The Winchester Yellowboy

While there is a strong argument for saying that the Winchester ’73 is the gun that won the West, the Yellowboy rifle helped set the stage for every lever-action Winchester to follow. Today, we take a brief look at the Yellowboy and one of the companies still producing it today.

The Rifle that Built the West

The Winchester Model 1866, also known as the “Yellowboy,” was the first rifle to bear the Winchester name. It was introduced a year after the end of the Civil War. While Winchester did not know it, the Yellowboy rifle would help establish the Winchester Repeating Arms Company as one of the preeminent gun manufacturers of the late 19th century.

Nicknamed the “Yellow Boy” for the characteristic hue of the receiver, the Winchester Model 1866 was an improved version of the Henry 1860. In particular, it allows for faster and easier loading. The Yellowboy was the original cowboy rifle, making its way Westward along with hundreds of thousands of settlers who headed out to seek their fortune on the frontier. With approximately 170,100 Winchester Model 1866 rifles, carbines, and muskets manufactured, the Yellowboy became the first lever action rifle and carbine design to see widespread use in every corner of the United States and beyond.

The Winchester Yellowboy – Cornerstone of Winchester’s Success

The Yellowboy was more than just a successful rifle. It was a cornerstone of the launch of Winchester as we know it today. In 1866, the New Haven Arms Company reorganized into Winchester Repeating Arms. Winchester built off the success of the Henry rifle. Also called the “Improved Henry” design. It included a more efficient cartridge loading system with a spring-steel loading gate on the right side of the receiver. It also had a fully enclosed magazine tube and a wooden forearm under the barrel.

The Yellowboy’s loading gate, also known as “King’s gate,” sped up the loading and reloading process, the closed magazine tube offered more protection from the elements, and the wooden forearm allowed for easier handling and shielded the shooter’s supporting hand from a hot barrel The Yellowboy rifle helped establish Winchester Repeating Arms as a global brand, with approximately 170,100 Winchester model 1866 rifles sold. As a point of reference, the US population in 1866 was less than 1/10th of what it is today.

The Yellowboy Lives On

While the Winchester Model 1866 was discontinued in 1898, the spirit of the Yellowboy lives on thanks to Uberti. Uberti offers striking recreations of the 1866 Yellowboy with polished Walnut stocks, beautiful brass receivers, and blued octagonal barrels. They have chambered them for the readily available .38 Special and .45 Long Colt cartridges in place of the obsolescent .44 Rimfire and offer them with 19″, 20″ and 24.25″ barrels.