GUN FALL 2017
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2017
RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH COLOR CASE HARDENED FRAME AND FACTORY LETTER.WINCHESTER187320048238 WCFCal. .38 WCF (38-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4" octagon barrel, full magazine, blued Rocky Mountain front sight & semi-buckhorn rear sight. Top flat of barrel has the Winchester & King's patent dates and address with caliber marking over the chamber area. Receiver is small frame, 3rd type with integral dust cover rail containing a 3rd type dust cover. Top front of receiver has a step used only on those rifles and carbines of calibers smaller than .44. Mounted with very nicely figured, slab sawed, uncheckered American walnut with straight stock and crescent buttplate that has a trap. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which lists this firearm as a rifle in .38 caliber with octagon barrel, plain trigger and color case hardened, received in the warehouse June 1, 1886 and shipped the same day with 19 other 1873s to order number 6836. Standard grade rifles were the working man's tool and usually saw hard and continuous service under adverse conditions often with little or no maintenance and are rarely found today in original configuration or with high original finish, especially color case hardened examples. Case colors rapidly fade when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of sunshine. This rifle has a heavy coating of factory applied shellac over all the color case hardened parts which has preserved the colors. This cataloger cleaned a small area on the bottom of the receiver which exposed brilliant colors. PROVENANCE: The collection of Tim Zissler. CONDITION: Extremely fine. Barrel and magazine tube retain about 98% strong original blue with only faint sharp edge wear and a couple of very tiny scratches on the barrel. Receiver & side plates retain virtually all of their brilliant case colors under the aforementioned coating of shellac, showing light wear on the bottom front at the carry point. Lever and hammer retain brilliant case colors on the sides with the outer faces of lever showing wear on the loop. Forend cap retains about all of its original case colors, lightly to moderately faded. Buttplate retains virtually all of its original case colors moderately faded on the tang, strong and bright on the face. Stock has a couple of small bruises with another on the forearm and a few light scratches in the finish. Overall the wood retains nearly all of its piano varnish finish. Mechanics are crisp. Bright shiny bore with a few spots of fine pitting. A scarce rifle which would be difficult to improve. 52463-9 JRL (10,000-15,000)