Model 1873

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:47 pm
Model 1873

The model 1873 Winchester is widely know as "The Gun That Won The West" because it's production run was so high that it became the everyman rifle of choice.

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Winchester 1873 First Model Musket .44 WCF s/n 67 mfg 1873 - 30” round barrel; 26” mag; raised thumbprint dustcover; “Model 1873” and s/n “67” is factory engraved on lower tang; probably one-of-a-kind nonadjustable flip-up leaf rear sight (this sight was an outgrowth of the ’66 carbine sight with a longer staff and an extra sighting guide opening); early-style post front sight; straight grain walnut stocks w/short forend. Receiver retains a gray patina with good lower tang markings; barrel and mag retain grey/brown patina with blue mixed in and a good barrel address; stocks remain in good condition with handling marks, dings and mars, with some swelling away from the metal; bore is good. This is the earliest known model 1873 musket and the only known musket with a short forend as found on the model 1866. As documented in his letter, this musket was retrieved from Torreon, Mexico, in 1950 by George Madis and is from the George Madis collection. Featured in John Parson’s book, “The First Winchester”, Page 109; Madis’ book, “The Winchester Book”, Page 141 & 162; James D. Gordon’s book, “Winchester’s New Model of 1873, A Tribute”, Pages 172, 173, 212, 295, 307, 319, 320, 351 & 486.

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Winchester 1873 First Model SRC .44 WCF s/n 189 mfg 1874 - 20” round barrel; raised thumbprint dustcover; “Model 1873” factory engraved on lower tang; carbine-style flip-up rear sight graduated at 100, 300 & 500 yards; straight grain walnut stocks. Traces of original blue remains on receiver, sideplates and dustcover with some areas of mild surface erosion; raised thumbprint dustcover remains sharp and smoothly functioning; light gray/brown patina finish remains on barrel and mag; strong barrel address, inscription and s/n on lower tang; lower tang shows some original blue in the protected areas; stocks remain in good condition with signs of frontier use; action is excellent; bore is good. This is one of the first model 1873 carbines shipped from the factory, with only six know carbines in this configuration, and only four earlier carbines made. Featured in Madis’ book, “The Winchester Book”, Page 160; James D. Gordon’s book, “Winchester’s New Model of 1873, A Tribute”, Pages 169, 173, 176, 207, 212, 259, 287 & 352.

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Winchester 1873 First Model Rifle .44 WCF s/n 380 mfg 1874 – 24” octagon barrel; full mag; raised thumb print dust cover; set trigger; early style reverse rear sight; extra finish walnut stocks with crescent buttplate. Receiver retains 97% brilliant blue with some losses on both side plates and on the right side of the frame; barrel and mag retain 95% coverage of blue with some thinning near the muzzle; 70% vivid case colors remain on hammer; 30% case colors remain on lever; mottled casehardening remains on buttplate; stocks retain nearly all of their original varnish finish; bore is brilliantly bright and appears to be unfired.

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Winchester 1873 SRC .44 WCF s/n 1574 mfg 1874 First model, raised thumbprint dustcover, 60% condition oa.

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Winchester 1873 First Model "1 of 1000" Rifle .44 WCF s/n 3414 mfg 1875 - 24" octagon barrel, full mag, blued frame w/impressed thumbprint dustcover, set trigger, sporting front & rear sights, straight grain uncheckered walnut stocks, case hardened crescent buttplate. Once purchased by George Madis in Mexico in 1952. See documentation for a detailed history on this historic gun.

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Winchester 1873 First Model Rifle .44 WCF s/n 7043 mfg 1874 - extremely rare 24" heavy weight Remington Twisted barrel provided by Winchester, factory nickel plated receiver. Original outside-factory work (by H.H. Schulte of Pittsburg) sights, fancy checkered forend & cheek piece stock with nickel plated & engraved butt plate, stock inlays, patch box & inscription plate inscribed "Joel Fink, Sept. 14th, 1875". Factory letter states shipped w/Remington Twisted Barrel, no stocks or sights. Outstanding 95% OA condition.

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Winchester 1873 First Model Musket .44 WCF s/n 12788 mfg 1876 - 30" round barrel with provisions for angular bayonet. Metal parts retain an even plum patina, straight-grain walnut stocks remain in excellent condition. Right side of stock has a cartouche of unknown origin incorporating an anchor and a crown-perhaps of British navel or Canadian origin.

