GUN FALL 2016
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
EXTRAORDINARY WINCHESTER THIRD MODEL DELUXE 1873 RIFLE WITH HALF ROUND BARREL, CASE COLOR RECEIVER AND CHECKERED STOCKS. WINCHESTER 1873 103476A 32 WCF Cal. 32 WCF. 24" half rnd bbl. Full magazine. Blue and case color finish. Receiver is of the stepped variety. Nicely figured checkered walnut stocks with crescent butt and Winchester sling eyes mounted. Bbl shows standard 2-line Winchester address, rolled in front of rear-sight with cal mark at breech. Thin blade front-sight, sporting rear-sight. Vernier tang sight with thin base Receiver is marked on the upper tang Model 1873 with finials. SN is stamped behind lever latch. Elevator is nickel plated and is marked "32 CAL". Upper tang on left side is stamped "32". Lower tang on left side shows assembly no. 775 with "X" "CF" "R" also stamped. Upper tang mortise of buttstock is also stamped "775" with "32" stamped on forward part of mortise. Inside toe of buttplate shows assembly no. 775 with "X" adjacent to it. Inspector mark "O" is stamped above. Being that this rifle was shipped in November 1882 and the fact that The Winchester Book (Madis) states that the "32 Caliber Rifle" was introduced by Winchester late in the year 1882, this may be one of the very first 32 Caliber Winchester Rifles produced. Trap door in buttplate is also nickel plated. Winchester sling eyes are installed on bottom of buttstock and on forend cap. Accompanying this rifle is a Cody Firearms Museum Letter dated March 16, 2015, stating rifle, half oct, plain trigger, case hardened and shipped on November 20, 1882. Order number 1046. Also included is a copy of the page from the Winchester ledger book showing the information for this rifle. PROVENANCE: The Vince Sepulveda Collection, Cody Museum Factory Letter with Factory Ledger Sheet. CONDITION: Very Fine Plus. Bbl and magazine tube retain 95-97% blue finish, with very few scratches or marks. Bbl markings are sharp. Bore is bright with strong rifling. Receiver retains 70-75% case color overall that is vivid toward the rear portion, and slightly stained at the carry point, where it has drifted to a smooth silver patina. Tang markings are sharp. Loading gate shows a generous amount of fire-blue finish. Elevator shows nearly all of nickel finish with sharp mark. Hammer shows vivid case color overall. Bolt shows nearly all of blue finish, as does the extractor. Dust cover shows smooth silvery-gray patina with generous case color. Lever also has generous traces of case color with the balance a smooth silver-gray patina. Lever latch also shows traces of case color finish. Stocks retain nearly all the varnish finish with only slight handling marks and very sharp checkering. Stocks are full-sized. Buttplate shows 20% case color on tang with the balance a smooth silver-gray patina. Trap door shows nearly all the nickel finish with a slight scratch mark on right side. Forend cap shows 50% case color finish with the balance a smooth silver-gray patina. A beautiful Special Order Winchester Model 1873 rifle with many special features and manufactured at the very beginning of Winchester's introduction of the 32 Caliber Rifle. 50872-6 TEP (20,000-40,000)