GUN SPRING 2018
The live portion of this session begins on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.
SUPERB CONDITION VERY RARE FIRST MODEL 1873 WINCHESTER SADDLE RING CARBINE. WINCHESTER 1873 7319 44 Cal. 44 WCF. 20" bbl. with 2-line address that reads "Winchester Repeating Arms New Haven CT / Kings Improvement Patent March 29, 1866 October 16, 1860. Front bbl band has the correct bbl band sight. Correct rear sight and rear bbl band look to be all original to the gun. Round thumbprint dust cover with case colored hammer, lever and buttplate. Receiver retains saddle ring stud and ring. Caliber marking is not present on the bbl or on carrier lifter as evident for all first models. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Records Office search document which indicates Carbine configuration with "Metre Sights" and shipped August 12, 1875 on Order # 3634, which was likely to a foreign land. PROVENANCE: The spectacular collections of Ray Bentley featuring the finest and rarest deluxe antique Winchesters in the world. CONDITION: Excellent. Receiver and Bbl with 90% blue. Magazine tube rates about 80-90% with scratches on the bottom of the mag tube just forward of the forearm. Forward bbl band retain 85% blue and rear bbl band retains 85-90% on left 60% on right. Condition of the case coloring on the hammer is quite bright with remaining 90% case colors. Lever retains case colors on both sides patinated in a few spots in the middle of the lever. Stock fit to the receiver is very fine with no chips missing around where the stock and metal meet.Stock has a few scattered minor marks with one solid ding in the area near the ridge of the back of the stock on the right side. Forearm has some dings and impressions on the left side. Right side has mark running parallel to the bbl running 3-1/2" long. All screw heads are unmarred and unturned. About 95% of the case color remains on the buttplate with only the heel showing any evidence of wear. Cycles properly and the bore bright. First Model 1873 saddle ring carbines generally saw hard frontier use and are rarely if ever found with original finish much less nearly all the original Winchester factory blue. 53091-31 MS (20,000-25,000)