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I also cannot imagine ordering a rifle and paying for 3 extra barrels in the same caliber & buying extra sights for distance purposes.
Having to change the barrel every time I plan to hunt a different environment? Sorry that one just doesn’t seem reasonable to me.
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wg1776 said
I thought the same about the barrels Bert, or at least thought it might have to do with different sets of sights for different shooting applications. Your idea about different ranges is equally plausible.As for the “3 interchangeable barrels” meaning it was a three barrel set, I respectfully do not agree and neither did the the Cody museum. By the logic you outlined, a typical two barrel set, which is always noted in the ledger with a single “interchangeable barrel” would not be a two barrel set. If the ledger noted “2 interchangeable barrels,” would you conclude that was a 2-barrel set as well? How do you explain what would have been a material difference in the way the factory recorded 2-barrel sets vs. sets with more than two barrels? I’m not asking to be a smart-a*#, I’m genuinely interested in how you’d explain the logic. Books and studies are never perfect, so I do not assume that ARMAX was perfect in the way it interpreted this record.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter as far as the rifle is concerned, and I hope a WACA member who appreciates it wins the auction.
Will
The article in the Winter 1996 Collector states that research of the records of the first 354,000 1894’s produced found a total of 118 1894’s with interchangeable barrels – 114 had 2 barrels and 4 had 3 barrels. No 4 barrel or 5 barrel guns were found.
1873man said
I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out why anyone would need extra barrels for a 22 especially ones that you would had to have a gunsmith change the barrel since its not a takedown 22. If the guy was a hard core shooter and have to replace a barrel after you shot it out but why the complete barrel assemblies. If it was different length shells, the elevator was capable of changing short to long or use the selector system found on some guns.
Bob
Ah, thanks for the additional information. I had made the assumption your .22 was a takedown. Wow – plus the fact that the extra barrels had their own forends? Why? As you suggest, a gunsmith or skilled person would have to remove the forearm and then, the barrel to put a different barrel on. Why wouldn’t you use the same forearm? What could be the advantage of each extra barrel having its own forearm? Scratching my head even more. I’d love to know the full history of this rifle and what was in the mind of the customer who ordered it. Would also love to know the specifics of the extra barrels and the sights that were on them. Also, your rifle has a fancy checkered stocks I assume?
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
deerhunter said
Now here’s a super rare one. What a shame the 3 extra barrels are no longer with the gun….Interesting all 4 barrels were in the same caliber and identical configuration.https://www.gunbroker.com/item/887570367
Don
The auction is over. $1980 was the final bid. Given it is a .38-55 takedown, with quite a bit of original blue, I think that was a favorable price for the buyer. I think Bert was right – the information on the letter regarding the extra barrels – really didn’t add to the achieved sale price.
Agreed Steve. For me, the letter, configuration, year, & caliber didn’t draw me toward it. I would’ve only been bidding on the amount of blue remaining but that is subjective and without handling in person I can’t say if it’s a good buy or not. It would appear to be but…
On the topic of rifles with three barrels, here is a very interesting rifle with an even more rare and interesting opportunity. Warning: this involves Marlin rather than Winchester. However, the concept could apply to a Winchester multi-barrel set.
This is a wonderful deluxe Marlin M1893 deluxe takedown that letters with three barrel sets. Unfortunately, one barrel is missing:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/890819938
The interesting opportunity I alluded to, involves another M1893 deluxe takedown rifle (also for sale), that happens to be equipped with the exact caliber/barrel figuration which is missing from the three-barrel set rifle. The condition even matches:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/890389144
So, theoretically, one could buy both rifles and scavenge the barrel/front end to have a three barrel set. This would leave a very nice receiver/buttstock without a barrel. However, if you kept them all together, you would simultaneously have a three-barrel set, while not doing anything wrong to the single barreled rifle.
Sort of a mind bender. 
Thoughts?
I’m curious after reading this thread, whether extra barrels for these sets were numbered somewhere to match the rifles, either the Winchesters or the Marlins?
If by “number” you mean a serial number, then No, Winchester did not. While I do not know for sure, I suspect that Winchester would have stamped an assembly number either on the take down extension ring or on the bottom of the barrel for each barrel assembly made for the rifle in question.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
1873Man, this is a long shot, but what if the guy that owned your rifle already had an 1873 that needed a barrel and he wanted a new rifle also. So he orders a new 73 with an extra barrel. Maybe buying an extra barrel with a new rifle was cheaper than buying a replacement barrel outright. If you could find an order form from back in the day that had a price list on it and see what the difference in price was between the two. You have to remember that five or ten dollars was a lot back then. RRM
The below link is to the “Rarest of the Rare” a 4 barrel set 1894. A good marketing line for this set
https://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?lid=59294377
I just saw this one this evening and thought it would be of interest.
Colsuper said
The below link is to the “Rarest of the Rare” a 4 barrel set 1894. A good marketing line for this sethttps://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?lid=59294377
I just saw this one this evening and thought it would be of interest.
It certainly is of interest. Again, we have the dilemma of interpreting incomplete information in the factory ledger. The auction house advises, “One can only conclude the extra barrels…”
Rat Rod Mac said
1873Man, this is a long shot, but what if the guy that owned your rifle already had an 1873 that needed a barrel and he wanted a new rifle also. So he orders a new 73 with an extra barrel. Maybe buying an extra barrel with a new rifle was cheaper than buying a replacement barrel outright. If you could find an order form from back in the day that had a price list on it and see what the difference in price was between the two. You have to remember that five or ten dollars was a lot back then. RRM
RRM,
The only thing that counters that is that the extra barrels were “fitted” which would add labor and increase the cost over buying the parts.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
1873man said
RRM,
The only thing that counters that is that the extra barrels were “fitted” which would add labor and increase the cost over buying the parts.
Bob
I also think RRM’s theory would be more likely if it had been ordered with just one extra barrel.
Colsuper said
The below link is to the “Rarest of the Rare” a 4 barrel set 1894. A good marketing line for this sethttps://www.proxibid.com/asp/LotDetail.asp?lid=59294377
I just saw this one this evening and thought it would be of interest.
Sold for $60,000.
Bill Hockett – I see the museum letter on this four-barrel set rifle was addressed to Glenn Hockett from Great Falls, MT. Any relation to you?
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