Note: This article originally appeared in the 2024 Texas Gun Collectors Association's "Fine & Historic Arms Annual."

The Winchester 1 of 1,000 is often praised for all the wrong reasons, but the right ones are even more impressive.

At the end of 1873 Winchester published a 4-page piece of promotional literature on their new Model of 1873. The four page document ends with a section titled in strong, all-capitals font, “VARIETY OF ARMS.”

A well-documented, special order, Browning Brothers shipped Winchester Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifle, the only example chambered in .38-40 W.C.F.

The four paragraphs to follow detail a program designed to create “an Arm that will shoot with unerring accuracy.” The problem, the circular posits, is that when a sportsman requests an arm of such accuracy from “their favorite gunsmith” that “nine cases out of ten” result in a failure.

But the benevolent folks at Winchester had a solution for that problem! With their own self-admitted variances in the accuracy of their barrels, they sought to eliminate those “nine cases of out ten” by doing the leg work for discerning buyers.

A documented "One of One Thousand" Winchester Model 1873 rifle. The rifle is listed in the charts of "One of One Thousand" Model 1873s drawn from the factory ledgers shown in Gordon's "Winchester's New Model of 1873: A Tribute, Volume II" on page 375, and on page 24 of "The Story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles" by Lewis.

In a tale well-known even beyond Winchester collectors, the process detailed in the 1873 circular was quite specific that every sporting rifle would be tested for accuracy, and the barrel numbered. When 100 had been tested, the most accurate barrel would be set aside. After 10 such superior barrels were obtained, “They will then again be subjected to trials for accuracy, and the best of the ten selected and marked ‘One of a thousand,’ the price of which will be from $80 to $100. The other nine will be marked ‘one of a hundred,’ and the price will be from $60 to $75 each.”

There were only 132 "One of One Thousand" rifles produced in the Winchester 1873 Model, and a scant 8 of the "One of One Hundreds" in total – only 6 of which are known today.

On its face, the program had great promise. Guns that have performed admirably have always been appreciated in America. This is as true for revered reliable models of guns, such as the Colt 1911 and M1 Garand, as it is for highly accurate examples such as the Whitworth rifle or the Sharps New Model 1859 as wielded by the men serving under Hiram C. Berdan.

Once a gun is bestowed such a reputation, it becomes almost legend.  History is dotted with such specimens: Davey Crocket’s “Old Betsy,” Billy Dixon’s “Big 50” Sharps rifle, famously used during the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, and Carlos Hathcock’s lethal Model 70.  But Winchester’s latest offering in 1873 allowed sportsmen to buy their own high performance gun straight from the factory!

There’s three things that Americans love about guns more than anything else.

1. Superb performance
2. Superior aesthetics
3. Bragging rights, especially when pertaining to numbers 1 and 2.

While the folks at Winchester were clearly leaning on #1 in their promotion, the guns would also be given a deluxe treatment. The circular only mentions “set triggers and extra finish,” but as is now well-known, there were no shortage of special order features ordered on these premium rifles. The Winchester 1 of 1,000 and 1 of 100 checked off three very important boxes.

That genesis story of the ‘1 of 1,000’ and ‘1 of 100’ is one filled with specifics, but unfortunately light in historical evidence.

The Winchester 1 of 1,000 Program

While the Winchester factory ledgers for serial numbers 1-1504 of the Model 1873 do include a column entitled “Target,” which lists the grouping size for that gun’s accuracy, it leaves out numerous pieces of important information. Was the group size being used to designate guns for the 1 of 1,000 program? How many shots created the group? At what distance was the target fired? No targets survive today that might have contained that information, but some of the groupings were recorded. They range from two to 10-inches, a number far below the expectations of any rifle being touted for its accuracy.

As aforementioned, the group sizes cease being recorded at serial no. 1504. Did the program begin as advertised and later cease once Winchester realized the time and money required to offer such a rifle? Or did the group sizes have anything at all to do with the program?  Was Winchester simply recording accuracy of the new product as a quality control, or to see if some other manufacturing process could be later added to improve accuracy? It’s not unreasonable to think that Winchester was cautiously ensuring the quality as they made the first of their new model.

After all, they were still having issues with their new .44 Winchester ammunition (later “Winchester Central Fire” and “Winchester Center Fire”,) resulting in only 126 of the Model 1873 being produced during its inaugural year, which included zero 1 of 1,000 or 1 of 100 rifles. Nor do factory records indicate either of the special offerings were produced in the second year of production which ended with serial no. 2726 (though several known examples claim otherwise with varying degrees of validity). It wasn’t until 1875 when the first 1 of 1,000 was finally recorded in factory ledgers with serial no. 3414 claiming the honor.

