{"product_id":"original-u-s-winchester-model-1873-44-40-rifle-with-octagonal-barrel-manufactured-in-1895","title":"Original U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Rifle with Octagonal Barrel - Manufactured in 1883","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: “The Gun that Won the West!” This fine rifle is in .44-40 caliber (.44 WCF) with a 24” octagonal barrel and full-length magazine tube. Features the classic front sight and buck horn rear sight. The serial number is \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e142953A\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e denoting the year of manufacture as 1883.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStock is in very good condition, a few minor dings, small chips, with the original finish intact. Offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition with the original dust cover. Metal work has some original bluing evident throughout, with some pitting, good bore, making this a wonderful example of a truly iconic gun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDue 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\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe .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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre in the UK. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":26169759301,"sku":"ON9174","price":2295.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/products\/on9174__1.jpg?v=1599830363","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-winchester-model-1873-44-40-rifle-with-octagonal-barrel-manufactured-in-1895","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}