GUN FALL 2015
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/5/2015
RARE SPECIAL ORDER WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 DELUXE TAKEDOWN LEVER ACTION RIFLE.Winchester18946583125-35Cal. 25-35. Beautiful antique rifle with special order 24" rapid taper rnd bbl, half magazine, takedown with pedestal mounted front sight and platinum line, 3-leaf express rear sight. Mounted with very highly figured 2 to 3-X center crotch, flame grain American walnut with H-style checkered forearm and capped pistol grip stock that has Winchester trademark embossed hard rubber buttplate. Left side of the lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly number "8353", "XX" and "RB". Matching assembly number is also found in top tang channel of buttstock. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this rifle in Cal. 25-35 with 24" extra light rnd bbl, plain trigger, checkered pistol grip stock, rubber shotgun buttplate and takedown. Received in the warehouse September 1, 1899 and shipped same day. The 25-35 cartridge was one of the first cartridges made for smokeless powder and was introduced by Winchester in 1895 for the Model 1894 rifle. Although this rifle is shown to have been shipped 1899, various publications indicate from the SN that it was produced in about 1896. It was not uncommon for Winchester to remove a block of receivers from the production line and assign them to the special order shop where they were held until an order came in. The 25-35 cartridge is a fine deer and antelope cartridge but probably insufficient for major big game such as moose, elk or bear and as such, this would likely have been someone''s favorite hunting rifle. CONDITION: Extremely fine, all matching. Bbl, magazine tube and forend cap retain about 98% strong orig blue, showing a little thinning on sides of the forend cap and faint muzzle edge wear. Receiver retains about 95-96% bright, orig blue with sharp edge wear and some slight thinning with candy striping on the sides, possibly lightly cleaned with steel wool. Bbl extension is somewhat thinned, primarily on left side from carrying. Hammer retains virtually all of its orig case colors, a little dark on top edge. Lever retains brilliant case colors on sides and in sheltered areas, fading on outer faces. Wood is sound with a few light handling and storage nicks and scratches and retains about 98% bright piano varnish finish. Mechanics are crisp. Bright shiny bore. 49608-3 JR (15,000-25,000)