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A “New” Winchester 1873 Followed Me Home...


Doc Coles SASS 1188

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I dropped by the local shop on Saturday and saw an interesting 44-40 Winchester 1873. It’s a pistol grip deluxe with xx or xxx wood, a half magazine, half round barrel.  It shows it’s wear and has some pitting but it retains strong traces of color case and blue.  The bore is nice and bright and the gun is mechanically perfect.  I was taken with it and moved a couple of reproduction guns that I was not using to pay for it.  I went and picked it up today.  It was not much more than the cost of a current production 1873 deluxe.  It joins the 1886 deluxe I found a couple of years back.  Thought folks might enjoy seeing it.
 

Update:  It was manufactured in 1884. According to Madis, for the 1873, only 801 rifles had part round barrels, 2669 had short magazines, 1279 had special wood, 1066 were checkered, 1896 had pistol grips, 16137 had special order sights (it has the Rocky Mountain sight). So that is six custom order options.  This one deserves a factory letter.  

B261EC04-861D-4787-B66F-FA01C18CCBBF.jpeg

54CEE511-4E2A-4543-A6CE-B92A70485BEE.jpeg

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Very nice! Always wonder why so many back in the day would choose the button mag configuration. It certainly adds to the curb appeal, but limits the number of readily available shots. Granted, there wouldn't be that many occasions to rip off 10 or 12 shots, but still.....,

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39 minutes ago, Goody, SASS #26190 said:

Very nice! Always wonder why so many back in the day would choose the button mag configuration. It certainly adds to the curb appeal, but limits the number of readily available shots. Granted, there wouldn't be that many occasions to rip off 10 or 12 shots, but still.....,

Because the guns were used a lot, bent mag tubes were a lot harder to replace back then.  They didn't have next day shipping 

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9 minutes ago, evil dogooder said:

Because the guns were used a lot, bent mag tubes were a lot harder to replace back then.  They didn't have next day shipping 

Logical, Mr. Spock.

 

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2 hours ago, evil dogooder said:

Because the guns were used a lot, bent mag tubes were a lot harder to replace back then.  They didn't have next day shipping 


They also have a totally different, and very pleasant balance.  I have a number of 73s and this one feels quite different.  No good for sass because it only holds 6 rounds, but it would be a great gun otherwise.

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10 hours ago, Doc Coles SASS 1188 said:

I dropped by the local shop on Saturday and saw an interesting 44-40 Winchester 1873. It’s a pistol grip deluxe with xx or xxx wood, a half magazine, half round barrel.  It shows it’s wear and has some pitting but it retains strong traces of color case and blue.  The bore is nice and bright and the gun is mechanically perfect.  I was taken with it and moved a couple of reproduction guns that I was not using to pay for it.  I went and picked it up today.  It was not much more than the cost of a current production 1873 deluxe.  It joins the 1886 deluxe I found a couple of years back.  Thought folks might enjoy seeing it.
 

Update:  It was manufactured in 1882. According to Madis, for the 1873, only 801 rifles had part round barrels, 2669 had short magazines, 1279 had special wood, 1066 were checkered, 1896 had pistol grips, 16137 had special order fights (it has the Rocky Mountain sight). So that is six custom order options.  This one deserves a factory letter.  

B261EC04-861D-4787-B66F-FA01C18CCBBF.jpeg

54CEE511-4E2A-4543-A6CE-B92A70485BEE.jpeg

Reminds me of the rifle in the movies Hombre & Rio Conchos!  

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Go gentle on the cleanup.  I use Murphy's Oil and a burlap rag to get the accumulation of scum off the wood.  Maybe use Murphy's cleaner if not heavy.  That's how l cleaned the wood on this Marlin made 1893.

 

608448735_Marlin1891ButtstockApril2021.jpg.19732304b2cb33f56846e2840c24d3c1.jpg

 

Copper wool (not copper plated steel) with your favorite cleaning oil on the steel. 

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I am gently cleaning it up, but I want to keep its original patina and not remove any of the surviving finish.  I am not going to refinish the gun.  There are some things that can be done to improve the stocks without causing issues or making it look like it’s been worked over.  Slow and easy is best with a gun this rare.  
 

I have had the side plates off snd the inside shows a lot of color case and blue. 

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Dude, you should totally ceracoat that iron and ditch the firewood for some sweet Realtree synthetic!

 

 

 

 

(Can you tell I'm green with envy?)

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