Winchester 1873 .32 WCF 1889, 97% BLUE, HIGH CONDITION, vintage firearms

Description:
General Specs:  Winchester, 1889, .32 WCF, 8lbs. 9oz., LOP 12 3/4"
Serial Number:  304517B

Winchester’s Model 1873 remains one of the defining American lever-action rifles, and high-condition antique examples are increasingly difficult to find. This Third Model rifle, serial number 304517B, was built in 1889 and chambered in .32 WCF, also known as .32-20 Winchester. Introduced in the early 1880s, the .32 WCF became a useful small-game, predator, target, and general-purpose cartridge, especially appealing in an era when rifle and revolver cartridges often overlapped.

What separates this rifle from the ordinary Model 1873 is condition. Many surviving 1873s show the honest wear of hard frontier and field use. This rifle instead retains the kind of original factory finish that collectors look for: approximately 97% dark factory blue on the barrel, magazine tube, and receiver, strong original case color on the lever and hammer, and excellent original varnish on the wood. The fit remains tight and proper; the screws are excellent, and the mechanics are crisp and sound.

The rifle is equipped with factory-correct sling swivels, a Lyman No. 4 ivory bead front sight, a blank in the rear dovetail, and a Lyman No. 1 tang-mounted peep sight. The bore is bright with strong continuous rifling and light pitting, rating approximately 7.5 out of 10—very respectable for a black-powder rifle now well over a century old.

The wood shows light handling marks consistent with careful age and storage, with no cracks or repairs noted. The crescent steel buttplate retains attractive mottled and thinning case color, further reinforcing the overall originality of the rifle.

For the Winchester collector, this is a particularly appealing 1873: antique manufacture, desirable .32 WCF chambering, excellent mechanics, strong bore, correct period sights, and plenty of original factory finish. It is the kind of rifle that presents beautifully in a collection while still retaining the honest character of a 19th-century Winchester.


Barrels
Barrel Length:   24"
Bores:   great bore, strong rifling, shiny, 7.5 of 10
% Blue:   97% dark factory blue
Chambers:   15
Sights:  Lyman No. 4 Ivory front; Lyman No. 1 tang peep; blank in dovetail

Action
Action:  lever; 80% case color on lever and hammer
Extractors
Receiver Condition:   97% factory blue
Screws:   excellent
Trigger Type:   single-crisp
Trigger Guard Color:   lever and hammer 80% case color

Stock
Type:   straight; plain straight grain
LOP:   12 3/4"
LOP To End Of Wood:   12 5/8"
Butt Treatment:   crescent steel rifle buttplate


INQUIRIES
There is a 30 day mechanical warranty on long guns. If it is a “VFI Certified” gun there is a 90 day mechanical warranty. Call or email us for more details or questions. Thanks! Vintage Firearms Inc

Payment and Shipping
Ways to Pay: Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Check, Personal Check, Wire Transfer (Advertised price reflects 3.5% cash discount. Actual price if paid by credit card is 3.5% higher.)
Inspection Period / Return Policy: Three Days from the date the item was received.
Sales Tax Collected: FL, MI, PA, TN
Shipping & Insurance: Ground $175.00 within continental U.S. Additional fees for HI & AK.
Item Condition: Used
Requires FFL?: No. C&R licenses accepted for shipping C&R eligible guns

Other
Terms of Purchase: Check your local and state laws before purchasing. It is the buyer’s responsibility to confirm his/her right to own the firearm or any item before purchasing.
PLEASE SEE OUR OTHER FINE VINTAGE FIREARMS. View all listings and our full inventory of fine sporting and collectible arms will appear. Thanks for looking! We employ full time gunsmiths on premises and can perform alterations to suit your needs within a few weeks of purchase. Common requests are: -stock bending to suit your particular requirements -addition of any specified butt pad to increase length of pull -alteration of chokes to suit your shooting preferences -lengthening of chambers and forcing cones -darkening stock color with penetrating stains -restoring any part of the gun including rust blue, charcoal blue, bone and charcoal case color, wood restoration and checkering recuts. If you like one our guns but it needs “tweaked”, let us know and we can quote you a time and price. Some enthusiasts like the guns “as found” and others want them “just so”. We often list guns as found and let the particular buyer choose how they want their gun to fit or look.

Rifle Caliber: .32-20 Winchester

Price: $6,650.00