Original U.S. Winchester Model 1873 .44-40 Rifle Made in 1882 with Shortened 26' Octagon Barrel, Set Trigger, and Factory Letter - Serial 92985A

Item DescriptionOriginal Item: Only One Available. 'The Gun that Won the West!' This lovely 'frontier used' Winchester repeating rifle is in .44-40 caliber, which we have confirmed with a dummy cartridge in the chamber, as the caliber markings have worn away. It features a desirable 26' octagon barrel, and full-length magazine tube. However, this looks to have been shortened from a special order 28' barrel, possibly due to wear or damage. As with all examples, it is markedMODEL. 1873.on the upper receiver tang. Features a replacement copper front blade sight and and iconic 'Buckhorn' rear adjustable sight. The serial number on the lower receiver tang is92985A, denoting the year of manufacture as1882. It is also fitted with an adjustable 'set trigger', which was a factory option, only fitted to approximately 5% of the original production, as well as all of the '1 of 1000' and other fancy examples.This rifle comes with an original factory letter from the BuffaloBill Center of the West at the Cody Firearms Museum, which now houses the original Winchester factory records. This is printed on watermarkedWINCHESTER REPEATING Fire Armsletterhead, and datedAugust 23, 2019. It gives the type of arm asRifle, with aOctagonbarrel andSettrigger. The letter also indicates that the order for this rifle was received in the warehouseNovember 02, 1882, and that it was rebarreled To 28 inches on December 11, 1882. It was then shipped onSeptember 11, 1882as part of order1364. The letter is signed by records specialistJessica A. Bennettand still bears the correct raised seal.This means that the barrel was definitely shortened at some point, as it is now just under 26' in length. This is a relatively common modification to see due to how often the muzzle could get damaged. The patent markings on the top of the barrel are present and fully legible:WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN CT.KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860.Condition of the rifle is quite good, especially considering the amount of use on the frontier it must have seen. The metalwork is overall worn to a nice plum brown patina, with some evidence of past peppering, now cleaned away. We can see however some of the original bluing still present in the more recessed areas around the barrel and magazine tube. This definitely looks to be a rifle that saw a long service on the frontier, with servicing over the years, giving it a fantastic patina that simply cannot be duplicated.The stocks are in very nice service used condition, with a a great 'been there' look that still shows the original red brown walnut color well. The butt stock is in lovely condition, showing light wear and denting, with no cracks, chips, or other major damage. The fore stock however shows more wear, and has a 5 1/2' long by 1/4' chunk missing on the left side wood line, which shows the original finish under the barrel. There is also some staining around the crescent butt plate, which is in good shape with a working storage compartment (empty).This lever action repeater has a nice action in fully functional condition with an original dust cover. The rifle cycles well and dry fires, with good mechanical operation. The set trigger appears to be fully functional, engaged after cycling the gun by pushing the trigger forward, and the pull length adjustment works as well. We checked the bore, and it shows shows a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves, however the lands are definitely worn. We can see some areas of past oxidation and fouling, and would probably rate the bore at 6-7 of 10.A very interesting example of an iconic frontier repeating rifle with some great factory options, complete with a factory letter. These are becoming increasingly hard to find on the market in nice condition. More than ready for display!Specifications-Year of Manufacture: 1882Caliber: .44-40 WinchesterCartridge Type: Centerfire CartridgeBarrel Length: 26 InchesOverall Length: 45 InchesAction type: Lever Action RepeaterFeed System: 12-round tube magazineThe Model 1873 was one of the most successful Winchester rifles of its day, gaining the reputation as 'The Gun that Won the West'. Still an icon almost a century and a half later, it was manufactured between 1873 and 1919. Originally chambered for the .44-40 cartridge, it was later produced in .38-40 and .32-20, all of which were also popular handgun cartridges of the day, allowing users to conveniently carry just one type of ammunition. The Model 1873 was produced in three variations: a 24' barrel rifle, 20' barrel carbine, and a musket. The easy to transport and handle carbine was the most popular, while the musket accounted for less than 5-10 percent of total production.Due to feeding problems, the original Model 1873 was never offered in the military standard .45 Colt cartridge, although a number of modern reproductions are chambered for the round. The popularity of the original Model 1873 led Colt to manufacture .44-40 a version of the Single Action Army revolver called the 'Frontier Model'.To both celebrate and enhance the Model 1873's prestige, Winchester established a coveted One of One Thousand grade in 1875. Barrels producing unusually small groupings during test-firing were fitted to rifles with set triggers and a special finish. Marked One of One Thousand, they sold for a then princely $100. A popular 1950 Western starring Jimmy Stewart, Winchester '73, was based on the coveted gun. Promotions included a search for One of One Thousand rifles by Universal Studios, with advertisements in sporting magazines and posters in sporting goods stores.A second grade of Model 1873 barrels producing above average accuracy were fitted to rifles marked One of One Hundred, and sold for $20 over list. Approximately 136 One of One Thousand Model 1873s were sold, and only eight One of One Hundreds. In all, over 720,000 Model 1873s were produced.The .38-40 Winchester round is actually a .40 caliber cartridge shooting .401 caliber bullets. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester. This cartridge was introduced for rifles, but in its reintroduction for Cowboy Action Shooting it has seen some popularity as a pistol cartridge. It is not particularly well suited to hunting larger game, but it was popular when it was introduced, along with the previous .44-40 Winchester, for deer hunting. It can be used successfully on smaller game animals, and for self-defense.Note: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.Shipping RestrictionsThis product is not available for shipping in US state(s): New JerseyThis product is available for international shipping.Shipping not available to: United KingdomPayment OptionsNot eligible for payment with Paypal or AmazonLegal InformationNote: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are no able to ship these to the United Kingdom.IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.These antique guns are not sold in 'live' condition. They are sold as collector's items or as 'wall hangers'. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to almost any deliverable address across the globe. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services.