1061

Outstanding Documented Winchester Third Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle in Desirable 44-40 Caliber wit

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:6,000.00 USD Estimated At:12,000.00 - 16,000.00 USD
Outstanding Documented Winchester Third Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle in Desirable 44-40 Caliber wit
Buyer's Premium is 19.5% by credit card, reduced to 17% if payment is made by cash, check or wire transfer. Contact Rock Island Auction Company to complete your registration with the auction house.
This excellent Winchester Model 1873 Rifle is documented with Cody Firearm Museum letter. The letter states that this rifle was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on November 26, 1894 and describes it as "Rifle, 44 Caliber, Round Barrel, Plain trigger". The rifle has a blue finish on the barrel, full-length magazine, forearm cap and receiver. The hammer, lever and crescent steel buttplate have a casehardened finish. The loading gate is niter blue. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped for a tang sight. The stock and forearm are oil-finished straight grain walnut. The barrel has a sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and sporting style rear sight with sliding screw-retained insert and serrated edges. The buttplate has a sliding brass trap door, and the trap contains the four-piece jointed cleaning rod with brass tip. The receiver has the Third Model features which include an integral dust cover rail, dust cover with serrated edges and concealed trigger pin. 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. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." ahead of the rear sight. "44 CAL" is roll-stamped in script letters on the bottom of the cartridge elevator. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped "{-MODEL 1873-}" in fancy letters with foliate designs at either end. The serial number, "474517B" is stamped on the lower receiver tang between the loading lever latch and the rear tang screw.
BBL: 24 inch round
Stock: walnut
Gauge: 44 WCF
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: 474517B
Condition: Excellent. The rifle retains 90% plus of the bright original blue finish overall. The finish wear is concentrated on the top and upper left side of the barrel and extends from the rear sight to about three inches in front of the forearm. There is some minor edge wear on the upper left side of the receiver and along the top of the left side plate. The rest of the receiver and barrel retain nearly all of the bright, attractive original high polish blue finish. The loading gate has nearly all of the niter blue finish. The hammer, lever and crescent buttplate have 90% of the original casehardened finish; the balance having aged to a dove-gray. The stock and forearm are excellent. Nearly all of the original finish is present and there is minimal handling wear. The barrel and receiver markings are crisp. This is an excellent example of a Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle that retains most of the original finish and shows only limited handling wear.