Winchester 1873 Deluxe 1st Model .44-40 WCF Lever Action Rifle 1875 Antique
SOLD FOR: $4,300
WOA#: WY240120EC001
Make: Winchester
Model: 1873 Rifle First Model
Serial Number: 9078
Year of Manufacture: 1875, Received in Warehouse September 22, 1875. Shipped from warehouse on September 25, 1875. Order number 4035.
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester (.44 Winchester Center Fire)
Action Type: Lever Action with Tubular Short “Button” Magazine
Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN CT. / KING’S – IMPROVEMENT – PATENTED – MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16 1860”. The lower tang is marked “9078.
Barrel Length: 24” Half Octagonal Barrel
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed to the barrel. The rear sight is a v-notch dovetailed to the barrel that flips up into a ladder sight with an adjustable V-notch leaf. The upper tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a rear sight. (Not included).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece Deluxe XX checkered with capped forend, straight grip, straight comb, and crescent buttplate with a sliding door in front of a storage compartment in the butt (nothing in the compartment). The stocks have scattered nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches. There are no chips or cracks on the buttstock. There is a small crack in the left side of the forend at the cap about 1 inch in length. The LOP measures 12.75” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has a mottled patina with light wear and some minor erosion at the heel and toe. Overall, the stocks are in Good-Plus condition as refinished Antique.
Type of Finish: Case Hardened
Finish Originality: The upper tang screw may have been refinished. Other remaining finish appears Original.
Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling shows some wear, but is generally well defined, sharp in most areas. There is some scattered erosion. There is some rust freckling ont he muzzle. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7 out of 10 as antique.
Most antique firearms have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the use of black powder. When fired, black powder reacts corrosively. NRA Antique Firearm Conditions Standards are quite lenient for bores. In some cases, the NRA standards disregarded the bore’s condition for collectors’ firearms.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about none of its metal finish. Remaining finish is mostly around the edges of the sideplates, around the top of the trigger. Other surfaces have mostly gone to a light patina or have worn to white. There are scattered nicks, dings, scuffs and scratches with tool marks around some screw heads. The markings are clear and legible though a bit faded in some places. There is no dust cover. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. There is a lever lock on the lower tang. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle will letter with the Cody Firearms Museum but will not ship with the letter.
Our Assessment: One of the most successful, and certainly one of the most famous Winchester rifles was the Winchester Model 1873, known as “The Gun that Won the West” for its predominant role in the hands of Western settlers. The Model 1873 had a steel frame that was much stronger than the brass framed Model 1866, allowing Winchester to develop a family of powerful new cartridges, with Colt usually producing Single Action Army revolvers in the same calibers shortly after they were developed. The .44-40 Win. cartridge, also known as the .44 WCF, was introduced by Winchester in 1873 as Winchester’s first metallic centerfire cartridge with a number of WCF cartridges to follow. Colt produced single action revolvers chambered for the Winchester cartridges as well, allowing users to have a rifle and handgun which shared the same ammunition.
This is a quite early example, serial 9078 from 1875 and is a Deluxe model with a beautiful checkered stock. The rifle appears to have had a very useful life, with wear consistent with its age of nearly 150 years. This is an honest gun in a desirable configuration and deserves a spot in a collection of lever action rifles next to its 1866, 1876, 1886, 1892 and 1894 cousins. Please see our photos and good luck! – L.S.
