Original U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Repeating Saddle Ring Carbine Made in 1888 - Serial Number 269896B

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great vintage cowboy Winchester Model 1873 carbine in the most popular caliber of .44/40, as used in both carbines and six guns revolvers of the era. Offered in very nice aged condition and correct in all respects, serial number is a bit worn but still legible as 269896B, which indicates that it was manufactured in 1888. Fitted with a 20" round barrel, these were intended for cavalry units, and it still retains the correct "barleycorn" front sight and rear carbine ladder sight marked 1873 on the sight leaf, though the slider is missing. It has an intact MODEL 1873 marking on the upper receiver tang, and the correct 44 W.C.F. marking over the chamber. There is even a faint 44 CAL marking on the carrier block, which is usually completely worn away!

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 gun overall has quite a bit of exterior wear, so the caliber and barrel address and patent markings are faint but are legible and read:

WINCHESTER'S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN CT.
KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16 1860.

The overall metal finish is very good, showing a lovely worn patina overall, with no signs of any major oxidation in the past, just some peppering in a few areas. We can still even see some of the original bluing in the more protected areas, such as on the underside of the barrel. The stocks are in lovely condition, showing a great red-brown color, only achieved after decades. Both stocks do show wear, and the fore stock in particular has some finger marks worn in the bottom, as well as a crack on the bottom forward of the barrel band. The butt stock looks a bit better, but close examination shows that it had a split running down from the tang of the receiver to almost the bottom of the butt plate. This has been expertly repaired, but the evidence is still visible to trained eyes. This Carbine has the "Crescent" butt plate and a working butt storage compartment, which is unfortunately empty.

This lever action repeating carbine 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 in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is definitely some past fouling and oxidation, now cleaned away, as well as wear from use. We would probably rate this about a 7 out of 10.

A great honest matured example of a legendary frontier repeating carbine, ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1888
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 20 Inches
Overall Length: 39 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 9-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.