1050

Excellent Winchester Third Model 1873 Rifle

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:6,000.00 USD Estimated At:12,000.00 - 16,000.00 USD
Excellent Winchester Third Model 1873 Rifle
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This is an excellent, totally original example of a Winchester Model 1873 rifle that was manufactured in 1888. The rifle has the Third Model receiver with integral dust cover guide dust cover with serrated edges and concealed trigger pin. The octagon barrel has a standard dovetail mounted sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and dovetail mounted sporting style rear sight with serrated edges and screw-adjustable sighting notch. The receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped for a tang-mounted sight. The barrel, full-length magazine, forearm cap, receiver and dust cover have a blue finish. The hammer, loading lever and solid crescent buttplate are color casehardened. The loading gate is niter blue. The straight grain black walnut stock and forearm have a varnish finish. The top of the barrel 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 the caliber designation "32 W.C.F." between the rear sight and the receiver. "32 CAL" is roll-stamped on the bottom of the cartridge elevator in script letters. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped "{ MODEl 1873}" in fancy letters with foliate designs at either end. The serial number "315514B" is stamped in script on the lower tang between the lever latch and the tang screw.
BBL: 24 inch octagon
Stock: walnut
Gauge: 32 WCF
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: 315514B
Condition: Excellent. The rifle retains 98% of the bright original blue finish. Wear is limited to some minor finish loss and thinning on the magazine tube ahead of the barrel band and the barrel ahead of the front sight. There are several very minor patches of light pitting on the top barrel flat about five inches behind the front sight. The remainder of the blue finish on the barrel, magazine, forearm cap and receiver is bright and shows minimal handling or storage wear. The loading gate has nearly all of the fiery niter blue finish. The hammer, loading lever and crescent buttplate retain 98% or more of the casehardened finish with strong case colors. The barrel and receiver markings are very crisp. The bore is mirror bright. The stock and forearm are in excellent condition and have nearly all of the original varnish finish intact; wear is limited to several very minor storage or handling marks on the lower portion of the stock and forearm. This is an excellent original example of a Winchester Model 1873 rifle.