Original U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Repeating Rifle with Special Order 26" Octagonal Barrel & Set Trigger Made in 1884 - Serial 153690A

Original Item: Only One Available. "The Gun that Won the West!" This lovely 1873 Winchester repeating rifle is in .44-40 caliber, correctly marked with a faint 44 over the chamber and 44 CAL. on the brass carrier block. It features a desirable special order 26" octagonal barrel and full-length magazine tube, as well as a special order "set trigger". As with all examples, it is marked MODEL. 1873. on the upper receiver tang. Features a replacement front blade sight with a brass blade and iconic "buckhorn" rear adjustable sight. The serial number is 153690A, denoting the year of manufacture as 1884.

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.

The engraving on the top of the barrel is a bit faded from cleaning, but still legible:-

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

The stocks are in very good condition, with a great color and patina, showing the lovely red brown color of aged and oiled walnut. It looks like the stocks were at some point finished with a light shellac or lacquer, which is very well retained. The fore stock shows the expected dents, dings, and other wear from long service on the frontier, and there is a repaired crack on the bottom. There are also some chunks missing on the top next to the end fitting. The butt stock shows similar wear, however there are no cracks or other structural damage we can see, just a few holes with filler. The butt stock has a lovely crescent butt plate, which has a working storage compartment (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. The Set Trigger adjustment is still present, though it has not been adjusted in some time. The overall metal finish is good, showing a lovely light gray patina overall, with no signs of any major oxidation in the past. The bore is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is just a bit of light oxidation haze and wear, and we would rate this about an 8 out of 10. Definitely quite a bit better than most we see!

A lovely example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle with a special order 26" barrel and set trigger. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition. Fully cleaned and ready for display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1884
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 26 Inches
Overall Length: 45 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.