Skip to main content
Rock Island Auction Company
AuctionsConsignmentLatestFAQAbout us
Log InCreate Account
Rock Island Auction CompanyRock Island Auction Company
Contact us
1-309-797-15001-800-238-8022[email protected]
Locations
Bedford, TX
3600 Harwood RoadBedford, Texas 76021, USA
Rock Island, IL
7819 42nd Street WestRock Island, Illinois 61201, USA
Hours
Monday - Friday8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Navigation
AuctionsConsignmentLatestFAQAbout usAccount
More Info
Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyJob postings & CareersOrder a catalogContact
Social media
© 2025 Rock Island Auction Company. RIAC believes that this website is accessible to the widest possible audience pursuant to the guidelines of the Americans with Disability Act. Click here for more information.
Healthcare Transparency in Coverage.
Disconnected
Unable to connect to live update server, attempting reconnection. If this persists, please try refreshing your browser.
Disconnected state indicated by at top of page. If you cannot see this icon, you are connected.
Rock Island Auction Company
Hello.
Please Log In, or .

Home
Auctions
Consignment
Latest
FAQ
About us

  • /Auctions...
  • /Catalog...
  • /Lot 10

Lot 10:ATF Exempted Winchester Model 1873 Trapper Lever Action Carbine

August 26th, 2022|Rock Island, IL
  • /Auctions...
  • /Catalog...
  • /Lot 10

Lot 10:ATF Exempted Winchester Model 1873 Trapper Lever Action Carbine

August 26th, 2022|Rock Island, IL
Price Realized:
Login to viewLogin to view
Price obfuscated
Estimated Price$3,500 - $5,500
Log In to use Wishlists
Share

Winchester Model 1873 "Trapper" Lever Action Carbine with ATF Exempted 15 Inch Barrel

This gun is listed in the included 1992 dated ATF letter and the ATF Curio & Relics lists as exempted from the NFA and classified as a curio or relic. The serial number on the bottom of the frame was applied per the instructions in the letter. It has a "barley corn" style front sight, notch and folding ladder rear sight, button magazine, taps for a second model dust cover (use c. sn. 31000- 90000 in 1879-1882), and Native American style tack decorated stock and forearm. While the Model 1873 has been famously nicknamed "The Gun that Won the West" and was a popular "cowboy" gun both in real life and on the silver screen, Native Americans on the plains are known to have switched to Winchester's repeating rifles shortly after they became available even while the U.S. military and many American civilians continued to use single shot rifles. Native warriors used them to devastating effects at the Battle of Little Bighorn and other engagements in the West, and Geronimo's Apache appear to have been fond of Winchester's repeaters base on period photographs and tack decorated examples noted as found on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, but the will of various native nations to fight and the firepower of their Winchesters was not enough for them to overcome American settlers' hunger for native lands and resources in the long run. Provenance: The Brandhorst Collection

ConditionFair with a lot of "frontier" character that you would expect to see on a 19th century firearm used for many years in the American West. The iron displays a brown patina and mild oxidation overall. The dust cover and guide rail are absent, and most of the markings are worn away. Slight bulge in barrel. The magazine tube was shortened. The brass cartridge elevator shows an attractive aged patina, and the tacks display most of their frosty plated finish along with some aged patina and dents. A few tacks are absent. The wood has the replacement forend modified, some filler, and moderate cracks and loss. Mechanically good. This is definitely a gun that looks like it was rediscovered after a hard life on the frontier. Imagine the stories it could tell if it could only talk!
Details
ManufacturerWinchester
Model1873
TypeCarbine
Serial number
ClassCurio & Relic Long Gun
Caliber / Gauge44-40 WCF
Barrel15 inch round
Finishblue
Stockwalnut

Item LocationRock Island, IL
Views6058
Catalog page14
Find MoreRelated Items
Lot 1021Winchester Model 1894 Saddle Ring Trapper's Carbine
View Lot
Lot 53Winchester Model 92 Trapper's Carbine with 14 Inch Barrel
View Lot
Lot 7Winchester First Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle
View Lot
Lot 1001Antique Winchester Deluxe Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle
View Lot
Show More