Author Topic: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40  (Read 4922 times)

Offline shrapnel

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FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« on: October 18, 2017, 10:08:17 AM »
I have been looking for one of these for several months. I found this one with enough condition to own and still be affordable...

 











I never considered myself a failure...I started out at the bottom and happen to like it here!

Offline Galloway

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2017, 04:37:24 PM »
Thats a great find! Nice configuration and caliber too! Hows the poi at 50 yards?

Offline Coal Creek Griff

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2017, 10:14:25 PM »
Thanks again for showing us some of your collection. We can't all come to Montana to see them in person,  so it's nice to see the pictures that you post.

CC Griff
Manager, WT Ranch--Coal Creek Division

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #3 on: Today at 12:33:21 PM »

Offline Cholla Hill Tirador

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2017, 04:29:47 AM »
  Very nice. When was it made?

  CHT

Offline shrapnel

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2017, 09:18:12 AM »
Thats a great find! Nice configuration and caliber too! Hows the poi at 50 yards?

It shot high and I didn't want to mess with the front sight. I had a Carbine express sight with the second leaf broken, so I put it on the gun and took a small file and deepened the rear groove just a touch and got it on for shooting close quarter rabbits...

I never considered myself a failure...I started out at the bottom and happen to like it here!

Offline shrapnel

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2017, 09:19:09 AM »
  Very nice. When was it made?

  CHT

Made in 1891
I never considered myself a failure...I started out at the bottom and happen to like it here!

Offline Cholla Hill Tirador

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2017, 09:21:01 AM »
 It's very nice. I had an 1890 production that evidently spent a lot of years bouncing around in a wagon.

 CHT

Offline Bibbyman

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2017, 03:43:30 PM »


About a month ago we walked into our favorite toy stores and ran across this Winchester 1873 rifle in 34WCF made in 1889.   Grandpa past in down to grandkids and they promptly took in to gun shop and traded it for something they wanted to play with.  I was real pleased they hadn't made the effort to sand it down or cold blue it.

It was worn with age and use but complete, original and solid.   I wasn't looking for a 73 but this one had to come home with me. I got some dies, bullets and brass and loaded up a couple hundred rounds with BlackMZ.   I took it to the next cowboy action shooting match for show and tell.  I decided to shoot it at least one stage. I was doing fine and had 4 clean stages going so I decided it was only fair to complete the match with it.  I missed one rifle target on stage 5 but it was my fault, not the rifle's.

Offline rbertalotto

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2017, 03:09:29 PM »
love these old 1873 rifles in 38-40. you might enjoy reading a couple articles I wrote about my adventures:

http://rvbprecision.com/shooting/winchester-1873-saddle-ring-rifle-rebuild.html



http://rvbprecision.com/shooting/1873-winchester.html


Roy B
South of Boston
www.rvbprecision.com
SASS #93544

Offline Bibbyman

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2017, 07:07:05 PM »


What a labor of love or something like that on your 73 rebuild!

One of the first things I did was test every screw. All but two broke loose ok.   One lever spring screw was wrong and stuck tight. They had ground off the head so there was no slot left.  I ended up drilling the head off.  Fortunately,  the screw part came out easily.  I replaced it.  The other screw that I've not gotten out is the lever screw.  I keep putting penetrating oil on it and trying it.  I won't resort to desperat measures unless I have to take the gun apart.  I have a new screw on hand to replace it.

Question,   don't the center to center of the link pins determine the head space?  Maybe another set of links will take up the excess headspace?

Offline rbertalotto

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2017, 07:05:19 AM »
Yes, a labor of love

Longer toggle links will correct headspace as you suggested
Roy B
South of Boston
www.rvbprecision.com
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Offline Bibbyman

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2017, 09:20:24 AM »
I've been working on cleaning the barrel on my old 73 a little each morning.   The more I brush,  soak with Hoppe's #9, brush some more, the more rifling I'm finding. 

Offline greyhawk

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2017, 07:15:58 PM »
I've been working on cleaning the barrel on my old 73 a little each morning.   The more I brush,  soak with Hoppe's #9, brush some more, the more rifling I'm finding.  

Its fun getting an old one going
I have resurrected several ""wont shoot "" barrels ----I use a brass bristle brush (usually am old one that is getting a bit tired) and I wrap it with as much steel wool as I can squeeze in the bore - it will take two or three tries - needs to be quite firm - I was using Brasso polish on the steel wool brush but the last barrel (an 1873 barrel) I used it dry then changed up and applied some jewellers rouge to the steel wool brush You will feel the change in resistance as the bore polishes up - I slugged mine before and after and the finish on the slug was much smoother after polishing - (had a rouge stick from my leather carving days and use it often to polish stuff) ......I have put some effort/thought into load development and this old barrel is shooting ok - they are slow twist and that combined with the roughness - soft load for the old gun means you need a short projectile - otherwise they will tumble as the revs slow down - I have fitted my old 73 barrel to a 92 action (yeah long story there) so its been easy to up the load a bit - I am using the RCBS cowboy mold .40-180-CM 635 (plenty of lube on that one) but I struck problems with stability with a straight black loading using Wano powder - I have gone to a duplex load 4 grains of 4227 plus a full case of homemade black - WOULD NOT DO THAT IN an original 73 - so if you are planning blackpowder - get hold of some swiss.   My load is shooting ok .... inspired some by Dick Dastardly - telling us he can shoot a three day match before he cleans - I put the old girl away dirty yesterday after 11 shots - took her out today - four long slow breaths down the barrel to soften it up and shot another five into my group - all good - so yeah - keep polishing away at that 73 barrel - slug it for sure to get size right - you probably got a nice shooter - maybe its worth spending some proper money on the right mold for it - I would go for a lighter / shorter projectile if you can - saw a 165 grain advertised someplace (maybe accurate molds). I bought a new barrel for this 92 project so now I have a 73 barrel that shoots - nice external markings - looks like I need to find another old girl to fix up.  
Picture below is my target yesterday -11shots - then 5 more today into the group - - shooting 20 yards -can see the five new ones in the backing board as well

Offline Bibbyman

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Re: FOUND: Winchester 1873 SRC In 38-40
« Reply #13 on: October 26, 2017, 08:58:51 PM »
I did hunt up some bore polishing cloth I'd gotten many years ago to brighten up the bores on some old guns.  The packaging was completely deteriorated and I can't remember the brand but it's like thick felt with a costing of compound that has a very fine abrasive. I cut out one patch and wrapped it around a brush and stroked it until I felt I had gotten the most out of the patch. A lot of black came out.  I don't want to over do it with polishing.   I'm seeing some nice sharp rifling now.

I'm thinking,  shoot it and see what groups I get out of it.  It's not like I'm going into bench rest competition or shoot at ground howgs at 300 yards with it anyway.

 

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