GUN SPRING 2017
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/11/2017
INCREDIBLE C.F. ULRICH ENGRAVED WINCHESTER MODEL 1866 LEVER ACTION RIFLE WITH RARE AND HUMOROUS ENGRAVED PROMOTIONAL SCENE FOR WINCHESTER REPEATING RIFLE. WINCHESTER 1866 80492 .44 CF Cal. .44 CF. Marvelously engraved '66 with 24-3/8" octagon bbl, full magazine, German silver Rocky Mountain front sight, and Henry style 900 yard ladder rear sight. Mounted with very highly figured "XXX" fiddleback walnut with straight stock, and crescent brass butt-plate with trap door. It has factory mounted sling swivels. Assembly number "VXXX" is found on left side of lower tang and in top tang channel of buttstock. Butt-plate carries the SN on the inside toe. Receiver is spectacularly engraved, probably as a factory promotional item for the India Trade, with very unusual patterns consisting of a full side of very busy vignettes consisting of a tiger hunting scene on the left depicting a hunter kneeling and shooting a charging tiger with another tiger crouching over a supine human figure, a running hunter with a very distressed look on his face with another human figure running in the background, probably the gun bearer. There is a horse tied to a tree in foreground that is trying to escape, with another horse running away in the background, all of this is in great detail with flowers and trees. Top of vignette has a long arrow with a ribbon wound around it which bears the inscription, "HUNTING THE TIGER WITH A SINGLE SHOOTER." Right side vignette has a similar ribbon draped arrow, which inscription reads, "WINCHESTER REPEATING RIFLES." Vignette depicts a colonial style hunter in a frock coat looking through field glasses with his Indian gun bearer holding his lever action Winchester, with his faithful hunting dog in the foreground and a dead tiger with a wounded tiger in the left foreground. This vignette is also executed in superb detail with foliage and trees. The tree in the right foreground has a monkey hanging by his tail. Left front flat has a two standing stags, and a reclining hind in a mountain scene. Right side front flat is a stag and a hind watering in a mountain scene. The top edge of the receiver, top tang, and each side of the trigger have matching deep relief foliate arabesque patterns, with a very fine stippled background. Front flat vignettes have a similar border with front and rear edges of receiver having large scallops with Fleur De Lis border. Bottom of receiver and carrier have a split circle and mirror image filled with foliate arabesque patterns. Butt-plate tang and forend cap are engraved to match. This fabulous work has Mr. Ulrich's tiny stamped signature in four places. Once behind the trigger, again behind the SN, and twice below the loading gate. It's very rare to find even one signature, two is almost unheard of, and four signatures can only manifest to Mr. Ulrich's pride and quality of this piece of work. This exact rifle has a full page devoted to it pg. 115 in Winchester Engraving by R.L. Wilson, and being from the Norm Flayderman Collection, also featured in Fladerman's 8th Guide on pg 42. It was also featured and for sale in Flayderman's cat #100, October 1976. This is without a doubt a one of a kind rifle without peer. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains 80-85% orig blue, strong and bright in sheltered areas, thinning and mixing to patina elsewhere. Edges are very sharp. Magazine tube has blue in sheltered areas with the balance a medium, smooth, blue/brown patina. Receiver retains traces of gold wash, being an overall medium mustard patina with sharp edges. Wood is sound with a few minor handling nicks & scratches and retains nearly all of a professional restored finish. Screw for toe of butt-plate is a proper replacement. Mechanics are crisp and bore is strong & bright with moderate pitting and a few spots of deep pitting. 16399-212 JRL (75,000-125,000)