SCARCE Antique WINCHESTER Model 1873 .22 Short Caliber LEVER ACTION Rifle Fewer Than 20K Made! First US .22 REPEATING RIFLE

Description:
SCARCE Antique WINCHESTER Model 1873 .22 Short Caliber LEVER ACTION Rifle 

Fewer Than 20K Made! First US .22 REPEATING RIFLE

Here we present an antique Winchester 1873 Lever Action Rifle in .22 Short, made in 1888 in New Haven, Connecticut. The Model 1873 is one of the most iconic of American rifles. Given the moniker “The Gun that Won the West”, the 1873 was there during the Indian Wars and Range Wars of the late 19th century. Cowboys, Natives, settlers, miners, law enforcement, express companies and hunters all found these rifles and carbines useful tools. These rifles made excellent companions to revolvers at the time as they were chambered for the same ammunition, meaning that the user only had to keep one type to feed both guns. One could easily defend the homestead and provide for his family with this versatile weapon. The 1873 really was the quintessential Western rifle, handily outpacing all the muzzle-loading and Civil War surplus guns that also made their way to the frontier.

The Winchester 1873 in .22 caliber was the first made-in-America repeating .22 rimfire rifle. It is no scaled down version of the ’73 either, but a full length, full weight rifle, chambered in .22 caliber. This was Winchester’s only .22 caliber rifle for quite a long time. Many of the famous American/Western trick shooters used these in their shows. Only 19,552 of the 720,610 Model 1873s produced were in .22 caliber, making these quite scarce for collectors.

The overall condition is good. Light gray patina throughout. The action is not presently functional; the firing pin and extractor is absent from the bolt (the bolt floats freely within the channel), otherwise the hammer and trigger work just fine. Single set trigger function needs adjustment. The bore is dim with hints of rifling—rifling was very thin on these from the factory and through both shooting with black powder and cleaning the rifling was worn out. Fore end cap has a replacement screw on one side and one absent. The forearm and butt stock show use and the forearm has a couple old chips. The butt stock has been lightly sanded and remains solid.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 24 inches.

Caliber: .22 Short (Black powder)

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$2800

#227755
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $2,800.00
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