Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Got me a "REAL" 1873 Winchester!


Rancho Roy

Recommended Posts

Howdy

 

First off, I'm jealous. I live a little bit north of you and I wish I'd known that rifle was available, I would have run up and stole it from you.

 

Secondly, be sure to try shooting it before you go to the expense of relining the barrel. I dunno how bad it is, but I can tell you I have quite a few old rifles and a few revolvers dating from the late 1800s. Many of them have pitted bores. With only one exception, all of these old guns have been good shooters for me. The only exception was a Lee Enfield that I could not get to shoot without keyholing no matter what I put through it.

 

Other than that, my experience has been that as long as the rifling is still strong, pitting does not usually affect the guns ability to shoot straight. When I buy an old gun, a pitted bore does not phase me in the least, as long as I can see that the rifling is still strong. You might be in for a pleasant surprise.

 

Regarding ammo, keep your loads relatively light, no barn burners. I have shot both Smokeless and Black Powder through the pitted old bores of Winchesters, Marlins, and Smith and Wessons, usually with good results. I have also read that it is harder to clean Black Powder residue out of an old pitted bore, which is true because fouling tends to cling to the pits, but what you won't read anywhere is that you don't have to get every last molecule of fouling out of the pits. If there is a little bit of fouling left down in the pits, a light coating of Ballistol will saturate the fouling, rendering it incapable of drawing moisture out of the air, and there will be no further rust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started in cowboy with two goals: a set of match guns and some original guns for a monthly match every now and then. I bought some first gen Colts and a Winchester 1892. I quickly developed a thoery about the Colts (that many may disagree with, but it was my experience). The Colt's have been continuously been shot since great-great-grandad bought the gun in 1891. The Winchesters were shot until the 1894 came out in the much better hunting round- the .30-30. After that the surplus guns of WWi/WWII and greta guns like Win Model 70s made the .44-40 even less attractive as a hunting gun.

 

Now, my Colts are gone. I may show at a match with a 1873 in .32-20 (circa 1890, 75% NRA condition and $200 less than my Uberti!!) and a 1887 12-gage (circa 1890, bought for $425 on Gunbroker missing two $10 screws bought from Wisners). I use a 1892 in .38-40 circa 1925 for WB and long-range rifle. I am currently rebuilding two Winchesters: a 1894 in .30-30 made in 1907 and used in the Mex Revolution 1912-1914, and a 1873 in .38-40 unearthed locally 2-ft under red clay but in 50% condition and in need of sideplates and a lever. I call the last my Lazarus rifle.

 

These old guns are usually made better than the copies, but the copies have better steel. Get it checked by a good gunsmith and then load per the books. Loading the original rounds is also a hoot. I ahve original Winchester loading tools for .32-20 and .38-40 that look like I might get 20 rounds per hour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, yes, The Kittery Trading Post, in Kittery Maine. (L.L. Who?)

 

A fine place to find fine guns at sometimes unbelievalby low prices. About 2 years ago, I picked up a 7.5" 2nd Gen Colt .45 up there in excellent mechanical condition with a fine bore. Not much finish on it, but no external rust. Cost me $700.00 and, yes, Driftwood was sorry to miss out on that one as well. :)

 

As far as your rifle goes, looks like you've got a nice one. And I can relate to having what looks like a bad bore turn out to just be a dirty one.

 

My own Winchester 73 is a .32-20, and there is a nasty looking pit about the middle of the barrel, but it does not seem to affect the accuracy any, as this thing can give me some really precision shooting when I have a mind to try it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a piece of history.... SWEET!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any plans on displaying it, or is it going into a safe?

 

Gonna shoot this little beauty at all the CAS events I can!

 

The bore is really toast. I'll certainly shoot it before I move forward with a reline, but my bore scope shows a real sewer pipe. I tried cleaning it with everything I have, including 0000 steel wool. Still looks terrible. Barely can make out the rifling. I'm betting someone used this rifle long ago, wiped it down with a rag but never cleaned the bore. Over time the bore just "rotted" away, but they kept the exterior very nice. The interior of the action looks brand new! Extremely little wear on the blued parts. "Shot little....put away dirty" is my guess.........

 

To answer "How do you reline a barrel?".............In a lathe you use a special long drill to ream out the bore. You glue in a very thin "barrel" that has the rifling, cut the chamber and crown the muzzle and you are good to go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 38WCF is very forgiving in SASS with a "toast" barrel. I have one I shoot regular that the rifling is pretty faint yet holds a good group for out distances. Good buy on a sweet rifle.

 

Jailhouse Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like I'll be doing the reline myself. The two gunsmiths I spoke to have reasonable prices ($375) but a six month wait! UGH!

 

I can buy the parts (deep drill, liner, chamber reamer) for $250.

 

Once I have the tools, I'm thinking a Springfield Trap Door in 38-40?

 

A Winchester Low Wall in 38-40?

 

A Martini in 38-40?

 

The possibilities are endless to line old sewer piped barreled rifles that can sometimes be had for cheap..............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.