Winchester Model 1873 .38 WCF 24″ Octagon Lever Action Rifle 1888 Antique
SOLD FOR: $1,314.00
LSB#: LSB260711RS005
Make: Winchester
Model: 1873 Rifle
Serial Number: 271486B
Year of Manufacture: Circa 1888 / Antique
Caliber: .38 WCF (.38-40)
Action Type: Lever action rifle with a toggle-link breech and sliding dust cover, fed from a tubular magazine.
Markings: The upper tang is marked “MODEL. 1873”. The top of the barrel is marked “WINCHESTER’S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT.” and “KING’S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29. 1866 OCTOBER 16. 1860”. The serial number is “271486B”.
Barrel Length: 24″, octagon
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed to the barrel, and the rear sight is a V-notch leaf dovetailed to the barrel.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The rifle wears a wood stock with a straight wrist and straight comb, a steel crescent buttplate with a brass trapdoor for the stock compartment, and a wood forend. There is a repaired crack running from the upper tang to the toe of the buttstock, and the buttplate does not fit well. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The stock is in Fair condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is dark with defined rifling, and there is corrosion and erosion throughout. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 4/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 10% of its original blue, with the balance toned to a grey patina. The receiver, barrel and magazine tube show handling wear and light surface oxidation consistent with age. The stock shows the repaired crack noted above. Overall, this rifle is in Good condition as an 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 & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1873 is often called “The Gun That Won the West”. Chambered for centerfire cartridges like the .38 WCF that could also be used in revolvers, it was the repeating rifle of choice for settlers, ranchers and lawmen across the frontier, and more than 700,000 were made.
This example is a full 24″ octagon barrel rifle in .38 WCF, made in the late 1880s, with clear tang and barrel markings and a brass trapdoor buttplate. It retains about 10% of its blue, the action functions correctly and the bore rates 4/10, while the stock shows a repaired crack from the upper tang to the toe. It is an authentic antique Model 1873 for collectors of frontier-era Winchesters.-C.M.