Original Antique U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Rifle with Octagonal Barrel made in 1898 – Serial 514196B Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. “The Gun that Won the West!” This very fine rifle is in .44-40 caliber with a desirable 24″ octagonal barrel. It is correctly marked 44 W.C.F. over the chamber and 44 CAL. on the brass carrier block, with MODEL. 1873. on the receiver tang. Features the classic blade front sight and a “flat top” rear adjustable sight, with a full length magazine tube. The serial number is 514196B denoting the year of manufacture as 1898, probably in February. The engraving on top of the barrel is still clear:

WINCHESTER’S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN CONN. U.S.A.
— KING’S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860 —

The stocks are in very good condition, with a great color and finish. There are some scratches, dents, and other wear, but nothing out of line with honest wear on the frontier. The butt stock does have a bit of cracking on the left side near the receiver. It meets well with the crescent butt plate, which is in good shape, with a working storage compartment.

This lever action repeater is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition, with a working original dust cover. Metal work is good, with the original blue faded to a worn gray patina due to decades of cleaning, with just a few areas of light peppering. The bore is in very good condition, with clear lands and grooves, and a partly bright finish. There is some fouling and oxidation, and the lands are definitely somewhat worn. Probably rates a 7 out of 10.

An great example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition. Fully cleaned and ready for display!

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.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1898
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 24 Inches
Overall Length: 43 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 15-round tube magazine

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are no able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.