Original U.S. Winchester 2nd Model 1873 .44-40 Repeating Rifle with 24" Octagonal Barrel Made in 1881 - Serial 76841

Original Item: Only One Available. "The Gun that Won the West!" This wonderful Winchester repeating rifle is in .44-40 caliber, confirmed by chamber and barrel measurements, as this early they were usually not marked. It features a lovely and desirable 24" octagonal barrel and full-length magazine tube. As with all examples, it is marked MODEL. 1873. on the upper receiver tang. Features the classic front sight with a replaced nickel blade and iconic "semi-buckhorn" rear adjustable sight. The serial number is 76841 denotes the year of manufacture as 1881.

As it is marked with a serial number between approximately 31,000 and 90,000, this is considered a "Second Model", which featured improvements over the "First Model". The most noticeable of these was the change to the dust cover, where instead of sliding into grooves on the top of the ejection port, the dust cover was attached to a screw fastened dovetail on the rear of the receiver. This dovetail would then become an integral part of the receiver in the "Third Model", which was what Winchester made until the end of the production run when the serial numbers exceeded 700,000. These still had numerous screws on both sides of the rear receiver, which would be removed and simplified for the third model.

The engraving on the top of the barrel is still fully legible:

WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN CT.
KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860.

The metalwork is in very good shape, having worn to a lovely gray patina in most areas from wear and cleaning. There is however a good amount of the original bluing on the barrel in the more protected areas on the sides and bottom. We do not see any signs of major restoration or aggressive cleaning, so this is all original patina, just how we like to see them!

The stocks are in very good condition, still showing the lovely red brown color of aged and oiled American black walnut. They do show some damage from use, with the fore stock having missing chunks along the front wood line on both sides. The butt stock has some gouges on the rear lower left as well. However, they do not show any major structural damage or repairs. The crescent butt plate is in good shape with a working storage compartment, which is unfortunately empty.

This lever action repeater is offered with the action in fully functional tight condition, with a working original dust cover. It cycles well, and we did not notice any sticking or major slop in the action, though we have no way to check to see if the magazine still feeds. The bore is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with strong lands and grooves. There is a bit of past fouling and oxidation in the grooves, now removed, but the lands are quite smooth, and we do not see signs of major use while in service. We would rate the bore at 8-9 out of 10.

A lovely early example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle with a great bore. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition. More than ready for display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1881
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 43 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 15-round tube magazine

The Model 1873 was one of the most successful Winchester rifles of its day, gaining the reputation as "The Gun that Won the West". Still an icon almost a century and a half later, it was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. Originally chambered for the .44-40 cartridge, it was later produced in .38-40 and .32-20, all of which were also popular handgun cartridges of the day, allowing users to conveniently carry just one type of ammunition. The Model 1873 was produced in three variations: a 24" barrel rifle, 20" barrel carbine, and a musket. The easy to transport and handle carbine was the most popular, while the musket accounted for less than 5-10 percent of total production.

Due to feeding problems, the original Model 1873 was never offered in the military standard .45 Colt cartridge, although a number of modern reproductions are chambered for the round. The popularity of the original Model 1873 led Colt to manufacture .44-40 a version of the Single Action Army revolver called the "Frontier Model".

To both celebrate and enhance the Model 1873's prestige, Winchester established a coveted One of One Thousand grade in 1875. Barrels producing unusually small groupings during test-firing were fitted to rifles with set triggers and a special finish. Marked One of One Thousand, they sold for a then princely $100. A popular 1950 Western starring Jimmy Stewart, Winchester '73, was based on the coveted gun. Promotions included a search for One of One Thousand rifles by Universal Studios, with advertisements in sporting magazines and posters in sporting goods stores.

A second grade of Model 1873 barrels producing above average accuracy were fitted to rifles marked One of One Hundred, and sold for $20 over list. Approximately 136 One of One Thousand Model 1873s were sold, and only eight One of One Hundreds. In all, over 720,000 Model 1873s were produced.

The .38-40 Winchester round is actually a .40 caliber cartridge shooting .401 caliber bullets. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester. This cartridge was introduced for rifles, but in its reintroduction for Cowboy Action Shooting it has seen some popularity as a pistol cartridge. It is not particularly well suited to hunting larger game, but it was popular when it was introduced, along with the previous .44-40 Winchester, for deer hunting. It can be used successfully on smaller game animals, and for self-defense.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.