Winchester Model 1873 Rifle
This is my vintage Winchester Model 1873 rifle in .44 WCF, made in 1889. Pixelwiz gave it to me for Christmas. It has a 24" full-octagon barrel and a plum-brown patina all over it (except in the protected areas, where there's just a trace of blue). The stocks are in decent shape, the action is very nice and tight and the rifling is good, though there are a few small pits in the barrel (still, the bore is better than you might expect in a gun that's nearly 120 years old). It needed a good, thorough cleaning when I got it, but underneath all the crud was a lovely rifle.

It was shooting way high (6-8 inches at 25 yards), so I took it to a gunsmith who for some reason decided he needed to file down the front sight — which meant I had to find a replacement. After searching online for either an original Winchester sight, or a vintage Lyman "hunting" front sight (which I'd still love to put on this gun if I ever find one), I got some leads from the folks on the SASS Wire and ordered an original Winchester front sight from Albert Buckingham in Tennessee. Needless to say, I didn't bring it (or any other gun) back to that first 'smith.

The replacement sight (from a gun made in 1883) is a easier to see than the original one, and the rifle shoots mighty well for a gun that's almost 120 years old. Witness the group at right, shot at 25 yards with cartridges full of American Pioneer Powder and a 200gr bullet. It still shoots a tad high — I was aiming with the bottom of the 8" diameter bull perched atop the front sight, so I'm about 3 inches high at 25 yards. As long as I remember to aim at the lower part of the rifle targets, I'll be in good shape.