Winchester 1873 Cleaning Rods 3pc Set for SRC, Trapper, Etc.

This is a nice original three piece set of cleaning rods for a Model 1873 Saddle Ring Carbine, Short Rifle, or Trapper with a 20" barrel or less. These rods came standard and were placed in the stocks of all 38-40 and 44-40 Carbines/Short Rifles/Trappers/etc. via a small sliding brass trap in the buttplate. The three piece rods are a little longer than the four piece rifle sets measuring 7-7/8" on the jag and center sections...and 8" on the end piece due to the steel tip. Over the years, most of these rods were lost, broken, or discarded by their original and subsequent owners as they made considerable noise and added extra weight to the gun. This particular set is the later type with steel tip which replaced the brass tip rods around the year 1892 and was used into the 1920's. Overall condition grades to NRA Antique Excellent with most of the bright finish still present, no rust or pitting, and no cracks on the ends. The collector/dealer I bought these from had some very high condition model 1873 carbines for sale at the time I purchased this set. His rationale was "why give away a set of rods for free" when you can pull them out and sell them separately. Money aside, I would have preferred he left them in the guns for the sake of originality, but it wasn't up to me. More than likely, these rods came out one of the minty carbines he had on his table which he had priced from $15,000 to $30,000. They show very little use for a carbine and are in Fine+ to Excellent Condition Overall.

Item# 1305

SOLD