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LOT 3014
Fine Antique Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle with Desirable
Casehardened Frame and Factory Letter - Serial no. 135577A, 32-20 WCF cal., 24 inch octagon bbl., blue/
casehardened finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1883, this is a fine example of an antique, special ordered,
Winchester deluxe Model 1873 rifle, with the very desirable casehardened frame. The included factory letter
lists the rifle in .32 caliber with an octagon barrel, plain trigger, checkered pistol grip stock, and casehardened when
received at the warehouse on 6 December 1883 and shipped the same day. According to noted Winchester historian and author
George Madis, approximately one in every 600 Model 1873s was ordered with special wood and one in every 700 had checkering. Madis does not list the
rarity of casehardened finishes, which are seen fairly often on deluxe rifles, but are comparatively very scarce when viewed in the context of total production, and they
remain incredibly desirable on the collectors market. This rifle has the third model receiver featuring the integral dust cover guide and the dust cover with grip serrations
at the rear. The top of the barrel is marked with the two-line address and King’s patent marking, as well as the caliber marking at the breech, which is repeated on the bottom of
the cartridge elevator. The upper tang is marked with the model designation, and the serial number is on the lower tang, perpendicular to the direction of the tang itself. The left side of
the lower tang is marked “XX 5110 32 R”, with “P 32 5110” (“0” replaced with large punch-dot) in the stock inlet, and “5110” on the inside toe of the buttplate. It is fitted with a Lyman beaded
blade “Hunting” front sight, a replacement elevation adjustable No. 22 notch rear sight, and a graduated long range peep sight mounted on the upper tang. It is mounted with a finely
figured, H-pattern checkered forearm and pistol grip stock with an ebony insert in the grip base and a crescent buttplate.
CONDITION: Fine, retains 50% of the thinned original blue finish with the balance mostly a grey-brown patina and 60% plus of the original case colors under a layer of protective varnish
which shows some mild flaking. 75% of the original nitre blue remains on the loading gate. The wood is also fine with some scattered minor dings and scratches, mild varnish wear on the
forearm, and otherwise mostly crisp checkering and much of the original varnish. Mechanically excellent. A fine example of a casehardened Winchester deluxe Model 1873!
Provenance: The Cam & Deb Cooper Collection.
Estimate: 14,000 - 22,500
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