Is this The Nicest Original 1873 Ever?

[Speedo66]

Saw this, can't get over it. Maybe the most beautiful gun I've seen. Quite the price though. Should have married for money. ;)

http://merzantiques.com/photo/fantastic-winchester-model-1873-3rd-model-pistol-grip-deluxe-rifle-in-44-40

[AlaskanGuy]

For 75,000 it better be...lol

[KirkD]

Yes. I cannot imagine a more beautiful original Model 1873. I have often admired photos of high condition, deluxe Model 1873's, 1876's, and 1886's. That is about all I can do, just admire them. My own budget does not even come within an order of magnitude of what it would take. Just gorgeous!

[buckwheatpaul]

Your are killing me....I learned on an origional '73 in 32-20......

[Doc_Stihl]

Looking at the first few pictures and it looked too good to be true.

[cbrick]

$75,000, geez I can't even afford to look at those pictures.

Rick

[MtGun44]

Beautiful rifle, but too pretty to use, sadly. It has now become a museum
artifact.

Bill - I have said that same thing about many of the old war surplus military rifles that I
have owned over the years - "If only they could talk."

Bill

[ReloaderFred]

A few years ago, at the Winchester Collector's Association Show in Cody, WY, there were several '73's that would put that one to shame. One that drew a lot of attention was a factory engraved rifle in new condition that had been authenticated by the Cody Museum. It was in the same price range as the one listed here, but a much prettier rifle.

I also talked to a guy at that show who was trying to sell his Model 12 Winchester shotgun, serial #2. It had been his hunting gun for years, and showed honest wear, but was in reasonably good shape. I talked to him later at the motel and he said he had turned down $20,000 for it, because the guy wanted to give him $10,000 in cash and write a check for the balance. He said he wasn't going to take a check from anyone! I think I would have met the prospective buyer at a local bank that Monday morning, if it had been mine to sell....

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Speedo66]

I'm not big on engraving, and to be honest, I don't think that rifle and shame belong in the same sentence. ;)

[williamwaco]

Well,

You are all too late.

I just dropped my check in the mail.


For my light bill.

[labradigger1]

Wow, what a steaming ***, just kidding, that case hardening is SEXXXXY? Nice gun, if it were mine i would shoot it. Never could own a gun i couldnt shoot. Had some 99%ers and shot them all. Fun. Dont regret it a bit.

[fouronesix]

Yes, that's one nice 73. It was a special order for certain (not too uncommon back then). The only engraving I would be interested in would be something like ~TR~. :)

The two impressive things to me about the rifle are the "flame" walnut and the condition of the case colors. Even if unused, that color tends to wash out over time.

[Speedo66]

Yes, the color is magnificent. Every piece, the forearm cap, the butt plate, the lever, is incredible.

My 1873 has nice color, unfortunately, it's all the same, brown. lol

[W.R.Buchanan]

Yes it is nice gun, but $75K is ridiculous. it looks nice until you look at the close ups and see all of the "light handling marks" which are far too numerous for a gun in that price range.

The only way it would be worth that kind of money is if it belonged to somebody special, and By Special I mean TR or someone of his stature.

That gun is worth maybe $25K in it's current state. It simply has no documented history beyond the sales letter from Winchester. And the condition for a gun of that stature is Rough. It has been used and banged around.

It is very possible for a gun to be used and not get any significant marks on it. I have a Mauser 22 that was made in 1929 and I have owned it for the last 46 years and it has been used monthly at least and in some cases more often. It has exactly one mark on the stock that it didn't have when I bought it, and that happened recently when removing it from the safe. (I have since padded the safe).

A gun of that stature should have been nearly flawless for the amount it has been used which obviously was not very much. If it had been used very much the case hardening colors would have been more faded just from being exposed to the UV radiation.

Keeping a gun nice can happen if you just watch what you're doing and actually take care of it when using it. People do it all the time with expensive shotguns which get shot hundreds of thousands of times at Trap and Skeet ranges.

This can, and does happen,,, and I know this for sure.

I almost thought this was a Turnbull resto before I saw the close ups of the gun. Just shows that Turnbull really has the famous Winchester Red stock finish down pat!

Randy

[Char-Gar]

Beautiful rifle, but too pretty to use, sadly. It has now become a museum
artifact.

Bill - I have said that same thing about many of the old war surplus military rifles that I
have owned over the years - "If only they could talk."

Bill

If I owned that rifle, I would take it hunting. I would then clean it and hang it on the wall, until it was time to take it hunting again.