Merz Antique Firearms ~ Catalog of Old Guns and Related Items
Winchester 1866
In 1866 Oliver Winchester purchased the New Haven Arms Company and turned it to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The 1866 Winchester was the first Winchester Model. Sharing the brass frame design inherited from the Henry Rifle, the 1866 quickly earned the nickname "Yellow Boy," a name which is popular with collectors to this day. An improved loading system was an important improvement over the Henry Rifle design. The added loading gate on the right side of the frame, and a solid magazine tube, are the major differences between a Henry Rifle and a Winchester 1866 rifle.
FIRST MODEL FLAT SIDE 66 SRC WITH MEXICAN MARTIAL MARKINGS
Item # W451
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Quite desirable. Brass receiver is untouched and turned a dark yellow patina with flat side loading gate. Marked on the front receiver side is "334" and on top is "28" and the back is "1-20". I have seen other guns coming out of Mexico that have martial markings that are quite similar to this. Wood is VG for a first model. All matching with correct brass style buttplate. Bbl and mag tube have turned a pleasing plum/brown patina with original sights, correct sling swivels and original saddle ring. Nice functioning action. Far better than average first model Mexican Martially marked SRC.
 Antique $ 18,500.
WINCHESTER MODEL 66 FOURTH MODEL RIFLE
Item # W643
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Cal 44 RF. 24" full oct bbl and full length mag tube. Original sights. Fine bore is bright and shiny. Wood is near excellent with most original varnish and usual dings. Bbl and mag tube are sharp with excellent markings. Retain 10-15% original blue with the balance turning dark. Receiver is untouched and has turned a deep butterscotch color with some minor staining around the hammer. Traces of case colors on the hammer. Mechanics are excellent. Very clean little gun.
Antique $ 15,000.
WINCHESTER THIRD MODEL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE
Item # W461
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Nice functioning action. Original rear sight. Front sight is missing the blade but retains original base. Fairly good bore. Original 24" full oct bbl and full length mag tube. Original wood is VG+ with some oil added. Correct original sling swivels in tact. Brass style buttplate and steel style forend cap. This is one of the late 66s made where they took some 66 SRCs and plugged the holes with brass plugs and used them for the rifles. Brass is untouched and nearly green. Bbl and mag generally VG with sharp corners. Good bbl markings. Traces of finish in protected areas. Good looking all original gun. Matching numbers.
Antique $ 11,500.
WINCHESTR MODEL 1866 SRC; Cal 44 RF
Item # W680
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Original sights with a good bore. Original wood is VG+ with a brass carbine style buttplate and a very minor crack coming back from the frame about an inch long. Still very nice wood. Bbl and mag retain about 30-40% original nickel. The balance having flaked off. Receiver retains about 50% original nickel with the balance turning a mustard color dark patina. Quite attractive. Original with correct saddle ring.
Antique $ 7,500 sale pending.
THE FAMOUS KING OF SPAIN DELUXE RELIEF ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 EXHIBITION RIFLE
Item # W7777-19-265
If you are looking for one of the greatest firearms that has ever been made, this one is for you. Believed to be the finest 66 gold gilted relief engraved exhibition rifle to surface to date, having approximately 10 elaborate panel scenes engraved on it. Wood is the fanciest I have ever encountered on a 66! Burl 4X grade with most original lacquer on it. Excellent+ condition. Receiver retains 95% bright gold gilted finish remaining with very little sign of use. Nickel trim on the bbl and mag tube is in excellent condition. Gold gilted Beaches combination sight and original sling swivels. I owned this gun 5 years ago and purchased it directly from the great-great grandson of the King of Spain. It was in his collection for a number of years. I was told at that time that the gun was gifted to him by Winchester at the Geneva World Fair, and it had been in the possession of the family since that time. The future King was also given a Model 1873 rifle, Serial Number 13, at the time he was ambassador to Cuba. Shortly thereafter he became the King of Spain.
Antique $ P.O.R.
EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 DELUXE FULL NICKEL PLATED MUSKET
Item # W49-20-220
 Overall gun is superb retaining virtually 98%+ bright shiny nickel, orig 3X grade wood is exc+ with most orig high gloss lacquer finish and just a few light handling mars and dings. Overall gun is quite stunning with a nickel plated bayonet, cleaning rod and sling swivels. Very interesting gun-the only one I've encountered in this configuration and in extremely fine condition.
Antique $ 21,750.
WINCHESTER 66 MUSKET
Item # 9400-19-129
![]() Correct 27" musket style barrel with a good bore. Original sights. Original wood is generally in VG condition with a little extra varnish added at one time. No splits or cracks. Brass receiver has numerous small dings and mars but generally looks pretty good. Has a pale yellow patina coloration. Has seen quite a bit of use but is a good value for the money.
Antique $ 4,250 sale pending.
66 SRC CALIBER 44 RF WINCHESTER
Item # 9470-20-253
 Excellent bbl address. Bbl and mag tube retain 25% original blue with original sights. Excellent forearm. The upper and lower tang have been broken at one time and crudely repaired but is sound and solid and quite serviceable. The original stock is somewhat deformed but looks very good in the wrist area. The receiver in VG plus condition on 75%. The back 1/4 shows signs of abuse.
Antique $ 5,200 .
WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 SRC
Item # 9144-20-218
 Caliber 44 RF. Replacement rear sight. Original front sight. Buttstock and forearm have been replaced some time ago. A decent job with the carbine style buttplate. Overall brass show a fair amount of use with some polishing on it at one time, starting to turn darker. Some rounding to the corners. It appears that the lever has been repaired at one time. Replacement barrel band. A fairly priced 66 carbine.
Antique $ 4,500.
WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 1ST MODEL FLAT SIDE SADDLERING CARBINE
Item # 8775-20-230
 Serial number is 14827 and is marked on all the correct spots on the inside of the gun. Receiver has a pale yellow coloration-appears to have been cleaned at one time but has since started to turn dark, good sharp corners, no noticable dings or mars. Bbl and mag mostly plum brownish with some cleaning on the tube, faint traces of the bbl address are still present, correct sights. Orig wood has a few dings and mars but is sound and solid with correct matching numbers, no splits or cracks. Gun is probably better than most the flat sides you see and has all the correct features such as the flat loading gate. All orig, decent little gun.
Antique $ 22,500.
WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 1st MODEL FLAT SIDE SADDLERING CARBINE
Item # 8749-20-217
.jpg) Serial number is 13,936. It appears there were some tacks imbedded in the forearm which have been removed a long time ago, buttstock looks good-shows alot of saddlering wear on the side and looks to be a very old replacement. Overall gun shows a fair amount of wear with somewhat rounded corners, the receiver has a real nice, deep butterscotch patina coloration, bbl is mostly a bluish brown patina. Colorful old gun; apparently it came out of Mexico and looks like it's got some homemade type sling swivels on it, correct sights, nice functioning action, correct saddlering. If Madis would have called these Henry Carbines, they'd probably bring about ten times what they're selling for today, however, it's still a rare gun and has a good premium-this is the first 1st Model flat side carbine I've had in probably 10 years. A decent gun.
Antique $ 18,500.
THE WINCHESTER ENGRAVING BOOK
Item # 5B
 By R.L. Wilson. Hardcover book of over 500 pages. Beinfeld, Second Edition with most info from the old book plus 100 or better color pages of new info. Super book, the best of its kind. Out of print for about 20 years. We have the last of remaining new stock available, in shrink wrap. List price for the new reprint of this book is $225. These rare original factory sealed books are a real bargain at only $175, which is about half of what rare book sellers are charging for this edition.
$ 175.
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