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*EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SEMI-DELUXE LEVER ACTION RIFLE.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
*EXTREMELY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 SEMI-DELUXE LEVER ACTION RIFLE.
SN 570936. Cal. 44 WCF (44-40). Very rare '73 rifle with 24-1/4" rnd bbl, full magazine, Lyman ivory bead front sight, semi-buckhorn rear sight & Lyman combination tang sight. Mounted with very nicely figured, uncheckered, slab sawed American walnut with capped pistol grip stock and smooth steel shotgun buttplate. Left side of the lower tang, under the wood is marked with the assembly # 1698. Top tang channel of the buttstock is unmarked and has the #"17181" on the rear face under the buttplate. Inside toe of buttplate has #6732. Accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum records office worksheet which identifies this rifle in cal. 44 with round bbl, plain trigger, plain pistol grip stock, Lyman receiver, rear sight & jack front sight and shotgun butt, received in the warehouse Aug 12, 1903 and shipped 2 days later to order number 194101. Pistol grip '73s are occasionally encountered but those with uncheckered wood are quite rare. Such a rifle would have been special ordered and fancier wood with checkering was very little more cost. PROVENANCE: Woody Frey Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine. Bbl & magazine tube retain 98-99% strong orig factory blue with faint muzzle end wear & a couple of small nicks. Forend cap is equally crisp. Receiver retains 96-97% strong orig blue, crisp & bright on the sides, slightly thinned on the bottom & top at the carry points. Hammer retains strong bright case colors & the lever strong case colors on the sides, faded to silver on outer faces. Buttplate retains about 70-75% orig blue with areas of pitting. Wood is sound with usual light nicks & scratches and retain most of it's orig varnish. Mechanics are crisp. Brilliant shiny bore, may be unfired. 4-48419 JR167