Cimarron 1873 Sporting Rifle 44 WCF, 24" Octagon BarrelArguably the most famous rifle of the Old West, Winchester's first centerfire arm was manufactured from 1873-1919, with more than 541,000 turned out before 1900. A frontier favorite since its debut, this lever-action rifle was produced in a number of variations from short Trapper models and carbines to short and extra-long barreled rifles. A few short years after the 1873 rifle was introduced it was often teamed with the famed 1873 Peacemaker and other sixguns that had been chambered for the '73's .44-40 (.44WCF), .38-40 (.38 WCF), and .32-20 (.32 WCF) ammunition. The premier choice of the post-1874 Texas Rangers, this slab-sided saddle rifle was also favored by such well-known Westerners as Pat Garrett, William F. Cody, Montana Rancher Granville Stuart, and outlaws Butch Cassidy, Belle Starr and Billy the Kid.
Cimarron offers more variations than any other company, from plain to fully engraved with hand-checkered pistol-gripped stocks and in barrel lengths that run from a short 16 inches to a full 30 inches long. Calibers offered are .32-20, . ,38 Special/.357 Magnum, .44 Special/.44 Magnum, .44-40, and .45 Colt. Cimarron's '73s come in Standard Blue, Charcoal Blue, or Original Finish, and with straight walnut stocks or collector quality, hand-checkered deluxe models with the pistol grip stock. From Saddle Ring Carbine to Long Range Sporting Rifle, like the originals, Cimarron's 1873 lever guns are considered the best!
The information below comes from our Gun Caliber Dictionary and is for
general reference only. It does not describe the specifications of this
particular item.
The 44-40 Winchester (44 WCF) was introduced by Winchester in 1873 in their Model 1873 lever action. The '73, "the gun that won the West," was the first truly successful repeater, and its 44-40 cartridge was quickly adopted by other manufacturers, including both Colt and Smith & Wesson in revolvers. Using a .427-inch bullet, the standard load features a 200-grain bullet at about 1100 feet per second, producing 588 foot-pounds of energy. This is not a lot of power, but the 44-40 was probaby the most popular sporting cartridge of the 19th Century, accounting for untold amounts of game. It remained the most popular chambering in the 1892 Winchester, and was a common chambering in both rifles and handguns at least through the 1940s. The growth in Cowboy Action shooting has revived it; the 44-40 has less recoil than the 45 Colt, and serves as a common chambering for rifles and revolvers. Ammo is readily available and it is chambered to numerous reissues and reproductions.
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Craig Boddington
