Original U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Repeating Rifle Made in 1895 with 24" Octagonal Barrel and Peep Sight - Professionally Restored - Serial 496672B

Original Item: Only One Available. "The Gun that Won the West!" This beautiful professionally restored 1873 Winchester repeating rifle is in .44-40 caliber, correctly marked with a faint 44 W.C.F. over the chamber with traces of "44 CAL." on the brass carrier block. It features a desirable 24" octagonal barrel and full-length magazine tube. As with all examples, it is marked MODEL. 1873. on the upper receiver tang, though this can only be seen by removing the tang mounted adjustable peep sight. It also features the standard front sight with a replaced nickel silver blade and iconic "buckhorn" rear adjustable sight. The serial number is 496672B, denoting the year of manufacture as 1895.

Also, as it is marked with a serial number over 90,000, this is considered a "Third Model", which featured improvements over the first two iterations of the design. The most noticeable change from the Second to Third models is that the dovetail that the dust cover slide on is machined directly into the receiver, and not attached by screws as it was previously. The Third model is what Winchester made until the end of the production run when the serial numbers exceeded 700,000.

As best we can tell, this rifle went through a complete restoration back to "like new" factory specifications. The color of the bluing and quality of the restoration suggests that it may have been done by Turnbull, but we have no way to verify that. We do not know which parts are original and which were replaced, though the barrel was almost certainly replaced, while the carrier block looks to be original. The forestock looks to have been replaced, while the butt stock looks to be a restored original. Definitely one of the most attractive Winchester rifles we have ever offered!

The stamped markings on the top of the barrel are crisp:

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

Condition overall is truly excellent, with the bluing very well retained on both the original and new components. The lever, hammer, and crescent butt plate have a beautiful case colored finish. There are just a few areas of very minor wear and surface peppering. The stocks are beautiful, with a great color, and the fore stock has a good amount of curl to the grain, as does the butt stock. There are some marks on the spine of the butt stock from before the restoration, and there looks to be a bit of expertly tinted wood filler next to the receiver.

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. The bore is just about MINT, and looks like a mirror. 

A beautiful example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle with a desirable 24" Octagonal barrel. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition. Fully restored and ready for display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1895
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 42 3/4 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.