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LOT 35
Exceptional Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle with Factory Letter
- Serial no. 40669, 44 WCF cal., 24 inch part octagon bbl., blue/casehardened finish, highly figured walnut checkered pistol grip stock. Manufactured in 1879, the Cody letter describes this Winchester Model 1873 as: “Rifle, Casehardened, Barrel Shape: 1/2 Octagon, Plain trigger, Checkered pistol grip” and “1/2 magazine” and states this rifle was shipped from Winchester on December 2, 1879. The rifle has the Second Model receiver with screw-fastened dust cover guide rail and later pattern dust cover with serrated finger grips on the sides. The 24-inch half-round/half-octagon barrel has a standard, sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and buckhorn, sporting style rear sight with knurled edges and solid back. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped. The crescent buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor, and the butt trap contains a four piece, jointed, steel cleaning rod with brass tip. The forearm and pistol grip stock are deluxe, fancy grade, highly figured American walnut with fine checkering and a high polish piano finish. The Winchester “Style H” checkering is the intermediate pattern which features a large “V” on the stock wrist at the junction with the receiver and runs parallel with the edge of the receiver on the forearm. The stock pistol grip has the early style, fancy, ebony inlay. The barrel and magazine tube have a blue finish. The dust cover is a high polish blue, and the loading gate cover is a fiery niter blue. The magazine tip, forearm cap, receiver, hammer, lever, trigger and crescent buttplate are casehardened with vivid case colors. 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” ahead of the rear sight. “MODEL. 1873” is roll-stamped in fancy letters on the upper receiver tang. The serial number is stamped in tiny numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and rear tang screw. The barrel and brass cartridge elevator, correctly, are not
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marked with the rifle caliber.