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Excellent Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle with Cody Museum Letter

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 9,500.00 USD
Excellent Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle with Cody Museum Letter
This is an excellent example of a Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle that was manufactured in 1893. The rifle has a blue barrel, magazine and receiver with casehardened loading lever, trigger, hammer and crescent buttplate. The straight grain walnut stock and forearm have a varnished finish. The rifle has an octagon barrel fitted with a fixed, dove-tailed, front sight with nickel silver blade and a sporting style rear sight. The third model receiver has an integral dust cover rail and the dust cover has serrated edges. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped with the two-line legend: "WINCHESTER'S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN CONN. U.S.A./-KING'S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860-" ahead of the rear sight and "44 W.C.F." just ahead of the receiver. The bottom of the brass cartridge elevator is marked: "44 CAL". The upper tang is roll-stamped with the third style, fancy, "Model 1873" marking and the tang is factory drilled and tapped for a sight. The serial number, "472885B", is located on the lower tang between the loading lever latch and the tang screw. The steel crescent buttplate has a sliding brass trap door. The accompanying Cody Firearms Museum Records Office form verifies the serial number, rifle configuration, octagon barrel, plain trigger and that it was received on 3-10-1894 and shipped on 6-7-1894.
BBL: 24 inch octagonal
Stock: walnut
Gauge: 44 WCF
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: 472885B


Excellent. The rifle retains 95% of the original blue finish overall. The barrel, magazine and forearm show only light edge wear with the blue finish fading slightly to a blue-brown patina. The receiver has 97% of the original blue finish with light edge wear on high points and some minor scratches. The hammer, loading lever and trigger have at least 70% of the original casehardened finish with strong case colors. The case colors on the buttplate have thinned to a silver-gray patina. The markings on the barrel and receiver are crisp. The stock and forearm remain in very fine to excellent condition with most of the original varnish, with some scattered, minor handling marks. This is an excellent example of a totally original Third Model Winchester 1873 Lever Action Rifle.