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early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2023 9:49 pm
by aspen1
I was given this carbine from a dear friend years ago just before he passed. Tried to start getting info years ago but life got in the way. Iam now retired and the fun starts again.
Serial number213
C marked site
oval no date inspectors cartouche
2 click tumbler
32 stamped in stock in front of trigger guard.
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Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2023 1:26 am
by aspen1
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Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 7:11 am
by Dick Hosmer
Very nice! That number's listed in my book - if I may ask, who was your friend?
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 12:43 pm
by aspen1
A guy in town, who's family owned a sporting goods store. I helped him catalog a bunch of stuff we found in attic of the shop after he bought out the rest of the family. He knew I really like this and gave it to me for helping. He passed away at 51 yo of a major Heart attack. If the book you mentioned is your tracking then we may have been in touch 10 12 years ago when I first started trying to research it.
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 8:52 pm
by Dick Hosmer
Yes, I have your name in the notes to my registry, with the notation of "sliding trap", but no date. My original registry was lost in a crash, but I been able to reconstruct most of it. This forum might be a great place to discuss the sliding trap. I'm assuming it is the brass Winchester type?
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 9:04 pm
by FrankD
Thank you for sharing, nice rifle.
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 9:31 pm
by aspen1
I dont know what you mean by " sliding trap". I've never heard that term before.
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 12:14 am
by Dick Hosmer
aspen1 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 22, 2023 9:31 pm
I dont know what you mean by " sliding trap". I've never heard that term before.
Well, I may need to correct my notes! Or, possibly the gun has been "corrected" in the meantime? A few early carbines have been found with butt traps of Winchester design, an oval hole with a brass vertically-sliding door. They were NOT done at SA, and are not held in high regard by most collectors - the closest, as-yet undocumented, theory is that they were done by a western gunsmith, prior to the adoption of the pivoting steel trap in 1877. Does the gun now have a solid butt-plate? If so, is there a hole underneath it in the wood? If there is nothing there, I'll remove the note. Thanks.
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 2:19 am
by aspen1
It has a solid butt plate but a single hole underneath that looks like it was hand drilled.
Re: early 73 carbine 3 Digit serial number
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 3:04 am
by Dick Hosmer
aspen1 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 23, 2023 2:19 am
It has a solid butt plate but a single hole underneath that looks like it was hand drilled.
Thanks for checking - I'll revise the note.