Item:
ON12525

Original U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Rifle with Heavy Round Barrel made in 1881 - Serial 69070

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. "The Gun that Won the West!" This very fine rifle is in .44-40 caliber with a 24" special order HEAVY WALL round barrel. Features the classic nickel blade front sight and iconic "buckhorn" rear adjustable sight, with a full length magazine tube. The serial number is 69070 denoting the year of manufacture as 1881. The engraving on top of the barrel is still clear:

WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN CT.
KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860.

Stocks are in very good condition, and are the lovely reddish-brown color of aged finished walnut. They do show some signs of age and use, with some small dents, chips, and scratches. However, both are very attractive, with strong grain and a lot of figuring in the wood. The butt stock especially has some great flame and is almost burl in places. The stock meets well with the crescent butt plate, which is in good shape with working storage compartment.

This lever action repeater is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition, with a working original dust cover. This rifle looks to have been factory refinished at some point, much of which is still retained, with some peppering on the barrel. Back in the 19th century, the major gun factories readily took on repair and refinish work as a way of generating extra revenue. The bore is in very good condition, with clear lands and grooves and a mostly bright finish, with just a bit of wear and oxidation. Probably an 8 out of 10, one of the better examples we have seen.

An great example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle, with a great "dressed up" appearance. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in such nice condition. Fully cleaned and ready for display!

The Model 1873 was one of the most successful Winchester rifles of its day, gaining the reputation as "The Gun that Won the West". Still an icon almost a century and a half later, it was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. Originally chambered for the .44-40 cartridge, it was later produced in .38-40 and .32-20, all of which were also popular handgun cartridges of the day, allowing users to conveniently carry just one type of ammunition. The Model 1873 was produced in three variations: a 24" barrel rifle, 20" barrel carbine, and a musket. The easy to transport and handle carbine was the most popular, while the musket accounted for less than 5-10 percent of total production.

Due to feeding problems, the original Model 1873 was never offered in the military standard .45 Colt cartridge, although a number of modern reproductions are chambered for the round. The popularity of the original Model 1873 led Colt to manufacture .44-40 a version of the Single Action Army revolver called the "Frontier Model".

To both celebrate and enhance the Model 1873's prestige, Winchester established a coveted One of One Thousand grade in 1875. Barrels producing unusually small groupings during test-firing were fitted to rifles with set triggers and a special finish. Marked One of One Thousand, they sold for a then princely $100. A popular 1950 Western starring Jimmy Stewart, Winchester '73, was based on the coveted gun. Promotions included a search for One of One Thousand rifles by Universal Studios, with advertisements in sporting magazines and posters in sporting goods stores.

A second grade of Model 1873 barrels producing above average accuracy were fitted to rifles marked One of One Hundred, and sold for $20 over list. Approximately 136 One of One Thousand Model 1873s were sold, and only eight One of One Hundreds. In all, over 720,000 Model 1873s were produced.

The .38-40 Winchester round is actually a .40 caliber cartridge shooting .401 caliber bullets. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester. This cartridge was introduced for rifles, but in its reintroduction for Cowboy Action Shooting it has seen some popularity as a pistol cartridge. It is not particularly well suited to hunting larger game, but it was popular when it was introduced, along with the previous .44-40 Winchester, for deer hunting. It can be used successfully on smaller game animals, and for self-defense.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1881
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 43 Inches

Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 15-round tube magazine

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are no able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.

  • This product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New Jersey

    This product is available for international shipping.
  • Not eligible for payment with Paypal or Amazon

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