GUN FALL 2015
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/5/2015
EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 OPEN TOP LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH ATTACHED DUST COVER RAIL AND DUST COVER.WINCHESTER18732749144 WCF (44-40)Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Standard grade rifle with 24-1/4" oct bbl, full magazine, thinned nickel silver Rocky Mountain front sight & short semi-buckhorn rear sight with checkered edges. Mounted with uncheckered, straight grain American walnut which includes standard forearm and straight stock with crescent buttplate & trap. Receiver has single set trigger. Receiver was originally an open top that has factory attached dust cover rail with 2nd Type impressed thumbprint dust cover. Left side of lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly no. "326" which number is also found in top tang channel of buttstock and inside toe of buttplate. Left side of upper & lower tangs have the additional assembly numbers "179". These numbers are generally associated with open top and the earliest rifles of this model. Buttstock has a filled hole just below the bottom tang, probably from an old sling stud. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum record office research request which identifies this rifle with oct bbl and set trigger, received in warehouse Dec 31, 1877 and shipped May 8, 1878 to order no. 11778. Page 539 of Winchester''s New Model of 1873, Gordon, states that most of the known open top 1873 arms fall in the serial range 27443-27580 which includes this rifle. Mr. Gordon states that "Research indicates that almost all of the Open Tops were sold in the U.S. Western market, perhaps by John Skinker, the Winchester agent in San Francisco". The same page also, under the title "Rarity of Open Tops" states that "despite the substantial effort of several conscientious collectors & students, only 55 Open Tops have come to light at this point". He further states that of the 55 known Open Tops "there are eleven with special long barrels, six factory conversions (dust covers added), three with silver plating, one musket, one round barrel rifle, and one number 1 of 1000". On the presumption that Mr. Gordon''s research is reasonably accurate it can then be stated that this is one of Winchester''s more rare rifles, being one of only about six known. Based on Mr. Gordon''s speculation that most of these Open Top arms were sold on the Western market and, given the year this rifle was shipped, there can be little doubt that this rifle would have been used on the American frontier during the Indian Wars. CONDITION: About good, all matching. No orig finish remains being an overall smooth, even dark brown patina on all of the metal surfaces except forend cap which is cleaned to bright metal. Chamber area of bbl has light wrench marks. There is a repair by the toe and the filled hole in bottom of buttstock with a couple of small hairlines, otherwise wood is sound and overall retains a fine, old restored finish. Forearm has a splice on right side of bbl channel. Mechanics are fine. Strong dark bore. 49123-2 JR (6,000-10,000)