Winchester 1873 lever gun.

billsf100 · January 11, 2011, 10:07 PM

A friend of mine has offered to sell me an 1873 that was passed down to him.
He said for me to make him an offer. It is by far the best looking blued 1873 I have ever seen. It looks too good. I had Cody firearms museum research the gun for me and their records show the rifle is correct. 32wcf, oct bbl, shipped in 1887. The inside of the bbl shows strong rifling, light frosting. The stock and forearm have normal wear, scratches and a few bruises. The part that makes no sense is the metal looks like a new gun. No burred screw heads, no rust, perfect lettering and numbers. It has to have been reblued at some point in its life. It even has the dustcover. The patina on all brass on the gun is as it should be, no one buffed or polished it. Since it must be a reblue, but a beautiful one, what is a fair price?

James K · January 11, 2011, 11:42 PM

You are right that what appears to be like new metal with an average stock almost always indicates a reblue job. Pictures would help in determining the actual condition. An average decent 1873 will go for about $1500+ today, with better condition, like new, or unusual guns going up (sometimes way up) from there. By average decent, I mean one used but not abused, with wear and some patina, about 60% finish, but no battering, denting or signs of amateur repair work.

Jim

billsf100 · January 11, 2011, 11:59 PM

You would have to see this gun to believe its condition

Winchester_73 · January 13, 2011, 07:50 AM

Registered for a flickr or photobucket account.

Get the "direct link" which is found underneath the photo. Copy it.

Click the icon next to the quote icon on TFL when posting, it looks like a mountain on a yellow background. Paste the link into there.

you could also attach the image in your post.

jtb1967 · January 13, 2011, 08:39 AM

I don't see it bring top dollar as a reblue. It would might make a great shooter though.

January 11, 2011, 10:07 PM	#1
billsf100 Junior Member Join Date: January 11, 2011 Posts: 7	Winchester 1873 lever gun. A friend of mine has offered to sell me an 1873 that was passed down to him. He said for me to make him an offer. It is by far the best looking blued 1873 I have ever seen. It looks too good. I had Cody firearms museum research the gun for me and their records show the rifle is correct. 32wcf, oct bbl, shipped in 1887. The inside of the bbl shows strong rifling, light frosting. The stock and forearm have normal wear, scratches and a few bruises. The part that makes no sense is the metal looks like a new gun. No burred screw heads, no rust, perfect lettering and numbers. It has to have been reblued at some point in its life. It even has the dustcover. The patina on all brass on the gun is as it should be, no one buffed or polished it. Since it must be a reblue, but a beautiful one, what is a fair price? Last edited by billsf100; January 11, 2011 at 10:20 PM.

January 11, 2011, 11:59 PM	#3
billsf100 Junior Member Join Date: January 11, 2011 Posts: 7	Thanks Jim for the reply, how do I post pictures? You would have to see this gun to believe its condition

January 13, 2011, 07:50 AM	#4
Winchester_73 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 2,863	Registered for a flickr or photobucket account. Get the "direct link" which is found underneath the photo. Copy it. Click the icon next to the quote icon on TFL when posting, it looks like a mountain on a yellow background. Paste the link into there. you could also attach the image in your post. __________________ Winchester 73, the TFL user that won the west

January 11, 2011, 11:42 PM	#2
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	You are right that what appears to be like new metal with an average stock almost always indicates a reblue job. Pictures would help in determining the actual condition. An average decent 1873 will go for about $1500+ today, with better condition, like new, or unusual guns going up (sometimes way up) from there. By average decent, I mean one used but not abused, with wear and some patina, about 60% finish, but no battering, denting or signs of amateur repair work. Jim

January 13, 2011, 08:39 AM	#5
jtb1967 Junior member Join Date: September 29, 2004 Location: WV Posts: 454	I don't see it bring top dollar as a reblue. It would might make a great shooter though.