Winchester Model 1873

Winchester Model 1873 - 1st generation rifle - 44-40 Cal.

Referred to as the "Gun that Won the West", the Winchester model 1873 was manufactured in the following calibers: .44-40, .38-40 and .32-20. Modern replicas are offered in those calibers and also the .45 long colt, though it wasn't originally offered in that caliber.

Something many don't know, John M. Browning, the inventor of the rifle, used an 1873 to make his first prototype automatic firing gun. After seeing what a muzzle blast could do to a patch of grass, he tested it and found he was correct. The muzzle blast from the gun was heavy enough to be harnessed, so he took a flapper and attached it to the muzzle and the lever and invented his first automatic rifle.

Seen in the following:

Film

• Winchester '73

• Open Range

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

• The Last Samurai

Television

• Deadwood