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LOT 22
Attractive and Exceptional Antique Special Order Winchester
Deluxe First Model 1873 with Extra Length 30 Inch Barrel, Casehardened
Receiver, and Factory Letter - Serial no. 10613, 44 WCF cal., 30 inch octagon bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1876, this is an exceptionally fine example
of a special ordered Winchester deluxe First Model 1873 rifle in a very attractive configuration.
The included factory letter lists the rifle with a 30 inch octagon barrel, set trigger, “XX” checkered
wood, and casehardened finish when received at the warehouse on 15 November 1876 and
shipped on 19 January 1877 in order number 8163. According to noted Winchester historian and
author George Madis, approximately one in every 600 Model 1873s was ordered with a longer than
standard barrel, one in every 600 had special wood, one in every 700 had checkering, and one in
every 26 had a set trigger. Though these statistics are approximations, they show how rare this specific
rifle is in its special ordered, deluxe configuration. The “first model” receiver has the integral dust cover
guides and dust cover with the flush “thumbprint” checkering. The top barrel flat has the standard two-line
Winchester address and King’s patent marking, and both the barrel and cartridge elevator correctly lack a caliber
marking, as .44-40 W.C.F. was the only caliber offered for the model until 1879. The upper tang has the model marking and the lower tang is
marked with the early style, small script serial number, which was seen on the model up until around serial number 30,000. The left side of the lower
tang is marked “XXX 450”, with “450” repeated in the stock inlet and inside the buttplate. It is unclear if the discrepancy between the wood grade in the
factory letter in that marked on the gun is a ledger notation error or simply the factory providing a slightly higher wood grade than what was ordered. It
is fitted with a period replacement German silver blade front sight, elevation adjustable notch rear sight, and the special ordered set trigger. It is mounted
with a nicely figured checkered forearm and straight grip stock with the early style checkering pattern and a trapdoor crescent buttplate. Included with the
rifle is a “V.L.&A./CHICAGO” marked leather scabbard/travel case.
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