GUN FALL 2015
The live portion of this session begins on Monday, October 5, 2015.
RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 LEVER ACTION RIFLE.WINCHESTER187310110044 WCF (44-40)Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Rare special order semi-deluxe 2nd Model ''73 with 26" oct bbl, full magazine, nickel silver Rocky Mountain front sight, orig, short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges, with thick base sporting tang sight that has 4" staff. Receiver is 2nd type with attached dust cover rail and 3rd type dust cover. Mounted with exceptional 3 to 4-X, center crotch, flame grain American walnut with matching figured, uncheckered forearm and straight stock that has smooth steel shotgun buttplate. Buttstock and forend cap have factory sling swivels. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked "XXX" and an "S" along with the assembly no. "882". Matching assembly no. is found in top tang channel of buttstock. Although the buttplate is unnumbered, it is, unquestionably orig to this rifle. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle with oct bbl (length not mentioned), plain trigger, fancy stock, peep and knife-blade sights, shotgun butt, case hardened and sling & swivel, received in warehouse Dec 14, 1882 and shipped the next day order number not indicated. This rifle was manufactured in about 1882 in a time when the Indian Wars were still in full swing and hunting and defense arms were the norm for the time. Arms of that era were a daily use tool and were regularly exposed to the harsh elements, dust & dirt for extensive periods, often with little or no maintenance and are seldom found today with much orig finish. Given that this rifle was a "special order" which would have cost somewhat more then a standard, off the shelf rifle, which would have probably priced it out of the range of the ordinary working man or cowboy, it stands to reason that this rifle was the property of a more wealthy individual who obviously used it very little, if at all. PROVENANCE: Cody Firearms Museum Factory Letter. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, all matching except buttplate as noted. Bbl & magazine tube retain about 99% crisp orig blue with only faint muzzle end wear and a couple of small dings. Receiver, sideplates, lever, hammer & forend cap retain virtually all of their brilliant, orig case colors with some very minor flaking on bottom front left side and very minor sharp edge wear. Buttplate retains about 92-93% glossy fire blue. Wood is sound with a couple of bruises in the buttstock and a very few, very minor nicks & scratches and retains virtually all of its orig oil finish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore appears to have had very little use with little exposure to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight which rapidly fades case colors. 49184-1 JR (35,000-50,000)