1070

Excellent Winchester Third Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 14,000.00 USD
Excellent Winchester Third Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle
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This is an excellent example of a Winchester Model 1873 lever action Rifle that was manufactured in 1882. The rifle has the Third Model integral dust cover rail, dust cover with serrated edges and concealed trigger pin. The 24-inch round barrel, full-length magazine, forearm cap and receiver have the Winchester high polish blue finish. The loading gate is niter blue. The hammer, loading lever and crescent buttplate are case hardened. The buttplate has a sliding brass trap door and the upper tang is factory drilled and tapped for a tang mounted rear sight. The second style hammer has coarse checkering with distinct borders. The straight grain black walnut stock and forearm have a low-luster oil finish. The barrel is fitted with a dove tail mounted sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and a sporting style rear sight with serrated edges. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped with the two-line legend "WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN.CT./KING"S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH. 29. 1886. OCTOBER 16. 1860.". "38-Cal." is roll-stamped on the top of the barrel just in front of the receiver. The bottom of the brass cartridge elevator is roll-stamped "38 CAL" in script letters. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped "{ MODEL. 1873. }" in fancy letters with foliate designs at either end. The serial number, "137117A" is stamped in script on the lower tang between the lever latch and the tang screw.
BBL: 24 inch round
Stock: walnut
Gauge: 38 WCF
Finish: blue/case hardened
Grips:
Serial Number: 137117A
Condition: Excellent. The rifle retains 95% plus of the original blue finish and shows minimal handling wear. There are several very minor scuff marks on the upper right side of the barrel; the blue finish on the forward portion of the barrel and muzzle is thinning slightly and shows traces of plum brown patina. The forearm cap has nearly all of the high polish blue finish intact. Nearly all of the blue finish is present on the receiver; wear is limited to some very faint and tiny scratches on the left side plate and some minor edge wear on high points of the receiver and side plates. The loading gate retains at lest 90% plus of the original nitre blue finish. The hammer and loading lever have more than 80% of the original case hardened finish with vivid case colors. Nearly all of the case hardened finish is present on the crescent buttplate; the case colors are a mottled dove-gray. The stock and forearm are in excellent condition with nearly all of the original oil-finish and only very minor handling and storage marks. The markings on the barrel and receiver are extremely crisp. This is an excellent example of a Winchester Third Model 1873 Sporting Rifle.