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Everybody's heard about the gun that won the West. I've got a Winchester Model 1873 Saddle Ring carbine made in New Haven, Connecticut. It's got a large, easy-to-get-ahold-of hammer, and a conventional lever. Just behind the lever on the stock is an interesting little lever lock that lets you lock the lever closed when you want it to stay closed. The stock has a steel carbine-style buttplate, and a trap in the butt for a cleaning rod. This carbine has a 20-inch round barrel, and ladder sights that go all the way out to nine hundred yards. Winchester produced this model from 1873 to 1923 and produced over seven hundred thousand of them. This particular gun has a serial number in the 420,000 range, which puts its production in 1892. The saddle ring was developed by the military. Cowboys probably used it to tie the gun to the saddle. The side plates are removable so that you can clean the action. There is a dust cover atop the action that stays closed to keep the dust out and slides open when the lever is operated. The carrier on this gun is brass, and the gun caliber is marked on it. This gun is chambered for 44-40. For a visual demonstration of how it operates, check out the video above.
--Larry Potterfield
