Page 5 - Auction84-Book2

LOT 1000
Exceptional Antique Winchester Model 1873 Lever
Action Rifle in Desirable .22 Short Caliber - Serial
no. 320926B, 22 short cal., 24 inch octagon bbl., blue finish, walnut
stock. Manufactured in 1889 as a Third Model with integral dust cover rail
and dust cover with serrations at the rear. Winchester only manufactured approximately 19,552 Model 1873s in .22 short or .22 long between 1884 and 1904. The barrel is marked with the two-line
address/King’s patent marking on the upper flat and “22 SHORT” at the breech. The bottom of the cartridge elevator is marked
“22 CAL./SHORT.” The upper tang is marked with the model designation and the serial number is on the lower tang. It is fitted with a German silver blade front sight and
elevation adjustable notch rear sight. It is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with a crescent buttplate.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 90% plus of the original blue finish and 60% plus of the original case colors with the balance having thinned to mostly a smooth grey patina, primarily on
edges and high spots, and some speckling of very light oxidation on the bottom of the lever. The wood is very fine with some scattered minor dings and scratches. Mechanically excellent. Estimate: 9,000 - 14,000
LOT 1001
Attractive and Desirable Winchester Deluxe Model 1895 Lever Action .405 WCF Rifle with Threaded Muzzle
and Factory Letter - Serial no. 50826, 405 WCF cal., 24 inch round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1905. This rifle is
chambered for the highly desirable .405 W.C.F. cartridge, the most powerful cartridge ever offered in a Winchester lever action rifle and suitable
for hunting dangerous game in North America, Africa or Asia. President Teddy Roosevelt used a Winchester Model 1895 rifle chambered for the 405 WCF cartridge extensively during his famous African safari. The accompanying factory letter confirms the chambering in .405 caliber as well as stating the rifle was received in the warehouse on September 26, 1905, shipped the next day, and returned and repaired on April 10, 1909. The barrel features a threaded muzzle, a Lyman beaded blade front sight and an elevation adjustable rear sight. The threads at the muzzle provided a means to attach a silencer made by Maxim and others as advertised by Winchester from 1902 to 1910. Per Winchester expert and author George Madis, only “a few Winchesters” left the factory with “threads cut on the barrel or by a method similar to an angular bayonet attachment for muskets and carbines” for the purpose of attaching a silencer (see “The Winchester Book,” page 467). We cannot guarantee that the aforementioned feature is factory. A Lyman peep sight is mounted on the left side
of the receiver. There are standard markings including the Winchester factory oval proof on top of the barrel and receiver at the breech. The receiver tang lacks an assembly number, and the stock inlet is blank. Mounted with a finely figured checkered walnut forearm and straight grip stock with a checkered hard rubber buttplate. According to Winchester expert and author George Madis, about 387 Model 1895s featured checkered or carved stocks (see “The Winchester Book,” page 460). Higher grade finishes “will be found less often on the Model 95 than on other models,” continued Madis, “partly due to the fact that it was a higher-power arm intended for the more rugged hunting.”This deluxe rifle certainly makes for a rare Model 1895, made even more desirable with a threaded muzzle and .405 WCF chambering.
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 80% original blue finish with scattered patches of dark oxidation, thinning to brown on the balance. The wood is also very fine with a repaired chip at the upper tang, some minor handling marks and crisp checkering overall. Mechanically excellent.
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000
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