winchester’s web site, the 24-inch barrel is now not in manufacturing, however you’ll be able to nonetheless discover them on the market on the market.
I purchased my 1866 Quick Rifle in .45 Colt to go together with my Ruger Vaquero Revolver in the identical caliber, and I had at all times needed to see what the joy was about. Having owned an authentic 1873 Winchester, the toggle hyperlink design of the motion to those that are usually not used to it is rather clean. This gun was no exception, and in reality, it was a lot better than I anticipated. It’s not arduous to see why 1866 was so widespread even after extra superior rifles got here alongside. The bluing could be very deep and nice to take a look at, and the black walnut forearm and buttstock look extra just like the wooden you’ll discover on older Winchesters than the reddish-hued shares you see on the Italian imports.
I took the 1866 Quick Rifle to the vary with some Winchester 250-grain LRN manufacturing unit ammunition. The sights are glorious: a folding ladder within the rear and a Marble gold bead on the entrance. At 25 yards, I did discover that the gun shoots a bit excessive, however six o’clock maintain places the rounds proper heading in the right direction. The motion feeds rounds rapidly and really easily, and within the palms of somebody with follow, you could possibly put them downrange in a rush. If somebody had the thoughts to, this gun could be a superb residence protection alternative in any of the three calibers.
I’ve heard various folks say that these pistol cartridge rifles are not any good previous solely about 50 yards or so, and after that, the rounds drop like a rock. I made a decision to see if that was true. I put out a silhouette at 125 yards, and with the identical Winchester manufacturing unit ammo, I discovered that the gun nonetheless shot a bit excessive, however windage was just about spot on, I did pull a few pictures off to the facet a bit, and I believe with extra follow, the teams would tighten proper up. In any occasion, the rumor that these weapons can’t hit at even reasonable distances is grossly exaggerated.
The 1866 Quick Rifle cycled flawlessly and ejected the empties out of the highest of the motion with none points. Winchester gave this rifle a real half cock and full cock, just like the originals. Up to now, the newer lever motion rifles would have a tang security mounted, which, whereas useful, spoiled the seems of the gun and took away from the traditionalism that made them so fascinating to personal and shoot.
The brand new Winchester 1866 Quick Rifle is unquestionably a winner, and whether or not you’re utilizing it for Cowboy Motion Taking pictures, looking, and even private protection, this gun matches the invoice. It stirs the creativeness and makes you surprise what it should have been prefer to deal with one in every of these on the frontier in a time that, whereas harmful and dangerous, was additionally extra open and free. If you would like one in every of these weapons for your self, the MSRP is $1,449.99. You received’t be sorry in the event you do.
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About David LaPell
David LaPell has been a Corrections Officer with the native Sheriff’s Division for 13 years. A collector of vintage and classic firearms for over twenty years and an avid hunter. David has been writing articles about firearms, looking, and western historical past for ten years. Along with having a ardour for classic weapons, he’s additionally a fan of previous vans and has written articles on these as properly.
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