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A few questions, an explanation, and a lot of pictures. I bought this gun uncleaned and very dark. I knew it has something on it. It turned out to heavily cosmolined and it was a real mess to remove. I could not tell what was underneath until it removed. I stripped it with acetone and and did little to no cleaning otherwise. The wood was cleaned with acetone, simple green and Windex and the stained and waxed. The entire gun was covered in cosmoline. As you can see I found this underneath. It appears to be an all correct but well used and heavily cleaned 1881 2nd Model 1873. Does anyone see anything that is incorrect? The gun is in good working order with a worn bore. The wood has no cracks and fits good. What kind of value would you place on this gun? I think I did OK on the price.
THIS ALL STARTED WITH JUST ONE GUN!
I will leave the pricing to others. The gun appears to be correct. I would have liked to see the butt stock fit a little better where it goes up against the receiver. The biggest problem is lack of finish on the metal parts. I might have not cleaned the metal so much. I prefer a brown or plumb finish over silver.
Just my opinion.
The gun has been cleaned once before and then the build up of dried oil over the years so cleaning it didn’t wreck the value much but the gun had a better old gun look to it in the before pictures and would of brought a few more dollars. Screws where nicely sealed over giving it that old its been stuck in the closet look. There is nothing wrong with the gun that I can see. It has a interesting serial number stamp. I would guess the guns worth $1500 if it can shoot a bullet straight.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
I liked the metal better before you cleaned it, shinny gray is not a plus on an old 73. T/R
Online
TR said
I liked the metal better before you cleaned it, shinny gray is not a plus on an old 73. T/R
Give it 50 years…
I guess I’m not the Lone Ranger that I always thought I was. Now, is there a way to put it back, without hurting it and without waiting 50 years? 
I have one close to that number. It is #77647. Interestingly It has the same holes where a saddle ring would go. I read somewhere that they used carbine receivers if they didn’t have any rifle receivers.
jschaal said
I have one close to that number. It is #77647. Interestingly It has the same holes where a saddle ring would go. I read somewhere that they used carbine receivers if they didn’t have any rifle receivers.
Does your gun have the large 7’s like the one in this post?
Yes, Winchester used SRC frames if they need to. I have seen quite a few like that.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
The metal what looked exactly like pictured once the cosmoline was removed. To be clear this was not dried oil or age related patina but true military grade cosmoline. See the link, Cosmoline I think the look was better before but you can’t judge a gun covered in what amounted to a layer of brown wax. It had been like this for years and the cosmoline had dried and turned brown. It was dry to the touch and not sticky but still it was essentially a layer of thick dried wax and not a patina. You can see places where it had been scraped off. I was a bit disappointed to find the metal so clean and lacking any patina. At least the barrel and tube was not cleaned so hard. It is kind of difficult buying a gun looking like the before pictures not knowing what was underneath or knowing the color was just wax. Since I had the gun in hand and could get a good idea of what had happened I paid 1100 for it as it was and took a chance.
Yes you can put it back the way it was and you can do it to any gun by applying Cosmoline and letting it dry.
THIS ALL STARTED WITH JUST ONE GUN!
$1100 is a fair price for what you bought, you can part it out and make money or just have fun with it. T/R
Old Guns said
Yes you can put it back the way it was and you can do it to any gun by applying Cosmoline and letting it dry.
Okay, I’m going to put on my thick skin and stand by to be lambasted by you guys.
I have a 45-90 ’86 in gray that I wish looked like the “before” photos of this 73. While it’s 2″ over standard, I don’t think it has much collector’s value from an “original finish” standpoint. If I slathered it with cosmoline (the genuine stuff), how long would it take to dry and look like that? Does the “dark” come with the dried cosmoline, or does that take time or dirt to get the found-in-a-barn look?
How easily does it scrape or chip like you see in some of the “before” photos?
Would it be foolish to do this?
If it doesn’t hurt the gun, it seems like a harmless, maybe even protective way of achieving the look I like.
Edited: I read the link. 2 years to dry, and it is brown, so . . . I guess my other questions still stand but I think I might try this since the rifle just sits around anyway. I’ve shot it but it’s really not one that I use much.
Have you ever seen old military parts covered in the stuff since WWII? They are dark and greasy and miserable to clean. They usually have a thick coat of the stuff and have been inside a package so they did not thoroughly dry. I have seen foreign military guns with the stuff on the inside and outside. Some is like grease and some has turned to a thick waxy grease and absolutely no one like the job of removing it. The stuff had a purpose and it did the job pretty good. I have seen rust form on guns with it due to the fact that after 70 years and it can happen. Sometimes a WWII gun is found still covered in it and it is left that way because it is believed to as new underneath. That may be a neat story and may be true but the gun in question is hidden by the cosmoline and can not be seen. Ugly is the appropriate word to use in that case.
If the gun covered in cosmoline is put to use remember it literally melts when heat is applied. Getting the barrel hot would give you a sticky brown gooey mess. One trick to removing it is to lay it on a towel inside a hot car and let it melt. GIs often used gasoline to remove it as it is a solvent and would cut the stuff. It is meant for long term storage and for very harsh climates where rust protection was needed. It was never meant to applied and left on for appearance or for general use.
THIS ALL STARTED WITH JUST ONE GUN!
jschaal said
I have one close to that number. It is #77647. Interestingly It has the same holes where a saddle ring would go. I read somewhere that they used carbine receivers if they didn’t have any rifle receivers.
When they used the carbine receivers didn’t they weld up the hole?
Thanks, Old Guns. I’m in desert/mountain, so if it’s not packaged, it should dry. I’d just put a coat on the outside to get the look I like. Start thin and see how it goes. I’ll wait until I come across some cosmoline in my wanderings. No hurry.
Chuck said
When they used the carbine receivers didn’t they weld up the hole?
Never saw that, they just plugged them. More common than you think. T/R
TR said
Never saw that, they just plugged them. More common than you think. T/R
Did they ever issue the rifle with the ring?
Bob,
My Dad has my rifle in Montana, I’ll see if I can get a picture as I can’t recall what the numbers looked like. They do look unusual on the rifle posted though.
Huck Riley said
Did they ever issue the rifle with the ring?
Yes they did but very rarely.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
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