Make: Winchester

Model: 3rd Model 1883 Hotchkiss Musket

Serial Number: 61437

Year of Manufacture: 1890

Caliber: .45-70 Government

Action Type: Bolt Action Tubular Magazine Fed Rifle

Barrel Length: 28"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade pinned in a slotted base at the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a folding ladder sight presenting a wide "V"-notch when down and with a more find "V"-notch slider on the ladder. The base is graduated from 100-400 yards for use with the ladder down, the ladder is graduated from 500-1,000 yards.

Stock Configuration and Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut. The forend has a steel nosecap, two barrel bands with a sling swivel on the front band, and a slot for the included clearing rod. There is another swivel at the front of the trigger guard. The buttstock has a straight grip, straight comb and steel carbine-style buttplate. The plate is stamped "RAY". The stocks have a few scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches with a few more notable marks, most notable at the right-rear of the forend. There is a tiny loss at the toe on the right. There are no cracks. The LOP measures 13 3/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has mostly worn to white with a little color on the top tang. Overall, the stocks are in Fine condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue and Case Color

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright with sharp rifling. There is some scattered minor erosion in the bore with a patch of pitting about 20-22" down the bore. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 6+/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains approximately 92% of its metal finish. The barrel's finish is generally strong with "RAY 1" stamped through the finish between the rear sight and barrel band. There is a little finish wear at the muzzle and a few light scratches. The receiver has generally strong case color with some scratching on the left flat near the bottom and infrequent minor surface oxidation. There is some thinning in the tangs and handling wear on the bolt knob. There are a few other scattered light marks. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Fine-Excellent condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork, and Accessories: This rifle comes with a Cody Firearms Records Office search which indicates it was produced as a musket, received in warehouse November 19, 1890 and shipped July 11, 1891.

Our Assessment: The Winchester Hotchkiss is a bolt-action repeating rifle patented by Benjamin Hotchkiss in 1876 and produced by Winchester and Springfield Arsenal from 1878. The Hotchkiss, like most early bolt-actions, had a single rear locking lug integral with the bolt handle, but was unique in feeding multiple rounds from a tubular buttstock magazine similar to the Spencer rifle. A magazine cutoff mechanism was adopted, allowing use as a single-shot while retaining the magazine in reserve.

There were three variants to the Hotchkiss. The original had both the magazine cutoff and safety integral to a dial on the right side. Testing and feedback from military trials led to the 2nd "Improved" model, having separate levers to each side of the receiver. Due to frequent cracking of the stock, the 3rd Model altered the receiver once more and used two-piece stocks, largely solving the issue of cracking. The 3rd Model also coincided with personnel changes at Winchester with former Remington employees Jefferson Clough and Leander Russell hired as Superintendent and Assembly Room Department head, as well as Colt firearms and tooling designer William Mason hired as the Master Mechanic. Their efforts led to a better designed rifle which was produced much more efficiently. This model was called the Model 1883 Hotchkiss and saw significant foreign military and domestic commercial sales, though the United States elected to stay with the 1873 Trapdoor rifle.

This example is from 1890. It is in Fine-Excellent condition, retaining the vast majority of its original metal finish, a decent bore and strong mechanics. It has "RAY 1" stamped on the barrel, though the significance of this marking is not clear. In any case, this a great example of the 1883 Hotchkiss that will add to any Winchester collection. Please see our photos and good luck!