Before you get too carried away post several good pictures of it so I can see what condition its in now. The Gun my be worth more in original condition but once its fixed up it looses it appeal and is actually worth less. If your having problems posting pictures you can email them to me.

Bob

I’m not meaning to crack open the debate container over “leave it original” vs. “restore it for future generations”…there’s arguments for both.

If it were far enough along in terms of degradation (yes, pics please…) AND is the family heirloom you say it is, I would not attempt a first-timer DIY restoration on such an important gun. My advice in that case would be to have a professional do the finishing and only do the parts you’re comfortable with.

I have been learning those techniques and repairs on non-important guns that were of little collector value. But in my mind, a gun from a great-great-grandfather is one of significant value, even if only family value.

I’d like to see your journey with it whatever you decide!

I can truly appreciate the comments here from the knowledgeable, and experienced members here.

Without repeating everything that was said, let me back up what Bob said, as one of the model 73 foremost experts,  and his many years of collecting through experience. Sending pictures to Bob, if you can’t post them, as you won’t be guided in the wrong direction.

For reference, I had an older gentleman, collector/hobbyist friend, with a similar situation, that wanted to, “clean up”, in his words, an older original Winchester, and seeing what he liked to do, with many other firearms, one thing always lead to the other as, ‘I’m just gonna freshen it up”, always turned into a ruing of many a nice original guns. He knew my desire for the older original Winchesters and asked my opinion, as I explained to him, it’s character and how nice it was the way it was. I convinced him to buy a replica, or modern day version of what he had, and hang it up next to it for comparison, as he wasn’t interested in spending,”the high buck”, in his words, to have it restored professionally. A true jack of all trades, and master of none, he listened, and told me later that it was the only gun he ever bought and sold and made money on. All the rest, he lost his backside on. Some can’t help themselves, like my friend, as he would bugger up more screws, in his haste to do what ever the demon on his shoulder convinced him in doing. I was really glad that wasn’t a true Winchester collector. LOL!

Just my two cents.

Anthony

1873man said
A inherited gun has a different value and if its too far down the condition level a restore my be in order but to do it right it will cost you more than you will ever get out of it. 

Bob

  

This is my metric for such things….If I had a G-G-Grandfather’s gun, the value of making it right and preserving would far exceed what it cost to do the work professionally, and I’d be OK with that. On a collection piece? I’d never outspend the gun’s value, that doesn’t make sense without a driving force of nostalgia or family heirloom traits….on a side note, I had no such hand-me-downs from my family, so I created one…a custom piece from Turnbull with our family name engraved in it. A simple piece, but I spent the money because I want it handed down from here on out. It is absolutely beautiful quality.

What is missing from the conversation is the “duck.”  

You can’t have a duck dinner without the duck. 

It is more important to have the heirloom in good working condition than it is to make it look pretty.  “This rifle has unfortunately been well loved by my family over the years”.  And you want to mess it up? 

Mike I agree.  Yes, it is his gun to do whatever he wishes.  I bet that if he takes someone out and they shoot this and he explains the history the new shooter really won’t care what it looks like.  

And someday someone else will own it.

Well its been gone over already.  The metal has been cleaned, rust probably removed at one time leaving the metal with no finish. The stock has had a finish applied to it and looks it and had a rough life but the forearm looks to be original and fits good yet. The rear barrel sight looks right and the front sight looks like someone got mad at it but probably some form of fix that went bad. The trigger block safety is missing on the lower tang so who knows what else has been played with in the trigger group.

If it were mine I would find a original stock that matches the forearm, replace the front sight with a old original and then while you had the stock off figure out what happened in the trigger. The gun was made Feb 2 of 1894. Its 44 caliber which is the most desirable caliber in the 73’s along with the octagon barrel. I would estimate the value of the gun at $2200. If its got a good bore and will feed and fire $2500

Bob

I’ve just scanned the photos of your ancestral rifle, for which I’m sure we all thank you. 

Others are the experts and will.have the valuable advice you need.  

But I will tell you what I think, for what it’s worth: 

1. The steel.of the rifle has not been abused and is in good condition for its age, with a minor exception. It has been disassembled with a poorly fitting screwdriver at some point, distorting the screw slots. If it were mine, I would find a gunsmith with expertise in the Model 1873, I would have him carefully strip it down and gently clean and lubricate the lockwork and internal components, then reassemble it without altering them, noting any deficiencies.  I’d also ask the Smith to evaluate the bore and wipe it to prevent further corrosion.  

2. I would do nothing more to the external metal than wipe it with Ballistol or something similar. Do not use and abrasive. I might ask the Smith to reshape the distorted screw slots. Or set them aside in safe storage and replace them for display with an available set of  1873 replacement screws. 

3. The stock and forearm look to my woodworker’s eye to have been refinished with a varnish that has long since deteriorated.  I might, for myself, remove and retain the original wood and replace it for display with straight grained Black Walnut finished in oil.  

3a.  Any original wood and screws should be contained in clearly marked packaging and transferred with the rifle to any future owner.

4. Depending on the bore and a competent gunsmith’s blessing, I might shoot it a bit but would probably instead spend $1200 and buy a new Winchester 1873 rifle to serve as it’s display mate and to shoot and hunt with, for a fraction of the cost of a professional restoration of the original rifle. (I’m prejudiced because I have both a new 1873 rifle and carbine that satisfy all my desire to actually use a 73 for its intended purpose.)

5..I would record and display with the rifle as much of its history as I could assimilate, using full names, places, exact or approximate dates, and any family stories about its use. Don’t wait to do this and type it up and keep it on display with the rifle. Provenance is the first part of a historic rifle to vanish..People with knowledge grow old and forget. “If it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen.”

At a guess, your rifle could be restored to new condition but it might well require replacement of the barrel.and all the wood. Others could give you a closer number but I would estimate six to eight thousand dollars. And it would be your grandfather’s rifle like another man’s grandfather’s axe with replacement blade and replacement handle..

Lastly:  Don’t try to do the work yourself. This rifle is far from being a tub toy and deserves very experienced hands. I’ve had to learn that lesson the hard way myself.The first law of medicine applies here: primum, non nocere.