Make: Winchester
Model: 1873 Rifle, 1st Model, One of One Thousand
Serial Number: 18382
Year of Manufacture: 1876
Caliber: .44-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)
Action Type: Lever Action with Full Length Tubular Magazine and Single Set-Trigger
Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “WINCHESTER’S- REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT. / KING’S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16.1860.”. The lower tang is marked “18382”. The upper tang is marked “MODEL. 1873”. The left of the bottom tang, the upper tang inlet of the wrist, and the inside of the buttplate at the toe each have the assembly number "11". The lower tang is also marked with the checkering level "XXX". The barrel has floral scroll engraving and platinum bands at the muzzle and breech with "One of One Thousand" hand engraved on the top of the barrel at the breech.
Barrel Length: 26" Octagonal
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a gold-washed folding Beach-style sight dovetailed to the front of the barrel, presenting either a blade or a beaded post inside a ring. The top of the ring has a short post. The sight is slightly loose in its base. The rear sight is a "V"-notch semi-buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The top tang is drilled and tapped with an early "thick-base" graduated peep sight installed, which is adjustable for elevation.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered “XXX” deluxe walnut with a capped forend, sling swivel in the nosecap, sling plate in the belly, straight grip, straight comb, and steel crescent buttplate with sliding trapdoor in the rear face. The stocks have some light nicks and scratches. There are some grain lines opening up on the buttstock behind the checkering. There is a very small loss in the top-front of the wrist to the right of the tang. The wood-to-metal fit is slightly imperfect. This is possibly due to shrinkage from age, but we do believe that the checkering has been chased or re-cut. The LOP measures 12 3/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has mostly gone to a light patina with a little finish remaining at the toe. There is wear at the heel and toe and some minor surface oxidation. Overall, the stocks are in Fine condition as refinished Antique.
Type of Finish: Blue & Case Hardened
Finish Originality: Most remaining finish is Original. The right sideplate appears to have been touched-up. The interior of the left sideplate has been machined.
Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well defined rifling. There is light erosion throughout the bore with less frequent light pitting. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates a 6 out of 10.
Most antique firearms have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the use of black powder. When fired, black powder reacts corrosively. NRA Antique Firearm Conditions Standards are quite lenient for bores. In some cases, NRA Standards disregard the bore condition for collector firearms.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 25% of its metal finish. Most remaining finish is scattered bluing in the barrel and magazine tube. The platinum bands on the barrel are still intact and bright. There is some touch-up on the right sideplate. Other exposed surfaces have mostly gone to a light patina. There is some scattered light surface oxidation. There is infrequent surface erosion, most notable on the left sideplate. There are a few light nicks and scratches, most notable on the right of the receiver at the tang retaining screw. There is some good case color on interior surfaces, though the inside of the left sideplate has been machined. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The trigger can be set by pressing forward until it clicks. The top of the receiver is mortised for a 1st Model "thumbprint" dust cover. We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: A four-piece cleaning rod is included, stored in the buttstock. A Winchester Records letter is included which indicates that this rifle was received in warehouse May 22, 1876 and shipped July 12, 1876 on order number 6134. It was configured as a Rifle, 26" octagonal barrel, set-trigger, XXX checkered stock, casehardened and noted "1 of 1000".
Our Assessment: The famous Winchester Model 1873 lever action repeating rifle, known as "the gun that won the West", had its beginnings in the Volcanic Firearms Company and the later designs by Benjamin Tyler Henry.The Model 1873 had a steel frame that was much stronger than the brass framed Model 1866, allowing Winchester to move away from .44 rimfire and develop the powerful new .44-40 WCF round (Winchester’s first metallic centerfire cartridge), as well as a family of other new potent rounds, with Colt usually producing Single Action Army revolvers in the same calibers shortly after they were developed. The Model 1873 has an almost mythical status among firearms collectors, Old West enthusiasts, and fans of the Western film genre. Early in production of the Model 1873, Winchester distributed a flier extolling the virtues of their new rifle and the myriad ways it was an improvement over their previous Model 1866. In this nondescript flier they also etched a plan that would lead to some of the most desired Winchesters ever made, the “One of One Thousand” and “One of One Hundred” Model 1873s. The program would be more fully explained in their 1875 catalog. The initial flier read: "Every Sporting Rifle we make will be proved and shot at a target, and the target will be numbered to correspond with the barrel and be attached to it. When one hundred barrels are thus proved, the one making the best target will be selected and set aside, and another hundred proved in the same way, and so on until one thousand have been tested and ten targets selected with the barrels with which they were made. They will then be made up into Guns, in which each part is selected with the utmost care and finished in the finest manner. They will then be again subjected to trials for accuracy, and the best of the ten selected and marked 'One of a thousand,' the price of which will be from $80.00 to $100.00. The other nine will be marked ‘One of a hundred,’ and the price will be from $60.00 to $75.00 each." Although the plan never fully came to fruition, as there were more than 700,000 Models 1873s made with only 132 "One of One Thousand" rifles produced, these rifles were well known and highly sought after during their time, with two having been ordered by “the father of Montana”, Granville Stuart, one for himself and one for his brother Thomas Stuart. By 1877, Winchester dropped the options from their catalog, and nearly all of the “One of One Thousand” rifles were produced before 1880. Interest in these rare Winchesters was revived in 1950 with the release of Winchester '73 starring Jimmy Stewart, in which the winning and keeping of a “One of One Thousand” rifle was the focal point of the film. Before the release of the movie, Winchester and Universal Pictures began a program to find out just how many “One of One Thousand” rifles still existed. They plastered “WANTED!” posters all across the country and played radio ads. The premise was simple: be one of the first 20 to respond to the ad with a picture and description of your Winchester “One of One Thousand”, its features, and its serial number, and Winchester would send you a brand new Model 94 rifle. The search was so successful that the ensuing pictures and serial number list of “One of One Thousand” rifles brought to light laid the foundation for many of the authentic examples known today. The rifles have since become perhaps the most sought after of all Winchesters.
This Antique Winchester Model 1873 “One of One Thousand” Lever Action Rifle, Serial Number 18382, was made in 1876 and is in Very Good condition. This rifle is listed in the factory ledgers as a 1 of 1,000 and has the listed features, though the sights and sling swivels are not mentioned. It’s chambered in .44-40 WCF, and features a 26" octagonal barrel,two-piece XXX checkered deluxe walnut stocks with sling swivels, an early "thick-base" graduated peep sight (adjustable for elevation) installed on the top tang, and the classic understated yet elegant floral scroll engraving around the muzzle and breech, with the latter being centered by the hand engraved inscription “One of One Thousand”, and each being set off by a single platinum band. This is a fleeting chance to own a factory documented original Winchester Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" Rifle.
RIFLE