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Special Order Winchester Model 1873 .22 Rimfire Rifle Attributed to Wild West Showman and Aviation P

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 13,000.00 USD
Special Order Winchester Model 1873 .22 Rimfire Rifle Attributed to Wild West Showman and Aviation P
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Winchester Model 1873 caliber .22 rimfire rifle manufactured in 1902. The rifle has a special order half-octagon/half-round barrel; .22 caliber Model 1873 rifles with half-round barrels are rare. British proof marks are stamped on the left barrel flat just ahead of the receiver and on the left side of the receiver. The January 24, 1996, Sotheby's auction catalog lists this rifle as part of the S.F. Cody material sold at auction (the catalog is included). Samuel Franklin Cody is often mistaken for the famous Wild West showman William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody. There is no genealogical relationship between the two men and in fact, Cody is not Samuel’s original surname. Born Samuel Franklin Cowdery in Davenport, Iowa, in 1867, he would later change his surname to Cody for theatrical purposes (circa 1889). For the flamboyant Samuel, using the famous last name Cody was a means to attract a bigger audience to his Wild West shows. Samuel Cody left Davenport circa 1888 when he started to travel with Adam Forepaugh’s Circus and Wild West Show. With his wife Maud, the duo performed, as one newspaper article described, "The greatest living revolver shots. Breaking balls held in each others mouth and equally difficult shots, using 45 caliber revolvers.” In 1890, the couple moved to England and by 1892 created the S. F. Cody and Company which later changed to S. F. Cody and Infant Son and Company. As the star in his Wild West show, Cody gained the acclaim of European audiences and in the late 1890s appeared in the “Wild West Melodrama”, a popular theater production at the time. At the turn of the century, Cody began his successful experimentations with man lifting kites. Exactly why Cody showed an interest in man lifting kites remains unclear. Perhaps he was enticed by the endless showmanship possibilities of early flight. Nonetheless, Cody patented a man lifting kite in 1901 and offered the design to British War Office to be used in the Second Boer War. While his design was not purchased, the kite made several successful demonstration flights up to 2,000 feet. He would later successfully cross the English Channel in a kite towed by a Berthon boat. As development in aviation progressed, so did Cody’s interest in flight. He would be involved in designing gliders and airships, and in October 1908 Cody is credited for piloting the first official flight of a heavier than air machine in Great Britain. Along with his passenger famed cricketer William Evans, Cody was killed on August 7, 1913 when the airplane they were flying in broke up. It has been estimated that 100,000 people attended Cody’s funeral procession and today Cody is buried near a memorial to his son, Samuel Franklin Leslie Cody, who was a Royal Flying Corps pilot killed in action in 1917. The rifle has the Winchester high polish blue finish on the barrel, magazine, forearm cap, receiver and dust cover. The hammer, loading lever and crescent steel buttplate have a color casehardened finish. The walnut stock and forearm have a varnish finish. The rifle has the distinctive .22 caliber right side plate with no loading gate, front loading magazine and magazine tube with late pattern flared spring. The barrel has a dove-tail mounted front sight with nickel-silver blade and a sporting style rear sight. The buttplate has a sliding brass trap. The top; of the barrel is roll-stamped: "WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A./-KING'S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860.-" in two lines ahead of the rear sight. "22 SHORT" is roll-stamped on the top of the barrel just ahead of the receiver. The bottom of the brass cartridge elevator is engraved: "22 CAL./SHORT" in two lines. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "MODEL. 1873" in fancy script with foliate devices at either end of the marking. The serial number "563362B" is stamped on the lower receiver tang.
BBL: 24 inch half octagon
Stock: walnut
Gauge: 22 short
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: 563362
Condition: Fine. The rifle retains 90% of the original high polish blue and color casehardened finish. The barrel and magazine have nearly all of the blue finish intact. The receiver and side plates have light edge wear and some scattered discoloration part of which appears to be hardened grease. Most of the finish wear is concentrated on the upper tang which has a darkened age patina. The case colors of the hammer and loading lever have aged to a muted gray. The casehardened finish on the buttplate has a silver-gray patina. The stock and forearm both are in fine condition with a number of minor handling marks. Nearly all of the original varnish finish is present on the stock and forearm. The factory markings on the barrel and receiver and the British proof marks are crisp. This is a highly desirable example of a rare .22 caliber Winchester Model 1873 rifle with special order half-octagon barrel and British proof marks with association to a colorful American frontier figure and aviation pioneer.