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Winchester 1873 First Model Deluxe Presentation Rifle .44 WCF s/n 28059 mfg 1879 - 24" octagon barrel, case hardened receiver w/set trigger, nickel-silver knife blade front & clover leaf rear sporting sights, deluxe fancy checkered straight grip walnut stocks w/crescent butt. Silver-plated oval-shaped inscription plate on left side of buttstock: "PRESENTED TO Fred k. Fillmore. By his Friends, San Francisco, Feb. 7, 1879". Research indicates Fillmore was a leather-smith in the San Francisco Bay area. Excellent mechanical action and screws; barrel retains approximately 70% blue turned plum, mag retains 85% blue with some toning near muzzle. Receiver and butt plate retains 10% case colors, balance faded and mottled. Stocks retain most of their original oil finish w/sharp checkering.

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Winchester 1873 Second Model Deluxe Rifle .44 WCF s/n 30203 mfg 1878 - 24" round barrel, full magazine, case colored receiver, hammer, lever and crescent buttplate, early impressed thumb print dustcover, fancy checkered straight grip walnut stocks with piano finish, tang sight, sporting rear sight. Rifle is in overall superb condition with receiver retains 90% vivid case colors starting to fade; barrel and mag retain 95% bright blue; stocks retain most all of their original varnish finish with sharp checkering; excellent bore.

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Winchester 1873 Second Model Deluxe Rifle .44 WCF s/n 36005 mfg 1890 - 24" part round barrel w/full magazine (rare configuration), case hardened receiver w/plain trigger, buckhorn rear and Beach front sights, deluxe fancy checkered straight grip walnut stocks w/rubber shotgun butt. Excellent mechanical action and screws; barrel and mag retain approximately 60% thinning blue. Receiver and butt plate retains 30% vivid case colors, balance faded. Stocks retain most of their original varnish finish w/sharp checkering.

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Winchester 1873 Second Model Deluxe Rifle .44 WCF s/n 50766 mfg 1879 – 24” part round barrel; full mag; color case hardened receiver; vernier tang, leaf rear and globe front sights; deluxe checkered capped pistol grip walnut stocks w/curved hard rubber shotgun buttplate. Includes a letter of authenticity from the Cody Firearms Museum verifying all of the features of this rifle.

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Winchester 1873 Deluxe Short Rifle s/n 61331 mfg 1880 - 20" round barrel, case hardened receiver, fancy walnut checkered straight grip stocks, steel shotgun butt, buckhorn rear sight. Mechanical action is excellent; barrel and mag retain 80% original blue coverage mixed with plum; receiver has traces of case colors with balance mottled; hammer and lever retain 40% vivid case colors; stocks retain considerable original varnish finish w/sharp checkering. Possibly the earliest deluxe '73 short rifle.

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Winchester 1873 Baby SRC .44 WCF s/n 109172A mfg 1882 - 15” round barrel; full mag; case colored hammer and lever; early-style non-adjustable leaf sight graduated from 100 - 500 yards; post-type front sight; straight-grain oil finished walnut stocks; blued carbine buttplate with trap door; belly of receiver has Australian Importer markings of James Rosier in small font “10043 / J.R.”. Condition: Receiver, barrel and mag retain 85% - 90% original blue finish with areas of bright blue; hammer retains mostly brilliant case colors with balance fading; lever outside retains areas of fading case; lever inside trigger guard area and on top surface along bottom tang retain strong vivid case colors; stocks retain a high degree of their original oil finish and have some handling marks and mars; buttplate retains full coverage of dulling blue; mechanics are crisp; bore is brilliant with sharp rifling.

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Winchester 1873 Antique Third Model Deluxe Short Rifle .44 WCF s/n 170642 mfg 1883 – 22” octagon barrel (2” shorter than standard); full mag; case hardened receiver; set trigger; Winchester 62B long leaf folding peep sight, flat top sporting rear and Rocky Mountain front sights; fancy pistol grip checkered high gloss varnish finished walnut stocks with spade ebony inlay; crescent buttplate. Receiver retains traces of muted case colors with balance silver grey; barrel retains 80% blue; mag retains 50% blue thinning and turning a plum patina; stocks retain full coverage of their original piano varnish with some minor dings, dents and handling marks; buttstock checkering is in very good condition; forend checkering show signs of honest wear from use; actions is crisp; bore is bright, shiny and considered a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Includes a Winchester factory letter of authentication.

