Winchester Model 1873 TRAPPER CARBINE
Description:
This is a rare example of a Winchester Model 1873 Trapper Carbine with a special order 16" Barrel in 44 Caliber. Serial number is in the 427,000 range and was manufactured in 1892. I found this little Carbine at of all places, a Civil War show in 2007. The owner was a rather well-traveled individual who was at home between assignments. He found this trapper along with a Winchester 50-95 Model 1876 in a far distant corner of the world. While the Winchester, particularly the Model 1873 is regarded as the Gun that Won the The West, that is only a part of the real history of the the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Reality is that they were not just an American company but an international company that sold repeating rifles all over the world. That said, it is interesting to see where these turn up as they were used on every continent. Trappers have an interesting connection to this story as many have turned up in some of the most inhospitable places one could imagine. Like their big brothers, the saddle ring carbine, they were utility guns and made for people who were on the move and might occasionaly need access to firepower. The trapper with its short barrel, in my opinion, was sort of the extreme end of this. It was made for someone who needed a gun 24/7/365. The ones I have seen over the years...especially the Model 1873's often look like they saw 2-3 times as much wear as some of the most worn out carbines I've ever seen and that's saying something because I've seen some pretty bad carbines.
This one in terms of trappers is pretty good and it is a textbook example of everything a trapper should be. For starters, it has the 16" Barrel with the correct faster taper and a shorter than standard forend. Due to the placement of the barrel band closer to the rear sight, the barrel address had to be relocated forward of the band which this one has. The caliber marking is even a little different compared to a standard carbine as it has 44 stamped above the WCF instead of in a single line. Even the the gun is well worn and the metal turned gray, when you slide the front and rear bands, there is original blue underneath having always been in those positions. Lastly, the top of the frame at the barrel shank is stepped which is found on most .44 Caliber Trappers and Short Rifles. The wear on the gun is consistent and there are no signs that the barrel has even been removed. The tang is also consistent with the rest of the gun and fits the frame perfectly. That said, after owning this trapper for several months, I finally got around to calling the Cody Museum to have the serial number researched for a factory letter. As righteous as this gun is, and knowing the story of where it was found, I was a bit surprised to learn over the phone that it lettered as a carbine with a 20" barrel instead of a 16" trapper. I remember saying, "There must be some mistake; there is no way this isn't an original trapper". Basically, the way the clerks at Winchester wrote an entry into the ledger was to state whether the gun was a rifle or a carbine. Since the rifles came standard with a 24" barrel and the carbine with a 20" coupled with the fact that there were so many of them, the bracket for the barrel lengths were left blank. If a rifle or carbine received a special order length barrel, then the bracket would specify the length ordered. The people at Cody were nice enough to send me a copy of the entire page of the factory ledger which contains entries for 50 guns including this serial number. The page is nearly all special order barrel lengths with numerous 16" trappers and even 16" short rifles and this trapper is right in there with them. Unfortunately, in this case, the clerk failed to specify the length of the barrel, so it by default ends up lettering as a standard carbine. There are trappers above it on the ledger and below it but since it does not letter, I cannot price it for what in my opinion it should bring. Not the best day in my life but there was no question it was real and the factory ledger that it was listed on was full of them. From here, I decided that the next best thing to do would be to contact the gentleman who found it to see if he would send me a letter explaining how, when, and where he found it. This was no small task as by 2008, he was back overseas, this time in another country on a different assignment. It took some time until I was able to find him and I'm sure my request was small potatoes compared to the fish he had to fry given his situation. Out of respect to his profession and what people like him do for all of us in this country, I will leave it at that. About 6 months later, I received a letter in the mail from him with the full story as to when and where it was found. His letter, the factory letter, and the copy of the factory ledger with the original entry will accompany this trapper.
SOLD
Antique: Yes
Manufacturer:
Winchester
Model:
1873
Caliber Info:
44 WCF