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LOT 1005
Exceptional Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action .44-40 Rifle with Factory Letter - Serial no. 206190B, 44-40 WCF cal., 24 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. This is an exceptional example of a Winchester Model 1873 rifle with Cody Firearms Museum letter that states it was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on June 1, 1886. The letter describes the rifle’s features as: “Octagon barrel” and “Plain trigger”. The barrel, magazine, forearm cap and receiver are blued, and the hammer, lever, and crescent buttplate have a casehardened finish. The stock and forearm are straight grain American walnut with a polished oil finish. The rifle has the Third Model receiver with integral dust cover guide and dust cover with serrated edges. The crescent steel buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor; the butt trap contains a four-piece jointed steel cleaning rod. The barrel is fitted with a Beach folding combination front sight and a sporting style rear sight with serrated edges. The receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped for a rear sight. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped with the two-line legend: “WINCHESTER’S-REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT./KING’S-IMPROVEMENT- PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860.”“44 CAL” is roll-stamped on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and the receiver. The bottom of the brass cartridge elevator is stamped “44 CAL” in script letters. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: “{ MODEL 1873 }” in fancy script with foliate devices at either end. The serial number “206190B” is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and the tang screw.
.44-40 WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 RIFLE
CONDITION: Excellent. The rifle is all original
and retains 95% of the original blue finish. The
barrel, magazine and forearm cap have nearly
all of the original blue finish with minimal
wear. The receiver is excellent and retains
95% of blue finish; wear is limited to some
minor areas on the edges of the side plates,
receiver and a few very minor handling marks
and several tiny spots of discoloration. The stock and forearm are also in excellent condition with 95% of the original polished oil finish remaining. Wear is limited to a few very minor handling marks on the stock and forearm. All of the markings are crisp. Mechanically excellent. This is an excellent example of a Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action rifle. Estimate: 18,000 - 27,500
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