1876 Winchester Indian Scaffold Burial Gun
For Sale $2,500

1876 Winchester Rifle

Serial Number: No serial number visible due to corrosion

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1880s (Antique)

Caliber: .50-95 Express (based on archival listing and provenance)

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Tubular Magazine (shortened)

Markings: No factory markings are visible due to rust and heavy oxidation. However, the slab-sided receiver, large lever loop, and overall profile confirm this as a Winchester 1876 rifle, consistent with surviving examples in the large-bore .50-95 Express configuration.

Barrel Length: 30 3/4”

Sights: The front sight is a beaded blade fixed in a base soldered to the barrel. The rear sight is a u-notch elevator-style sight mounted to the barrel in its original dovetail. Remarkably, both sights remain intact despite the rifle’s overall condition.

Stock: The forend is covered with aged animal hide or rawhide wrap, secured with hand-driven tacks and exhibiting typical warping and cracking from exposure. The buttstock is composed of what appears to be native-cut timber or driftwood, bound tightly in sinew. It is heavily weathered but still retains its shape. A cavity in the rear of the stock suggests it once housed a trapdoor compartment, now long absent. There are no modern repairs present — only the improvised, aged elements consistent with ceremonial placement and prolonged environmental exposure.

Finish: None remains; the receiver and barrel exhibit uniform deep oxidation and surface scaling.

Finish Originality: Original and untouched; no restoration has been attempted or performed.

Bore Condition: The bore is dark and oxidized, but visible rifling remains throughout. The bore rates 5/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle is in relic-grade condition. The receiver and barrel are deeply rusted with surface scaling and loss of metal. The magazine tube is shortened and collapsed. Internal mechanics are presumed seized. The sights are surprisingly intact, and the furniture—while improvised—is securely affixed. The overall appearance speaks clearly to prolonged open-air exposure and ceremonial abandonment, not misuse or neglect.