Winchester 1873???
Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Winchester 1873???
Had a friend contact me this evening about a Winchester 1873-made in 1889 in 32-20 cartridge.I have not seen the rifle yet. Was told it was in great condition with excellent bore. He thought it could be bought for $1200. How does that sound?? What should I look for if I get to see the rifle?? Tom.
-
Ysabel Kid
- Moderator
- Posts: 28848
- Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:10 pm
- Location: South Carolina, USA
- Contact:
-
Griff
- Posting leader...
- Posts: 21345
- Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:56 pm
- Location: OH MY GAWD they installed a STOP light!!!
$1200 sounds eminently fair for an 1873 in excellent condition. What I'd look for is good fit of the lifter in the frame, good spring tension on both the lifter and the lever. Unlike a 94, the lever should be held up tight against the bottom of the lower tang. Although the '73 has (with the 2nd series, IIRC) a trigger block safety, once the round is in battery with the lever fully closed, it will fire. As you know, the 94 action is fully locked up with the lever still off of the trigger block safety, that last 1/8" of travel, solely to depress the trigger block.
The lifter should "snap" upward and down with good feel and in quick response the lifter positioning. There are two screws in the bottom of the action that allow adjustment of the spring tensioning. These same screws hold the springs in place, so any lessening of tension should be done cautiously. As little as an 1/8 of a turn may change from a sluggish response, to a quick action. When you take off the left sideplate, be careful of the right falling off and one of the links dropping out. I haven't looked in detail at any original Winchesters, so I don't know if the two piece firing pin is a feature that was developed with the Italian clones or if Wnchester employed them also.
Madis has a very good chapter on the variety of changes that occured during the 1873 lengthy production run. You can review his chapter and familiarize youself with it quite quickely. Notable changes are addition of the trigger block safety, intregal dust cover slide (introduced with the 3rd model), change from a visible hammer and trigger screw, to the use of pins, and then back to a visible hammer screw, loading gate screw on the outside, or on the inside of the right cover plate, hammer knurling style, it should have assembly numbers stamped on all the major components, unlike the '66, the '73 has a positive retraction feature for the firing pin. It's made possible by a pin on the inside of the left toggle.
And the usual suspect buggered screws, etc.
I find the '73 somewhat confusing in its many variations, but mostly due to the infrequency in which I get to look at originals. Having the Madis Winchester Book handy is essential for me.
Good luck, and one with an excellent bore in .32-20 is also rare.[/i]
The lifter should "snap" upward and down with good feel and in quick response the lifter positioning. There are two screws in the bottom of the action that allow adjustment of the spring tensioning. These same screws hold the springs in place, so any lessening of tension should be done cautiously. As little as an 1/8 of a turn may change from a sluggish response, to a quick action. When you take off the left sideplate, be careful of the right falling off and one of the links dropping out. I haven't looked in detail at any original Winchesters, so I don't know if the two piece firing pin is a feature that was developed with the Italian clones or if Wnchester employed them also.
Madis has a very good chapter on the variety of changes that occured during the 1873 lengthy production run. You can review his chapter and familiarize youself with it quite quickely. Notable changes are addition of the trigger block safety, intregal dust cover slide (introduced with the 3rd model), change from a visible hammer and trigger screw, to the use of pins, and then back to a visible hammer screw, loading gate screw on the outside, or on the inside of the right cover plate, hammer knurling style, it should have assembly numbers stamped on all the major components, unlike the '66, the '73 has a positive retraction feature for the firing pin. It's made possible by a pin on the inside of the left toggle.
And the usual suspect buggered screws, etc.
I find the '73 somewhat confusing in its many variations, but mostly due to the infrequency in which I get to look at originals. Having the Madis Winchester Book handy is essential for me.
Good luck, and one with an excellent bore in .32-20 is also rare.[/i]
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession!
AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!