In the 19th century, an octagon barrel cost as much as $2 more than round but there were more octagon Winchesters sold than round. Had to have something going for them.
Howdy
According to George Madis in
The Winchester Handbook, round barrels were standard with rifles. Octagon barrels were considered 'an extra', but "Winchester usually sold the guns with octagon barrels to dealers at the same price as round barrels."
I am talking about rifles here, not carbines. Carbine barrels were usually round, and had more taper from breech to muzzle than rifle barrels.
Today, Uberti offers octagon barrels on their reproduction Winchester 1873 rifles mostly because octagon barrels evoke the nostalgia of The Old West. Marlin too offers octagon barrels on some of their 1894 and 1895 models for the same reason, to evoke the nostalgia of The Old West.
I am not a good enough shooter to be able to tell the difference if an octagon barrel is more accurate than a round barrel. The question is of weight, and whether the slightly heavier octagon barrel will be stiffer than a round barrel.
I can tell you that the reproductions of the 1860 Henry rifles made by Uberti and the Henry Repeating Arms Company both have the barrel and magazine formed from one bar of steel. This is the same way the originals were made.
The top half of the barrel is octagonal, but the bottom half where the magazine is formed, is a hollow tube. As I say, this is formed from one solid bar of steel.
This is my 'Iron Frame' Uberti 1860 Henry.
This photo of an original Henry rifle illustrates it a bit better. The barrel and magazine have been formed from one solid bar of steel.
This original Model 1873 Winchester has a round barrel.
It would be interesting at some point to see which rifle is more accurate, my Uberti Henry or the Winchester with its round barrel. I suspect the Henry barrel is stiffer, so I suspect it should be more accurate than the round barrel of the Winchester.
I will have to try that one of these days.