Finally found a Winchester 1886 45-90 Take-down model after years of searching.

I have been communicating with crshelton on this board regarding 45-90 loads. He has been a great help. Turns out he had the same ideas as I do about this gun, only he has a few years head start on his Winchester 1886 45-90 project.

I will be doing the same things as all of us do, (at least in the beginning) you know:
-hot rodding with 45-90 loads (above 45-70 levels),
-ladder rear sight and
-wrapping that wonderful crescent butt stock with something easier on the arm/shoulder.

Any recommendations on any of those would be greatly appreciated!!!

Winchester 1886 45-90 - 1
Winchester 1886 45-90 - 2

Congratulations! Lots of fun coming your way soon!

If you get one of the leather butt cuffs they make for Cowboy Action shooters, it will help reprofile the curve in the buttstock, makes it a bit more comfortable to shoot. Some guys even add some foam or padding to level out the buttstock.

Buckeye is correct with that information. I looked at that and other options, but the add on stuff made my rifle too fussy for me, so I just learned to mount it properly (lower tip of butt plate under arm pit) and never looked back.

I get kind of annoyed with the extra stuff as well. The stretchy bullet holder that goes over the stock near my cheek had to go as it ripped out the whiskers after day two of a hunt... Looks like the best thing will be to get use to the "original equipment".

What about loads? I've loaded many of the gallery loads found on the net for the 45-70. Cheap, lots of fun and easy on the shoulder for friends and family that want an afternoon of plinking. They work really well for the occasional quiet shot at a rabbit while hunting.

Anyone care to share any 480+ grain 45-90 loads that top 45-70 1886 performance? Leaded and unleaded?

ar, I've been shooting a 45-90 since the mid-80's but mine is in a Shiloh Sharps Montana Rough Rider. I do have a load for a 480 gr. cast bullet but it's black powder. I don't know if you want to shoot black in your '86. The load is 80 grs. of the old GOEX cartridge, as long as I have any left, or the same amount of Scheutzen Ffg dropped through a 24 in. tube, .020 card wad and an NEI 480 gr. bullet cast 25-1.

If I remember I'll dig out Mike Venturio's book on shooting big bores. I know he had many smokeless loads in it but I never tried any having always shot black.

I seem to remember the Winchester 45-90 was more of an express cartridge and loaded with a 300 gr. bullet. Does your barrel have enough twist to stabilize a long 480 gr. bullet? I simply don't remember.

As CRShelton said just learn to hold it properly and the crescent butt is no problem. I bought an 1886 45/70 a while back with the same steel crescent butt. I have been shooting heavy loads with no issues. I am actually quite surprised how comfortable it really is. The weight of my rifle surely helps. It is 9.5 lbs. unloaded.

quote:

I seem to remember the Winchester 45-90 was more of an express cartridge and loaded with a 300 gr. bullet. Does your barrel have enough twist to stabilize a long 480 gr. bullet? I simply don't remember.

The repro 1886 .45-90 rifles by Miroku come with 1/20 twist (at least mine is) and they stabilize 300 to 500 grain bullets well.

9.3 x 75R
Nice load. I haven't shot black powder in quite some time. I'm all stocked up with smokeless. The rate of twist is listed as 1:20. I have the same twist in my marlin 45-70 sbl and it handles 300's, 405's and 500's nicely. So I'm hoping the 26" 1886 will do just as well.

Homebrew
This 1886 is listed at 9 /1/4 pounds. I'm thinking that should help with that crescent.

Hey guys thanks for the info.
My first muzzle loader was a 50 cal Hawken with a brass crescent. The load was 90 grains of Pyrodex and the old faithful 370 TC maxi-ball. Accurate as can be, but after 10 or so shots on the bench testing at various distances, it sure let me know that I had spent some time shooting that day.

Ive owned more than a few 1886s in 45-70 and 45-90 and one 40-64, over the years. I felt like the45-90 was head and shoulders better than the 45-70 or 40-64..

Shot a few elk and some deer with them..I liked the 350 Hornady RN real well on both deer and elk as I recall..I never could keep one, I bought them for $600 to $1200 in real nice condition, and in every case ended up selling them sooner or later $4500, to $6500 depending on condition, they just keep going up and up and up. Great investment guns. Fantastic workmanship, and they all seem to shoot exceptionally well.

I always wanted a 1886 in 50-110 or larger, but it never happened, and they always brought high dollar even early on..

What I'd do would be to swap out the buttstock for a shotgun buttstock. The crescent buttplate, apart from being painful if held incorrectly, also make the toe of the stock quite fragile. Many older guns with this sort of stock that have been used much have chips of wood missing at the toe.

If you do intend to use heavy loads I'd also have the stock at the back of the tang relieved to prevent the stock from splitting. My 45/90 is built on a Browning 71 using a take off barrel from a 1886 lightweight. It is a nice calibre and to my mind much more practical than a 450 Alaskan. Its main advantage over a 45/70 is its ability to use heavier bullets.

On a modern 86 running a glass bead around the butt stock an glassing the forend is probably a good idea and it will normally make any lever action shoot considerably better..I have done this on a number of 94s..

I never felt the cresent butt a problem but I naturally held it properly..I loaded the 45-90 to considerably beyond that of a 45-70 as it should be,and mostly used the 350 Hornady but the 400 and 500 gr. bullets also shot much better in the 45-90..I believe the 45-90 to be the most inherently accurate of all the big bore Winchesters..

quote:

Originally posted by JFE:
What I'd do would be to swap out the buttstock for a shotgun buttstock. The crescent buttplate, apart from being painful if held incorrectly, also make the toe of the stock quite fragile. Many older guns with this sort of stock that have been used much have chips of wood missing at the toe.

If you do intend to use heavy loads I'd also have the stock at the back of the tang relieved to prevent the stock from splitting. My 45/90 is built on a Browning 71 using a take off barrel from a 1886 lightweight. It is a nice calibre and to my mind much more practical than a 450 Alaskan. Its main advantage over a 45/70 is its ability to use heavier bullets.

I agree with the above post. Everyone is built different. The 71 butt is the bee's knees for me, but bruises some folks cheek bones. My thumb nuckle smacks my nose if I don't move my thumb to th side with new extra light and crescent butt model 86s. Heavy loads in a crescent butt 86 really rocked my world. I'd much rather shoot a bolt gun in 458.

quote:

I never felt the cresent butt a problem but I naturally held it properly..I loaded the 45-90 to considerably beyond that of a 45-70 as it should be,and mostly used the 350 Hornady but the 400 and 500 gr. bullets also shot much better in the 45-90..I believe the 45-90 to be the most inherently accurate of all the big bore Winchesters..

Ray, many of us that own and have shot, reloaded, and hunted with the 1886 .45-90 agree with you!

ar-378,
How goes your loading and shooting your new .45-90?