Welcome to in the present day’s Photo of the Day! Right here now we have one in every of solely two recognized surviving examples from ten experimental .22 rimfire Winchester Mannequin 1873 prototypes created by Klein & Carr of San Francisco in 1883. This is among the rarest Winchester variations ever made as a 22 Winchester 73.
In July 1883, Winchester shipped ten Mannequin 1873 rifles in .38 caliber to Klein & Carr, all listed in manufacturing facility ledgers as “full aside from barrel, provider block, piston, retractors, extractor, journal follower” and “forearm octagon.” Klein & Carr acquired a patent in July 1883 for changing the Mannequin 1873 to .22 rimfire for gallery taking pictures use.
Klein & Carr utilized their conversion to all ten rifles, creating working prototypes. Winchester acknowledged the business potential and bought the patent from Klein & Carr in late 1883 or early 1884. Shortly after, Winchester started advertising the Mannequin 1873 in .22 rimfire to the general public, creating a complete new marketplace for indoor gallery taking pictures and small recreation looking.
The barrel on this rifle is marked “MANUFACTURED BY/KLEIN & CARR/PAT. JULY 17. 1883” with no caliber marking. Klein & Carr’s conversion was similar to Winchester’s subsequent manufacturing .22 rimfire rifles, together with the non-threaded tapered takedown pin on the receiver entrance. The unique loading gate was retained however the rifle hundreds by means of the journal tube after conversion.
In response to James Gordon’s “Winchester’s New Mannequin of 1873 A Tribute Vol. II,” just one different surviving instance was recognized when he wrote the ebook – serial quantity 127316A. This makes solely two confirmed survivors from the unique ten prototypes. Whether or not Klein & Carr developed these independently and offered the patent to Winchester, or whether or not Winchester directed them to create the prototypes stays unclear.
The rifle includes a nickeled Seashore mixture entrance sight, elevation adjustable No. 22 notch rear sight, and a uncommon No. 62-B peep sight on the higher tang. The decrease tang is marked “1414 S” confirming the shotgun buttplate configuration.
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“Klein & Carr .22 RF Prototype Winchester Mannequin 1873 Rifle.” Rock Island Public sale, www.rockislandauction.com/element/4096/30/klein-carr-22-rf-prototype-winchester-model-1873-rifle. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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