[clgustaveson]

Hello, this is my first post here so bare with me.

I have acquired an 1873 Winchester, to my best ability I have been able to narrow it down to one that was manufactured in 1879 and it is almost undoubtedly a sporting model.

The serial number is 28386.

I do not know which model it is, as far as I can read there are three makes. I cant imagine mine being made in 1879 would be anything other than a first model but I have no clue.

The rifle has a slide mechanism in the butt that holds extra rounds, it has the Winchester patent information on the barrel. The barrel is octagonal (or at least half).

From my own estimation (and I am far far from an expert) the gun is 40% - 50% and has a slight defect in with the hammer which will be fixed after this weekend with no replacement parts.

First, can somebody help me determine the round this gun takes? I seem to find a ton of different information.

Secondly, I don't plan to sell this gun but can somebody give me a conservative value for an operational model 1873 40% - 50% sporting model.

As far as I can tell there is nothing special about the model I have as far as factory "add ons" except for the compartment in the butt (which may be a stock component for all I know).

I have an incomplete but very nice Winchester collection and I want to know all I can about them. Is there a way to get my 1873 certified or get a certificate of some sort?

Thanks in advance for all of the responses.

[BillM]

OK--here's just a little info. I am by NO MEANS any kind of a Mdl 73
authority, but I have owned a few of them.

Yes, yours is a first model 1873. They went to the second model
somewhere between 30,000 and 31,000.

Caliber. 44 wcf, aka 44-40. If it were anything else it would be marked on the barrel and the brass shell lifter.

If it's a rifle the forearm will have a metal cap. Carbine will have a band
around the forearm and barrel.

You say "sporting model"? Why? Rifle, carbine and musket are the standard
models. Some call rifles with options--shotgun buttplate, pistol grip, checkering, upgrade sights, (you could get about anything) "Sporting models"

"The barrel is octagonal (or at least half)." WHOA THERE!!! It's a half round
half octagon? That ain't standard. You might have a factory special order
option--and the value just moved over a decimal place.

The buttstock compartment is standard. All of mine have had it.

[clgustaveson]

Well, I wasn't sure if it was half or not until I opened it back up.

I just got back home from California.

It is full octagonal, and is probably even less than 40%.

The text on the gun is very hard to read, it needs cleaned, not by me but by someone that knows what they are doing with such old guns. The slide mechanism was bent and I was able to fix that utilizing the original peices.

I still have not fired it yet but I plan on doing so this evening.

Once the gun is a bit more cleaned up I will post some pictures.

The main thing I think that makes this gun valuable to me is that there is almost no wear on the blueing of the steel. there are a few worn places but for the most part for being 130 years old the metal is in excellent condition.

The stock is where I think the most damage has occured, it is reletively worn and dinged up. I would say a conservative 40% wood. There is also some damage to the shield cover peice on the bottom of the trigger grouping.

The buttplate is also extremely dinged up.

[clgustaveson]

So, how much of a mistake would it be to just restore the gun? Leaving the original parts of course but reblueing where necessary and other minimally invasive restoration.

I mean, I don't plan on selling this gun, its in decently poor (haha) to very poor condition.

[M14sRock]

More pics, please!

And my suggestion is to NOT restore it. They are not making any more first model 1873's. Value will decline unless someone like Turnbull does the renovation.

I'd clean it up and buy a Uberti to go along with it (for shooting).

[clgustaveson]

As you can see from this picture there is crack in the stock and a black spot on close to the buttplate, I am not sure what the black spot is but I am sure it isn't supposed to be there. I don't think those two items harm the overall gun because for the most part they are not all that noticeable and the crack is not too terribly deep.

[clgustaveson]

Originally Posted by M14sRock

More pics, please!

And my suggestion is to NOT restore it. They are not making any more first model 1873's. Value will decline unless someone like Turnbull does the renovation.

I'd clean it up and buy a Uberti to go along with it (for shooting).

How can I get in contact with this Turnbull?

[M14sRock]

Originally Posted by clgustaveson

How can I get in contact with this Turnbull?

Doug Turnbull Restoration, Inc. - Careful polish work, hand checkering and rust bluing are just some of the key steps in restoration work.

[clgustaveson]

I wish I had that kind of money, his work looks amazing.

[M14sRock]

It is amazing. I've seen pics of the "before" and "after" and the dif is jaw dropping. They come out looking as close to new as you could get.

Spendy, though.