Make: Winchester Repeating Arms

Model: 1873, 3rd Model

Serial Number: 248130B

Year of Manufacture: 1887 (reference Factory Letter)

Caliber: .32-20 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Full-Length Tubular Magazine

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked "WINCHESTER'S REPEATING ARMS NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. / -KING'S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860.-" and at the receiver with "32 W.C.F.". The bottom tang is marked "248130B". The top tang is marked "MODEL. 1873.". The bottom of the lifter is marked "32 CAL.". 

Barrel Length: 24” Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a German silver blade in a slotted base dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "V"-notch semi-buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The top tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight (none present). 

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with a capped forend, straight grip, straight comb, and steel crescent buttplate. The stocks have scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 12 3/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has worn to white or gone to a light patina with some light scraping in the face. Overall, the stocks are in about Fine Condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well defined rifling. There is scattered erosion and light pitting in the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates about 6 out of 10.rode

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 85% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There is scattered light wear on the barrel. The lever and top tang show handling wear. The lever's case color has mostly muted, there is some good color on the hammer. There are some light nicks, scuffs, and scratches. There are scattered spots of light oxidation. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Fine Condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. There is a lever lock on the lower tang, a lever safety, and a dust cover on the receiver that slides on an integral rail, typical of the Third Models. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a Winchester factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum confirming this was produced as a “Rifle, 32 caliber, Barrel Shape: Octagon, Plain trigger, Received in warehouse on August 8, 1887, Shipped from warehouse on August 20, 1887, order number 22368”.

Our Assessment: The famous Winchester Model 1873 lever action repeating rifle had its beginnings in the Volcanic Firearms Company and the later designs by Benjamin Tyler Henry. The Model 1873 boasted a steel frame that was much stronger than the brass framed Model 1866, allowing Winchester to move away from .44 rimfire and develop the powerful new .44-40 WCF round (Winchester’s first metallic centerfire cartridge), as well as a family of other new potent rounds, with Colt usually producing Single Action Army revolvers in the same calibers shortly after they were developed. The Model 1873 has an almost mythical status among firearms collectors, Old West enthusiasts, and fans of the Western film genre, even inspiring the 1950 movie "Winchester '73" starring Jimmy Stewart. It will forever be known as the “The Gun that Won the West” for its predominant role in the hands of Western settlers.

This Antique Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle was made in 1887 and is in Fine Condition. It features a 24” octagonal barrel, 85% of its beautiful, original blued finish, with some fairly vibrant case coloring on the sides of the hammer, elegant two-piece smooth walnut stocks with a steel crescent buttplate, clear markings, solid mechanics, and a gray bore with well defined rifling, scattered erosion, and light pitting, and comes with a Winchester factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum confirming this was produced as a “Rifle, 32 caliber, Barrel Shape: Octagon, Plain trigger, Received in warehouse on August 8, 1887, Shipped from warehouse on August 20, 1887, order number 22368”. A departure from the earlier centerfire cartridges, .32-20 WCF was notably smaller, using less lead and therefore destroying less meat, a valuable quality indeed when hunting for sustenance. Most Winchester ’73 rifles were “rode hard and put away wet”; this high condition example would be a fantastic addition to an Old West or Winchester collection.