This well documented Winchester First Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifle sold for $448,500 in RIAC's December 2017 Premier Auction.

In that time, from when its 1873 circular was published to that first factory recorded order, Winchester had walked back the details on its 1 of 1,000 program. The 1875 version of their circular removed any mention of the arduous process documented two years earlier, instead simply stating that, “The barrel of every sporting rifle we make will be proved and shot at a target and the target will be numbered to correspond with the barrel and will be attached to it. All barrels that are found to make targets of extra merit will be made up into guns with set-triggers and extra finish, and marked as a designating name ‘one of a thousand,’ and sold at $100.”

Was the original process found to be too expensive and time consuming? Did it ever exist at all? If it did, wouldn’t there be nine Winchester 1 of 100 rifles rifles for every 1 of 1,000? To those enamored with Winchesters and its proud heritage, these are important questions. However, they matter little in what truly makes a 1 of 1,000 so significant. In fact, the influence and desirability of these deluxe rifles extends far beyond the promise of a Winchester marketing pitch, and true collectors ought to be aware of these grander reasons.

The Last of a Legend?

Depending on the source one consults, the number of Winchester 1 of 1,000 and 1 of 100 arms produced are approximately as follows:

Winchester Model 1873
“1 of 1,000”                                        132-136 manufactured
(approx. 50 known)
“1 of 100”                                           8 manufactured (6 known)

Winchester Model 1876
“1 of 1,000”                                        55 manufactured
(rudimentary research reveals at least 21 known)
“1 of 100”                                           8 manufactured (5 known)

With production numbers so low, the program was clearly not a success for Winchester. The reasons are several, but essentially boil down to three points.

COST: In 1873, a standard Model 1873 cost $50. A Model 1 of 1,000 doubled that cost, and likely more given the proclivity for adding special order features. The difference was made even more drastic as the 1873 and 1876 decreased prices in the following years (by 1880 a Model 1873 was approximately $30 and a Model 1876, in contrast to its initial 1877 price of $45, was reduced to $35).

For additional context, a Henry rifle during the Civil War cost between $40-$50, a non-trivial amount said to be approximately equal to several months of a soldier’s wage. With that price in mind, $50 for a standard Model 1873 was not surprising nor inexpensive. Double that amount would’ve resulted in even greater shock and likely a healthy dose of curiosity as to what kind of accuracy such a sum would buy you. $100 in 1873 is equivalent to just over $2,600 in 2024 dollars.

Meanwhile, an 1880 census in Kansas valued land at $11 per acre. To say the rifles were a premium offering is an understatement.

MARKETING: Despite dedicated good space to the models in both the 1873 and 1875 circulars, and bringing a Model 1873 1 of 1,000 to the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, surprisingly little of the deluxe offering was in Winchester’s advertising. Yet, standard model ads are well documented. A very curious decision by Winchester.

“Not Good Business”: Winchester author George Madis states it perfectly plain in his 1961 Winchester Book. “Why Winchester ever introduced these models is unknown. It was not good business to have first grade and second grade rifles, and as to accuracy… one retired inspector said: ‘It was not necessary to order a special gun or pay extra for accuracy – they all shot well. Son, they were ALL THE BEST!’”

Granville Stuart’s matching "One of One Thousand" Winchester Model 1873 lever action rifle was sold by Rock Island Auction Co. from the famous Montana collection of John Fox in December 2020 for $345,000.

The 1873 1 of 1,000 sold mostly in 1875-79, no doubt thanks to their appearance in the 1875 Winchester catalog. Many were sold to successful businessmen who also enjoyed shooting or hunting. These names include international U.S. Ambassador Granville “Mr. Montana” Stuart, whose rifle is extensively documented, Mississippi steamboat Captain George Winans, and vice president of the Houston & Texas Western Railway Peter Floeck. To men who wanted the best and could pay for it, the price tag presented little issue.

However, both the 1 of 1,000 and 1 of 100 were removed from the Winchester catalog in the next several years (sources differ on the exact year) before slowing to a trickle. The last few 1 of 1,000s sold in December 1893, the same year they were made. The last of the 1873 1 of 100s was shipped on April 16, 1878. Over a century later, it notably sold in May 2022 for $763,750.

The 1876 1 of 1,000 saw a similar sales period from 1877-1880, and with less than half the production run of its 1873 counterpart, only took until 1880 to empty factory stores. The last Model 1876 1 of 100 was shipped in April 1878.

This "One of One Thousand Winchester" Model 1873 rifle with a special order extra length 30 inch octagon barrel, owned by Captain George Winans, sold for $440,625 in May 2022 at Rock Island Auction Company.

