Rare 1 of 1,000 Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle being sold at auction

Rock Island Auction Company ^ | September 8, 2016 | Auction Zip

[Vaquero]

On high power rifles like the 1886....curved butts deliver more of a kick than the flat shotgun style. . Did you slug the bore? Perhaps your 38 WCF was really a 44WCF. (Sometimes people interchange the brass lifter which sometimes has the caliber embossed in it.)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

It was stamped .38 WCF and not re bored to a larger caliber. I had a 44-40 and the fired cases look completely different. As I had both at that time, I tried to fit a .44 into the .38 and it would not go.

Like I said, I read years later that the .38 was purposely chambered deeper and I figured out it was to split the case at the shoulder.

[Vaquero]

You can have the whole barrel and chamber relined back to 45-70. Will be stronger than the original. I have a slightly sporterized 1884 (some clown butchered it.) made in 1891. I shoot smokeless powder loads using 300 gr jacketed and 405 and 500 gr lead bullets. Shoots tight groups.

I loaded some BP loads for it. Too messy.

[progunner]

Ironic you brought that up. A couple of us were talking about machining out chambers and "inserts" came into the conversation. I had just cut out a chamber to "fire form" a 22.250 into a 22.250 Ackley improved and one of my buds wanted to borrow the cutting tool. .06 to 308, phewww, major difference in case length (base to neck dimension and total). I would be pressed to purchase a new Shilen barrel alreay machined for the desired caliber.

Just one man's opinion.

[Vaquero]

Ok. I can see that

I have sized, fired 38-40 cases to 44-40. They are basically the same case sized for either .40” bullets for 38-40 and .427” bullets for 44-40.
Lots of brass available today, for both because of Cowboy Action Shooting.

Old brass splits sometimes. I sometimes anneal brass to make it more flexible.

That’s about it.

[Swordmaker]

Should have bought it: a proficient restorer would not have had a problem taking care of a hole in the barrel. I have seen many rare but damaged firearms re-done so well that they were exactly the way they should be. Costs money but it's worth it.

I thought about it. He wasn't of legal age to sell it; he was under 18. He could have disavowed the contract had I bought it from him. I told him to bring his parents back and we'd talk about it. Never saw him again.

[Swordmaker]

I inherited an 1884 Springfield (Trapdoor) rifle that had been decommissioned by the factory by a gouge taken out in the chamber. The rifle was decommissioned due to a large bore defect, and although it’s in mint condition, didn’t sell online at $1200. It would make an expensive lamp, so, is it feasible to have a gunsmith convert the chamber to the much-milder .44WCF caliber?

You could have it bored out and a sleeve installed. Probably would shoot ok.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

In 1968, when I had the 38WCF, a box of 50 cartridges cost $20.00!

Today, they would be $138.00. The loss of each case was tremendous on my pay at that time!

[CrazyIvan]

I worked in a machine shop for several years. I had manual and CNC mills and lathes, sheet metal breaks, tubing benders, and TIG and MIG welders. Best part was the boss was a gun and motorcycle nut also so whatever I wanted to make on my own time was cool with him. Pretty frustrating now to want to make something and not have the tools. I also had a CNC water jet cutter.

[progunner]

I would've enjoyed having a shop filled with that equipment. All I have is a Brown & Sharpe vertical miller, B&S lathe and drill press. Though not CNC I've had excellent luck with the B&S equipment. Our daughters have pretty much taken over the shop as they seem to think I need to be FULLY retired, LOL

[CrazyIvan]

B&S makes excellent stuff. I used to do some work on one of their vertical mills in a friends shop. Preferred it to the Bridgeport I used. Good to know that you own your own. I didnt, and when the company moved production to China I lost access to it all.