Dumb Question

[badbadhoggie]

I have an 1873 winchest serial #530963B what does the letter b stand for?

[Hardcase]

According to Madis' Winchester book, the letter "B" is a factory work mark and doesn't really mean anything special. Some 1873s had "A"s, some had "B"s and some had no letter at all.

[badbadhoggie]

Thanx hardcase i was just courious

[Old Grump]

Made in 1899 and it was the third model. The suffix was for engineering changes, like the addition of the dust cover dovetail (Mortise). It was a quick way for Winchester gunsmiths to ID correct parts, since all parts were not interchangeable between the three models.

[badbadhoggie]

thanx grump...have quiet a few of the old winchesters, but by know means a expert and have always been courious as to the a, b suffix and amazingly can't find a knowelgable person in this area?