Original Item: Only One Available. "The Gun that Won the West!" This lovely "frontier worn" Winchester repeating rifle is in .44-40 caliber, which we have confirmed with a dummy cartridge in the chamber, as the caliber markings have worn away. It features a very nice 24" heavy round barrel and full-length magazine tube. As with all examples, it is marked MODEL. 1873. on the upper receiver tang. Features a replacement copper front blade sight and a "flat-top" rear adjustable sight. The serial number on the lower receiver tang is 107399A, denoting the year of manufacture as 1882.

This rifle also comes with an original factory letter from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West at the Cody Firearms Museum, which now houses the original Winchester factory records. This is printed on watermarked WINCHESTER REPEATING Fire Arms letterhead, and dated December 04, 2018. These indicate that the order for this rifle was received in the warehouse December 26, 1882, and shipped on March 14, 1883 as part of order 3078. Unfortunately there is no other information available for the serial number, but that is not uncommon for a rifle that did not see customization. The letter is signed and still bears the correct raised seal.

The patent markings on the top of the barrel are present and mostly legible:

Condition of the rifle is quite good, especially considering the amount of use on the frontier it must have seen. The metalwork looks like it may have been reblued at some point, as the barrel markings are a bit worn. Since then it has worn a bit, and now shows wear to the bluing and some peppery oxidation in areas. This definitely looks to be a rifle that saw a long service on the frontier, with servicing over the years, giving it a fantastic patina that simply cannot be duplicated.

The stocks are in very nice service used condition, with a a great "been there" look that still shows the original red brown walnut color well. There are definitely dents, chips, dings, and other damage as expected from a rifle that saw long use on the frontier. The butt stock shows some staining on the right side, as well as scratches and other wear. There is also some staining around the crescent butt plate, which is in good shape with a working storage compartment (empty). The screws holding it in place are not entirely secure, as screw holes in the wood are stripped.

This lever action repeater has a nice action in fully functional condition with an original dust cover. The rifle cycles well and dry fires, with good mechanical operation. There is a bit of slop in the cycling, and it is a bit sticky, as expected for a rifle that saw long service. The bore is in "frontier worn" condition, showing a partly bright finish with rifling, but also significant wear and areas of past fouling and oxidation.

A lovely service used example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle, complete with a factory letter. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition. More than ready for display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1882
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 43 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 12-round tube magazine

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.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are no able to ship these to the United Kingdom.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers". Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.

Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.