Original Item: Only One Available. "The gun that won the west!" Well this just came to us amongst a Collection of just TEN very choice items all purchased by a collector in the 1980's. This item comes with several Winchester Factory Letters, dated from August 1981, confirming its age and origin. There is even a hand-written letter included, regarding the "A" serial number prefix, which was omitted on the first letter received, and then rectified.

This spectacular sporting rifle bears serial number 143383A indicating that it was made at the end of 1883. The Factory Letter states that within weeks it was returned to the factory for various upgrades, including being fitted with a 44/40 caliber half octagonal and half round barrel, together with a half tube 7 round magazine. The barrel is fitted with the iconic Winchester "Buckhorn" rear adjustable sight, however the front sight now has a flip up hooded post sight. This goes with the equipped tang-mounted adjustable "peep" sight. These were most likely fitted by the retailer, as they were not Winchester options, however they vastly increase the sporting accuracy of the rifle.

The engraving on top of the barrel is clearly legible:

Special order barrels such as the half-octagon do not have a caliber marking, so even without any wear, this barrel only has the patent dates. The original walnut stocks are in superb condition, with almost of the original "piano varnish" still present. This is almost always quickly lost due to polishing and wear.

Crisp tight action in fully functional condition with the original dust cover. The metal work is a nice faded blue, with just a trace of peppering in places. The bore on this rifle is honestly one of the best, if not THE best, that we have ever seen, with clear lands and grooves, and bright finish. This is a gun that was well cared for, loved even.

A truly lovely weapon showing minimal use and a pride to own. Ready to display along with it's original factory letters!

History of the Winchester Model 1873

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: 1883 - factory modified 1884
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 43 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 7-round tube magazine

NOTE: Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are no able to ship to the United Kingdom. International orders of antique firearms MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services (courier). USPS Priority Mail international will not accept these.