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Unique Winchester Model 1890 Slide Action Rifle Attributed to Niedner Rifle Company Employees

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD
Unique Winchester Model 1890 Slide Action Rifle Attributed to Niedner Rifle Company Employees
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Unique Winchester Model 1890 Slide Action Rifle Attributed to Niedner Rifle Company Employees

This unique Winchester Model 1890 Rifle has been attributed to employees working at the famed Niedner Rifle Co. in the early 1930s. Adolph Otto Niedner established himself as well respected American gunsmith who manufactured custom rifles for many noted riflemen including Townsend Whelen, Charles Newton and Ned Roberts. He opened the Niedner Rifle Company in Dowagiac, Michigan in 1920. This rifle was once the personal property of Orin Murphy, a Niedner Rifle Co. toolmaker circa 1920s-1930s. (Copies of the Dowagiac City Directories of the 1920s and 1930s are included with the lot.) This rifle was examined by Steven Arseneau, the director of the Southwestern Michigan College Museum. An included letter from Arseneau notes that this rifle has features that are consistent with Niedner and Thomas Shelhamer rifles. Arseneau explains that the stock has checkering consistent with work done by Shelhamer and "the buttplate is the same as those on Shelhamer rifles in the Museum collection, which have been identified as Niedner buttplates." Arseneau also notes that the rifle does not have a Niedner barrel stamp, is without a Shelhamer stamp which were used after he left Niedner and the stock does not feature custom flourishes usually associated with Shelhamer or Niedner rifles such as a cheekpiece. All these factors lead Arseneau to concluded that the rifle possibly was a "side project" done by Orin Murphy and other employees including Shelhamer in the early 1930s. The rifle is equipped with a rotating blade front sight and Lyman tang sight with the bolt cover tapped for sight mounting. As stated, there are no markings on the rifle. Mounted with a nicely figured forearm and pistol grip stock with multi-point checkering and a grip cap.

Manufucture: Winchester
Model: 1890-Rifle
BBL: 24 inch round
Stock: walnut
Guage: 22 LR
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: NSN

Very fine as custom refurbished. The rifle retains 90% thinning blue finish with gray on the magazine from cycling the action. The wood is very fine with some very scattered minor handling marks and overall crisp checkering.