Got another 1873

[rbertalotto]

Picked this one up off a cowboy in Californi!

Its a real mixed breed. SRC receiver, carbine barrel, rifle forend, unfitted lower tang........But for $500, it was a bargain!

It is 44-40 and the bore will be relined as it is real bad. But the internals are very good condition. Ordered a screw kit from Homestead Parts as some kitchen gunsmith with Craftsman screwdrivers had his way with it at some point in its life. Ordered a dust cover also.







Lots more pictures here:
http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/thi ... ter-44-40/

Thanks for looking!

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

looks good. Is it a reblue? No big deal for a shooter. I have one in 32-20 that was an old reblue. The bore was a mud road so it got a liner, too.

[Paladin]

Nice find

[bdhold]

if it is a reblue, they did a fine job - real beauty

[rbertalotto]

This one is a "re" everthing!

Nothing matches.......wrong receiver, wrong bottom tang, wrong forend, reblued etc................Yes it IS a shooter. But it's kind of neat. Like a rescue dog.....

[M. M. Wright]

Will you restore to SRC or just re-line and shoot it? Quite a bargain there I think.

[rbertalotto]

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to reline it and shoot it.

[Rube Burrows]

Nice find.

[rbertalotto]

Got her all taken apart today. Had to drill out a couple of screws that the Kitchen Gunsmith really buggered up.

I ordered a whole new screw kit from Homestead Gun Parts and a new extractor as I broke it trying to get it out of the bolt. Ugh!

The internals are in amazing good shape. Relatively new links were added recently. All the springs are in perfect shape.

The butt stock had a crack that a bit of JB Weld took care of. The butt plate didn't fit well and when I removed the screws the wood in that area was a mess. One screw hole had been plugged with a filter from a cigarette to hold the screw in! More JB Weld to the rescue!

More updated pictures here:
http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/thi ... ter-44-40/

The rifle papers at the Cody Museum as being shipped:

WINCHESTER MODEL 1873 - SERIAL NUMBER 133113
Serial number application date not available
Type: Rifle
Caliber: 38
Barrel Type: Round
Trigger: Plain
Received in warehouse on September 24, 1883
Shipped from warehouse on October 06, 1883, Order number 7789

So, as you can see, nothing is "right" with this ol gal.

The saddle ring was installed in the wrong place and this interferes with the bottom tang. I fixed this by filing it back and TIG welding in in place from the back side.
It was shipped as a 38-40 and it now wears a 44-40 barrel.
It was shipped as a rifle with a 24" barrel. It now has a 20" barrel.

So, it will be a "working" rifle....Used in Cowboy Action Shooting and put away wet!

[Birdman]

I think it's cool that you're just making it "work" and then go have some fun. Let us know how it goes.

[Griff]

I think it's cool that you're just making it "work" and then go have some fun. Let us know how it goes.

+1.

[Jaguarundi]

+ !

[Gobblerforge]

You come across like you got a good grip on what the Winchester folks pointed out. Good job.

[w30wcf]

rbertalotto,
Nice find! Your rifle, as it is now, would have been considered a "Rifle" as the letter indicates, since it has a fore end cap, there are no barrel bands and it has the proper dovetailed magazine holder as a "Rifle" had.

It is possible that the when it left the factory, it could have had the same length barrel but in .38 W.C.F.

w30wcf

[rbertalotto]

I'm told that if it doesn't specify the barrel length on the shipipng docs, then it was 24". Otherwise it would specify it. ???

[Ysabel Kid]

Very cool!

[w30wcf]

Based on the location of the magazine holder, if the barrel was originally 24" long the magazine holder would be closer to the muzzle than it is. The original barrel and magazine could have been replaced.

w30wcf