1873Win barrel lengths ??

[Marshal Deadwood]

Did Winchester historicaly make the 1873 with a 30" barrel like that offered today in the Uberti/'73win ?

Thanks gents,

Marshal Deadwood

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I don't have any of my books handy which list standard factory barrel lengths, but Winchester would custom supply rifles with just about any barrel length you wanted, as well as octagon, round, or half octogon half round.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Years ago, I saw a factory 73 with a 30 inch barrel.  It was on a Winchester collector's table at a gun show.  I don't remember specifically how much it cost, but it was several months wages at the time.

[Forty Rod]

I worked at a store that had one that the boss had taken in trade.  It came with a 30" full octagon barrel, a fancy nickle-plated Schutzen style butt and a humongous dished-in cheek rest, a very wide "beavertail" type forearm, and a scrolled nickle-plated lever that formed a nearly vertical rear grip.  It was fitted with a single set trigger and fancy target sights.  The wrist and forearm were deeply checkered and carved with an oak leaf pattern. 

Wonder what became if it.

[Coffinmaker]

Actually yes.  And, on special order, Trappers were built with barrels as short as 14 inches.

Coffinmaker

PS:  I've seen a factory built "Special Order" '73 with a 32 inch barrel, Hooded insert front sight and factory installed vernier rear sight.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

Here is a quote from The Winchester Handbook by George Madis:

1873 Barrels:

Standard barrels for carbines were twenty inches in length, of the somewhat rapid taper style as found on the model 66. Special lengths were offered for carbines in any length from fourteen to nineteen inches. Some records remain of carbines with twelve inch barrels.

Rifles have twenty-four inch round barrel as standard. Octagon barrels were considered an extra, but Winchester usually sold the guns with octagon barrels to dealers at the same price as round barrels. Round or octagon barrels were offered in all lengths from fourteen inches to thirty-six inches. Odd lengths, such as seventeen or nineteen inches were produced on special order, although the special and standard lengths were in two inch increments.

Part round-part octagon barrels were available in all lengths but will be rarely seen, especially in special lengths.

Heavy or extra-heavy barrels were offered, but few were produced.

Muskets have round tapered barrels thirty inches in length as standard.

Matting on the top of the barrel or upper three flats was an extra which was available but is seldom found.

[Buck Stinson]

The shortest barrel length recorded on an original 1873 rifle, was 14 inch.  The longest barrel recorded on a rifle was 36 inch.  Winchester would supply nearly any length the customer could ask for.  Generally, barrel lengths were available in two inch increments, but there are a few 1873 models known that have original 21 inch barrels. 

Adios,
Buck

[w44wcf]

Buck,
Thank you for that information. I have a '73 Short Rifle made in 1882 that has a 21" barrel.  The factory letter doesn't indicate the barrel length.


w44wcf

[Buck Stinson]

w44wcf,
I wouldn't know without checking the serial number but my best guess is that this gun has been cut.  If this '73 were special ordered with the 2/3rds magazine and 21" barrel, it would definately be listed as such in the warehouse ledgers.   Sometimes when a bunch of guns with the same features are listed on the same ledger page, a quotation mark or a check mark will follow the first gun right down through that column for all those consecutively numbered guns.  In other words, the first gun on the list may have the barrel length written down but others that follow may not if they are in fact the same length as the first one.  In many cases, depending on serial range, if the barrel length is not listed, this means it was the standard length of 24 inch.

Adios,
Buck

[w44wcf]

Buck,
Thank you very much for the additional information. If the barrel has been cut,
someone did a very good job since the muzzle looks just like a friends original
'73 which has a 24" barrel. 

Thanks again,
w44wcf

[Will Ketchum]

I once had an original 86 with a 20" barrel.  Everything looked perfect. All the dovetails looked like factory, the crown also looked factory.  The letters on the barrel were in the correct place.  Every Winchester collector I showed it to felt there was a good chance it left the factory with the 20 barrel.  Only one showed any doubt because it was exactly 20 inches and he said that factory barrels normally were 3/8s of an inch over the given length.  I finally broke down and spent the money for the letter.  Turns out it left the factory with a 30 bbl.   Someone wanted a handier length and had a good smith cut it.

Will Ketchum