Product Details
* WINCHESTER
AN EXTREMELY RARE .44-40 (WCF) MODEL 1873 'BABY CARBINE' UNDERLEVER REPEATING RIFLE, serial no. 198063A,
for 1886, with the exceptionally rare 15in. barrel length, the make and address details forwards of the barrel-band (rubbed), block and blade fore-sight, ladder rear-sight (slider absent), receiver with stepped nocksform, sliding dove-tail, saddle-ring to left side, central hammer, markings to top-tang mostly erased, walnut butt-stock (small chip at head), carbine heel-plate with central trap-door, plain finger-lever, walnut fore-end of 7 3/4in. length (old crack to underside), full-length magazine tube with slotted nose-cap and separate barrel-band, iron surfaces mostly cleaned of finish with some patchy pitting
Provenance: The Baby Carbine is one of the rarest variations of the Winchester 1873. According to Madis (Winchester, One of One Thousand), when the count of comparative rarity between 1873 models was made in 1931-33, only 1 in 1600 carbines had a shorter than the standard 20in. barrel. This coupled with the production of around 36% of the total 1873 models produced being carbines, and the calibre would indicate that only around 100-150 baby carbines were ever made out of a total production of approximately 720,000 1873 models. Also, the Baby Carbine is the only .44 Model 1873 which can be found with the distinctive stepped nocksform, a feature usually reserved for the smaller calibres
* Please note this item is subject to 5% VAT on the hammer price (UK Buyers only).
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Estimate £700-900
S1 - Sold as a Section 1 Firearm under the 1968 Firearms Act