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Winchester 1873 SRC .44 WCF s/n 253836 mfg 1887 - Third Model, half-mag, crescent butt, special-order front sight, 50% bright blue, balance turning plum.

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Winchester 1873 Third Model Short Rifle .38 WCF s/n 281292 mfg 1888 - 20" part round barrel w/ivory bead front and flat top rear sights, plain trigger, half magazine, case colored receiver, nickel plated crescent buttplate, extra finish walnut stocks. Barrel retains 95% original bright blue; receiver retains 75% coverage of 30% fading case colors; hammer retains 60% vivid case colors; buttplate retains 60% original nickel; stocks retain almost all their original varnish finish.

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Winchester Third Model SRC .32 WCF s/n 601566B mfg 1905 - 20” round barrel, carbine style rear sight; straight grain walnut stocks.

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Winchester 1873 Third Model Short Rifle .44 WCF s/n 646054 mfg 1910 - 20" octagon barrel, crescent butt. Metal retains 95+% bright blue with vivid case colors on hammer, lever and buttplate. Walnut stocks are in excellent condition and retain virtually all of their original finish.

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Winchester 1873 Third Model Deluxe Rifle .38 WCF s/n 720505B mfg 1923 - 24" part round barrel; full mag; blued receiver w/case-colored hammer; knurled set-trigger; deluxe walnut stocks w/unusual carved stippled-background deco pattern & extra-long 13-1/2" pull; blued crescent buttplate; Lyman No. 5 combination front sight; Marbles 64 semi-buckhorn rear sight; Lyman No. 2A combination tang sight. Rifle is in like-new condition.

.270 WIN
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Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2011 1:09 pm
PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:28 am
I would love to have a 73 Win
"Im just a Peckerwood who lives in the hills with too many guns"
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Posts: 836
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:23 pm
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:51 am
same here one day i will add one to my collection!!
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Posts: 836
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:23 pm
Location: New York
PostPosted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 3:04 pm
Model 1873, "The gun that won the west"

The Winchester 1873 was made in rifles, carbines and muskets. Most of the carbines and muskets were of standard configuration but many rifles had features such as fancy wood, pistol grip, checking, longer or shorter barrel length, heavier barrel weight, octagon or half octagon barrel (round was standard), matted barrel, shotgun butt, Swiss butt, sling swivels, special stock dimensions, shorter magazine, engraving, special sights, nickel or part nickel finish (sometimes silver or gold), case hardened frame and many other custom features. Standard barrels on carbines were 20" round, rifles 24" round (more octagon barrels were made), Muskets 30" round. The carbines and muskets were always made with round barrels. Rifle barrels were as short as 14" and up to 36". Carbine barrels were as short as 12" with many In 15" and 16". A few Spanish contract carbines and muskets were made and were quite different - see The Winchester Book [by George Madis]

The information in these pages is very limited and mainly covers changes of the receiver. Features such as barrel addresses, caliber markings, types of sights, internal changes, special guns like the One of One Hundred and One of One Thousand, barrel dimensions, assembly markings and other things are found in The Winchester Book by George Madis and in very great detail with many rare variations illustrated.

There are a few changes and features of the 1873 Winchester that are of significant importance and should be mentioned:

Magazines of all First Models and some early Second Models used a screw-in plug. Later ones used a plug that was held in by a screw.

Carbine front sights were an integral part of the front barrel band until about the 47,000 range when changed to a post type with blade.

Carbines in caliber 32 WCF (32-20) used a rifle type magazine hanger instead of a front barrel band.

1873's made after about the 560,000 range (1906) were proof marked on the front top of receiver and rear top of barrel. Earlier ones with proofing stamps indicate they were returned to the factory for repair or rework.

Butt plates of 1873's in 32 WCF were solid without a cleaning rod trapdoor. Also no cleaning rod trapdoor will be found on shotgun or Swiss butt plates.

Two magazine hangers were used on rifles with 32", 34" and 361, barrels with full length magazines.

Three types of hammer knurling were used. See The Winchester Book.

All First Model 1873's were made in 44 WCF (44-40) caliber. In 1879 the 38 WCF (38-40) was introduced, followed by the 32 WCF (32-20) in 1882 and the 22 caliber in 1883. No caliber markings were used until the 38 WCF was made. Both the barrel and bottom of the elevator were marked.

Information in these pages is not without error. Overlapping will be seen in the serial ranges listed. In many cases older parts were used on later guns. I will welcome any report of additional information or corrections to this 'material.

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