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Historic ID'd Cowboy's Winchester 1873 Saddle Ring Carbine used in Colorado & Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893


Have you ever heard someone say, "If this gun could only talk" or looked at an old Winchester and wondered "Where did this come from and who might have carried it?" When it comes to collecting items from the American West, we are often lucky just to get a couple of initials carved on the grip or stock of a gun or maybe a story that has been passed down. We can sometimes firm up its date of manufacture, even the date it was shipped along with its original configuration but almost never where it shipped or who bought it. What little else of the story can be surmised to some degree by reading the wear...maybe in the form of some spur marks on the wood, age checks in the grain from a dry climate. I can remember about 30 years ago reading about a contest in the CADA journal from Tommy Rholes. Mr. Rholes was a high end antique Colt and Winchester dealer from Van, Texas. The article had a picture of a Winchester 1873 Saddle Ring Carbine with a cowboy's initials on the stock that he was giving away to celebrate his official retirement and contest was for who could submit the best story to bring the original owner and his gun to life through a fictional Western story. I can remember some years later finding the winning story and I have to say, it was quite detailed and well written.

Over the years, I've come across many Winchester 1873 Saddle Ring Carbines in all kinds of serial ranges, 1st, 2nd, 3rd Models, many used out West and most likely Mexico and Canada...some with foreign proofs, dealer's names, all kinds of conditions. One was even a presentation gift from the Prince of Wales. Their place in time, their technological advantage, handiness, reloadability, and aesthetics make them synonymous with the Wild West. I've had some with really interesting stories but I've never had one that could talk with a true American West story UNTIL about 5 years ago when I found this little carbine. It was in May of 2019 before the big storm hit us all in 2020 and I got it from a dealer near Wichita, KS. Just a standard well-used but well-looked-after 3rd Model 1873 Saddle Ring Carbine made in 1884 except for one thing. It had a name on the stock. Not initials or a brand, but a man's full name, the name of his town, and his state. It read "S.M. DICKASON, GRANADA COLO". It was a bit worn but all there and completely legible. It told me a few things right away, the most obvious being that he could read and write which was not always the case in the 19th century. Second, it told me that he probably moved around a lot as he had his town and state along with his name. Looking up Granada, Colorado, I learned that the town was basically one giant stockyard for cattle and one of the largest in the West during the late 19th century, with millions of cattle brought to railroad hub for shipment back East. A bit of Googling turned up that S.M. was born in 1869 and while I couldn't find much about him at the time and his connection to Colorado, I found that he had a brother who lived one town over from Granada and interestingly had a son who became a Hollywood movie director in the 1920s and 30's. Knowing that the carbine was made in 1884, a time at which Mr. Dickason would have only been 15 years old and a brand new Winchester likely out of financial reach, I made what I believe to be a fair assumption that he was likely not the original owner but probably the second when he came by this gun in the late 1880's or early 1890's around the time has was in his late teens or very early 20's. I can only assume during this time that he worked a cowboy or something at least indirectly with the industry.

Furthermore, the gun itself did show signs of scabbard wear and age checking on the lower half of the stock (where it would be exposed outside of the leather) and living outdoors. These carbines were regarded as utility guns and used as tools on horseback. The original saddle ring is intact, there is a good ring shadow on the receiver but what's really fascinating is that the top of the U shaped metal staple had been filed and peened flat. Now why would someone do something like this? Well, if you've ever gotten your hands on old leather scabbards and I'm not talking about new ones or fancy ones, but ones that really got used, you will often find a hole or bulged spot on the side from where the saddle ring wore through and can even snag if the hole is big enough. Dickason or the previous owner likely flattened out the ring staple so it wouldn't dig into the leather and would slide out of the scabbard more easily. He also trimmed down the notorious metal post front sight which was another big culprit in tearing holes at the ended of saddle scabbards. He lowered the sight block down and put a thin wooden or bone blade to sight the gun in better and being soft and low enough not tear into his leather. I have to admit, at first I looked at these modifications with a little disdain as I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to originality. However, being minor alterations and knowing they were period to the gun's use and then finally understanding the reasoning behind them, it won me over to the point where I wouldn't dare try to improve them. Dealing with Civil War Cavalry issued guns probably prepared me better for this as the cavalier and practical nature of horse soldiers often took precedence over "regulations"....and that goes double if they were Confederate ones.

To Be Continued....

Item# 560

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