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Extraordinary, Factory Documented Winchester Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" Rifle with Extremely R

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:110,000.00 USD Estimated At:275,000.00 - 450,000.00 USD
Extraordinary, Factory Documented Winchester Model 1873  One of One Thousand  Rifle with Extremely R

Estimate: $275000 - 450000
This is an exceptional, totally original Winchester First Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifle that is accompanied with a Cody Firearms Museum factory letter. The letter states that this rifle was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on May 6, 1878 and describes the rifle as "1 of 1000" with casehardened finish, "1/2 Octagon" barrel, set trigger and "XXXX Checkered stock". Also accompanied by a letter from world famous author and firearms expert R.L. Wilson which further establishes its authentic provenance and scarcity. In terms of rarity and desirability original "1 of 1000" rank among the top of the list for collectable firearms and as Wilson writes "these hallowed rifles are legends of American rifle making." Furthering the prestige of this rifle is it's "freshness". Similar to the Captain J.J. Comstock presentation 1851 Colt Navy revolver also featured in this auction, this rifle has never before been published and to our knowledge is the first time this rifle has been offered for public sale. All of which proves that despite the countless books and articles written on the subject, and with information literally at our finger tips, pieces such as these, treasures of our past, true physical reminders of our American heritage still lay undiscovered around the country and around the globe. Even amongst "1 of 1000's" this rifle stands out as one of the finest and rarest examples a true collector could ever hope to call his own: Winchester only produced 133 "1 of 1000 rifles", of those 133 only 7 were manufactured with a half octagon barrel, five with 24" barrel and two with 26" barrel. Only 14 of the 133 were furnished with XXXX wood, and only 5 featured a short magazine. After examining the factory ledger as published in the book "The Story of Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles" by Lewis, this rifle was the only one manufactured in this configuration. The barrel has the Fourth Style markings that consist of "One of One Thousand" engraved in script on top of the barrel flat between the rear sight and the frame. The legend is enclosed in an oval panel with scalloped borders and an engraved flourish next to the rear sight. The sides of the barrel below the inscription are decorated with engraved scrollwork on a punch-dot background. The muzzle has the same engraved scrollwork as the area below the legend. Single silver or platinum bands are inlaid on the barrel at the muzzle ahead of the front sight and just in front of the frame. The barrel is blued and the forearm tip, frame, lever, hammer and crescent steel buttplate have a color casehardened finish. The stock and forearm are deluxe fancy grain XXXX checkered walnut (factory letter states this!) with a high polish varnish finish. The forearm and stock wrist have fine checkered panels. The half-round/half octagon barrel has a standard, sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and a sporting rear sight with serrated edges. The rifle has the first style frame with dust cover guides on the upper front sides and dust cover with oval 5/8 inch thumbprint. The rifle has a Winchester single set-trigger. The buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor and the butt trap contains a four-piece jointed steel cleaning rod with brass tip. In addition to the engraved "One of One Thousand" markings, the barrel is roll-stamped with the two-line legend "WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT./KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." ahead of the rear sight. The bottom of the cartridge elevator is roll-stamped "44 CAL" in script letters. "MODEL 1873" is roll-stamped in fancy letters on the upper tang and the serial number, "18267" is stamped in script letters on the lower tang behind the lever latch.
BBL: 24 inch part octagon
Stock: walnut checkered
Gauge: 44 WCF
Finish: blue/casehardened
Grips:
Serial Number: 18267
Condition: Extremely fine. The rifle is completely original overall. The barrel retains half of the blue finish; the balance has faded to a dark, blue-gray patina. The barrel has scattered spots of surface discoloration and several very small patches of shallow pitting on the right barrel flat. The "One of One Thousand" legend, scroll engraving and factory markings are sharp. The inlaid bands on the muzzle and breech are untouched, attractively tarnished. The receiver, dust cover, hammer and lever retain 60% plus of the color casehardened finish. The markings on the upper and lower tang and cartridge elevator are sharp. The buttplate has a deep brown patina. Most of the niter blue finish is present on the loading gate. The XXXX fancy grain walnut stock and forearm are both in very fine condition with light handling and storage marks. Most of the high polish finish remains intact and the checkering on the stock and forearm is sharp. Wear is limited to some shallow handling and storage marks. A Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifle is one of the great prizes in Winchester rifle collecting. Approximately fifty of the one hundred thirty-six Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifles manufactured exist in collections today. This is a rare opportunity for the advanced Winchester collector to acquire a fully documented Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifle from a well-known and highly respected Winchester collection.
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