Winchester Lever Action Development: Model 1876
The Winchester Model 1876 was developed to address the limitations of the Model 1873, particularly its inability to reliably handle powerful, longer rifle cartridges like the .45-70 Government. Winchester scaled up the 1873 action and introduced the .45-75 cartridge to accommodate these needs. While successful and used by notable figures and law enforcement, its production was relatively short-lived due to the superior Model 1886.









