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*RARE BUFFALO BILL PRESENTATION WINCHESTER MODEL 1895 SADDLE RING CARBINE.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:10,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
*RARE BUFFALO BILL PRESENTATION WINCHESTER MODEL 1895 SADDLE RING CARBINE.
SN 32045. Cal. 30-40 Krag. Standard grade carbine with 22" rnd bbl, pedestal mounted German silver front sight and 1,800 yard ladder rear sight. Left side of receiver has a stud & ring. Right side of receiver is factory inscribed "FRED W. KAVANAUGH / FROM / COL. W.F. CODY. "BUFFALO BILL" / 1901". Mounted with very nicely figured, extra finish, uncheckered American walnut with grasping groove forearm & handguard with sgl band and straight stock with carbine buttplate with trap containing a brass & string pull-through cleaning tool. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which identifies this carbine in caliber 30, engraved with the inscription as noted above, received in warehouse July 29, 1901 and shipped next day to Order #103141. Repaired & returned on Sept. 7, 1901. Frederick W. Kavanaugh (1871-1940) worked in his father's knitting mill and then became partner in the mill upon his father's death. He also owned real estate interests in Queens, New York, a hotel in Cody, WY, served as Saratoga County, NY Sheriff, chaired the Saratoga County Republican Committee and represented Waterford in the NY State Senate. In 1930 he donated King's Island to be used as a Boy Scout Camp. A brief Google search disclosed a history of the town & village of Waterford, NY, wherein some of the above information is detailed including that Mr. Kavanaugh & Buffalo Bill Cody were lifelong friends, no indication of what their actual relationship was. In addition Mr. Kavanaugh was the President of the First National Bank of Mechanicville, NY, Dean of the Board of Directors of the Manufacturer's Bank of Cohoes, NY and other organizations. He was very active in politics and social & fraternal organizations in the area. While there are numerous known firearms presented to Buffalo Bill, there are very few documented presentations from Buffalo Bill making this a desirable & historic Winchester. PROVENANCE: Consignor states: Handed down directly, over 100 years, through the family of Henry P. Davison who was an influential NY businessman as senior partner with J.P. Morgan in 1909 and later as chairman of the American Red Cross during WWI. CONDITION: Very fine. Bbl retains 97-98% strong orig blue with faint sharp edge wear and one small area of light pinprick pitting; bbl band retains about 85-88% thin orig blue; receiver retains 93-95% orig blue lightly flaked on the sides showing light wear on the magazine box; lever retains most of its orig blue and the buttplate about 75% dull orig blue. Wood is sound with usual light handling & use nicks & scratches, a series of heavier scratches on left side of buttstock and a bruise & a scrape on the forearm & handguard and retains about all of its orig varnish. Mechanics are crisp, bright shiny bore. 4-47563 JR198