The remaining Winchester product will be described in regular order, each Model being named for the year when introduced. The Model 1873 was the first repeating rifle to handle center fire cartridges and soon became famous the world over. The Model 1886 was designed to handle powerful cartridges loaded with heavy charges of powder and lead, and for large game shooting was a particularly desirable rifle. This arm is adjusted to the .33 Winchester Smokeless .38-56, .40-75-26o, .4o-82..45-7o-4°5 LT. S. Government. .45-7o-5oo C. S. Government. .45-70-330. .45-70-350. .45-85-350. .45-82-405. .45-85-300.
and .50-t o Winchester cartridges. The 'Iodel 1890 rifle has a sliding. forearm action. It handles .22 short, .22 long, and .22 Winchester rim fire cartridges, and is linequaled for small game shooting- and target practice at reasonable ranges. The :Model ISo2 rifle is the embodiment of lightness, strength, and ease of manipulation, and is made for the .44, .38, .32, and .25-20 Winchester center fire cartridges. The Model 1804 was the first repeating rifle made to handle, successfully. the popular target cartridges known as the and .32-4o and also the .32 Winchester Special..3o and .25-35 Winchester center fire cartridges, the latter three cartridges belongliw to the most modern type of high powered smokeless powder ammunition. The .Model 1895 is the only lever action box magazine ritle made. It is a powerful. accurate shooting weapon -and handles the .3o U. S. Army, 303 British, .35 Winchester Smokeless, and .38-72 and 40-72 Winchester cztrtridg,es. The old Winchester single shot rifle is made in all desirable calibers from .22 TO .3o and in styles to meet the requirements of all tastes, and for different kinds of shooting. The Winchester repeating shotg,mns are made in two models, the lever action in to g,atige and the Model t897 with sliding fol:earm action in T and 16 gauge. The Model 1897 is made in " Take DOW11 " style. These guns are rapidly supplanting double barreled guns both in the field and at the trap. Properly- handled Winchester guns seldom get out of order. That a' gun is of a later model does not necessarily imply that it is any better, or that it has superseded earlier models. The different models of Win chester guns are designed to meet the requirements of different kinds of shooting and a diversity of tastes.
The Winchester repeating rifle, Model 1873, is conceded to be the most re markable arm ever producod. It was the first repeating rifle made to use center fire cartridges, and for years the only: one on the market. Up to the present time there have been over a million sold, and they- are still in demand. It is improbable that any one style of arm will ever compare with the Model 1873 in popularity' or in the number in use. Until a decade ago, practically all the big- game killed in this and other countries succumbed to its accurate and deadly fire. It is a strong,
accurate arm. It is absolutely safe, as the firing pin is automatically withdrawn when the gun is opened, and the trigg,er locked until the action is closed. It can be furnished with set triggers, in which case the trigger lock-saftey catch is omitted. It is made for .44, .38, and .32 center fire cartridges. The weights of this Model, full or half mag,azine, are as follow's: Round barrel, 24 inches long or under, weight about 8,?,/,2 pounds; Octagon barrel, 24 inches long or under, weight about 9 pounds; Half octagon barrel, 25 inches long or under, weight about ay, pounds; Carbine, zo inch round barrel, weight about 7y4' pounds; Musket, 3o inch round barrel, weight about 9,/, pounds, full magazine only,.
The system and operation of Winchester repeating rifles, except models 1890 and 1895, are similar to those of the .44, .38, and .32 calibers of the model 1873, and can be readily understood from the sectional cuts of that model shown in Figures a and 3. Figure 2 shows the action closed and Figure 3 shows the action open. The magazine is loaded while the action is closed, as shown in Figure 2. by pressing down the spring cover on the right hand side of the receiver with the point of the cartridge, and inserting the cartridge through the opening thus made. The opening is closed by the spring cover as soon as the cartridge is inserted. This operation is repeated until the magazine is filled. When it is desired to load, the finger lever 13 is thrown forward to the position shown in Figure 3, and then returned to position shown in Figure 2. This motion throws out the shell or cartridge in the chamber, transfers a cartridge from the magazine to the chamber, cocks the hammer, and leaves the gun ready to fire when the trigger is pulled. The op eration of loading is easily executed while the gun is at the hip, or at the shoulder, with out taking the eye off the sights, thus enabling the shooter to fire as many shots as there are cartridges in the magazine without removing the gun from the shoulder, or losing sight of the object shot at. ://) lake out the barrel.—Take out the two tip screws and the magazine ring pin ; pull out the magazine tube and take off the forearm ; then, before unscrewing the barrel from the frame, the breech pin must be thrown back by moving the finger lever forward—otherwise the attempt to unscrew it will break the extractor which withdraws the cartridge and ruin the breech pin. remove the breech pin. Models 1873 and 1876.—After removing the side plates and links, take out the link pin and retractor: the piston can then be pulled out with the fingrs, first removing the hammer, or setting it at full cock.