Original Excellent U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Repeating Rifle with Round Barrel & Factory Letter made in 1886 – Serial 196305B Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. “The Gun that Won the West!” This excellent condition Winchester repeating rifle is in .44-40 caliber, correctly marked 44 CAL. over the chamber and on the brass carrier block. It features a desirable 24″ heavy round barrel and full-length magazine tube. As with all examples, it is marked MODEL. 1873. on the upper receiver tang. Features the classic front sight and iconic “Buckhorn” rear adjustable sight. The serial number is 196305B, denoting the year of manufacture as 1886.

This rifle also comes with an original factory letter from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West at the Cody Firearms Museum, which now houses the original Winchester factory records. This is printed on watermarked WINCHESTER REPEATING Fire Arms letterhead, and dated March 20, 2023. These indicate that the order for this rifle was received in the warehouse December 14, 1885, and shipped on February 18, 1886 as part of order 4312. It indicates that the it was a rifle with a round barrel and a plain trigger. Unfortunately there is no other information available for the serial number, but that is not uncommon for a rifle that did not see customization.

The engraving on the top of the barrel present and legible:

WINCHESTER’S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN CT.
KING’S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860.

The stocks are in excellent condition, with a great color and finish, showing just a bit of light wear from age and storage. There are some minor scratches and dents, but no major wear or other damage. The butt stock is beautiful, and me meets well with the crescent butt plate, which is in good shape with a working storage compartment (empty).

This lever action repeater is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition, with a working original dust cover. It really cycles beautifully, without any of the slop we often see from repeating rifles of this age. The metalwork is in beautiful condition, with strong original bluing retained on the barrel, magazine tube, and much of the receiver. There is some oxidation speckling on the receiver and dust cover due to age and lack of oiling, and this is the type of surface oxidation that very slowly spreads under a finish, so we believe that this is the original finish, slowly aging over almost 140 years. The trigger, hammer, and lever still show much of the original case hardened finish, and look great!

The bore is almost like a mirror, and possibly the best bore we have EVER seen on a Winchester. There is little sign of use or wear of any kind. The lands and grooves are crisp, the finish is bright, and this is truly a bore that would be nearly impossible to improve upon.

A fantastic example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle, complete with a factory letter. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition, and nearly impossible in great condition like this. More than ready for display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1886
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

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.

Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country’s antique gun laws prior to ordering.