It is from the date of those final sales, that these spectacular Winchesters begin a period of resounding silence that collectors today should find astonishing. No longer were they ordered, nor were they collected. The program’s bright light of promise had all but extinguished, like a candle flame dancing its last before disappearing in a whisp of smoke. In near darkness they waited, almost entirely forgotten.

Edmund Lewis’ book on the topic mentions several instances in 1919 and the early 1920s expressing some curiosity of the model. Collecting, as we know it today, was in its infancy and those earliest of advanced collectors were beginning to hear and share information about these rare rifles and their mysterious inscriptions. They existed almost as whispers and ghosts. Someone had seen one. So-and-so who lived nearby owned one once. Speculations existed that, “in the early days of the company there was a belief that there would be one barrel out of every 1,000 which would be extremely good.  These barrels were taken out and so marked, the idea being to accentuate the quality of that particular barrel.”

But collectors had no idea of how rare and exceptional they truly were. To the uninitiated, one out of every 1,000 barrels would mean as many as 753 were produced, if the earliest Winchester circular was to be believed.

For approximately the first three decades after production, and in many cases longer, even experienced collectors and now-renowned experts such as Edwin Pugsley, who took over the modernizing and development of Winchester after the 1934 death of T.C. Johnson, eventually became Winchester’s CEO, and whose remarkable collection formed the basis of what is now the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, did not yet have access to the information that would eventually solidify these guns as American treasures.

Edwin Pugsley was CEO of Winchester during Universal's search for the 1 of 1000 rifles.

Lewis’ book gives one example that exemplifies their unknown significance. The Dexter Antique Arms trade Journal, run by early dealer Theodore Dexter, listed in July 1940 a 1 of 100 Model 1876, in fine condition for $50. Apparently unsold, the offering appeared again in the October issue.

The poor selling guns were unappreciated in their time, and all but faded from memory - except perhaps by those fortunate enough to experience first-hand their performance and deluxe features. But the dying light surrounding the 1 of 1,000 and 1 of 100 would soon burn ablaze as the models swung into the national spotlight.

This exceptional Winchester Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" sold for $528,750 in Rock Island Auction Company's May 2024 Premier.

William Depperman Resurrects a Legend

Most ideas ferment a long time before men take action on them. By the time author Stuart Lake wrote a letter to Winchester dated September 16, 1945 proposing the idea of a Winchester 1873 rifle as the star of a movie, he had likely mulled the idea for quite some time.

“What I propose is to follow what might be termed the career of a selected rifle from the time it is placed in the hands of its first private owner through the adventures and exploits of several succeeding years in which it played a part.”

The idea was well-received by Winchester, even if they were uncertain of what their role would be, and tentative green lights were given to the project. Letters in 1946 between Edwin Pugsley, by then having risen to the upper echelons of Winchester’s management, and William H. Depperman of the Steven Hannagan Associates Publicity Agency in New York discuss the project thoroughly, even debating the merits of a “Winchester ’73 National Championship” shooting contest. By March 1950, talks were fully underway with finer details being discussed regarding the search.

William Depperman wrote a second article on the Winchester "One of One Thousand" for the October 1950 issue of 'The American Rifleman,' recapping the tremendous search.

Unfortunately, the factory archives at the Buffalo Bill Center for the West have a large gap in the communications between Winchester and Hannagan, so from 1946-1950, barring a welcome discovery of new documents, collectors may never know how the idea formulated to search for Winchester 1873 1 of 1,000 rifles. Today, much of the credit for the campaign is given to Depperman, a name that should be far more revered among fine arms collectors. If this story has a hero, it is him.

As we know today, the famous “search” for the Winchester 1873 1 of 1,000 received national and international attention. An article marking the beginning of the campaign was featured in the May 1950 issue of American Rifleman, and was accompanied by the full-court press of a coordinated marketing effort. Its primary tool? Thousands upon thousands of “Wanted!” posters.

As part of the publicity campaign surrounding the release of the Winchester 73 movie, Universal sought surviving examples of the rare "One of One Thousand Winchester Model 1873 rifles.

Each poster sought the, “whereabouts of the 123 rare, historic guns of the ‘One of One Thousand WINCHESTER 73 Rifles,” and offered a reward to “the first 20 persons reporting their ownership,” which was a “brand new Winchester Model 94 deer rifle.” Information was given on how to report your rifle as well as the important disclaimer at the end, “Remember, we don’t want your ‘One of One Thousand’ Model 73. We are only trying to find out how many of them are still in existence.”

The impressive numbers of the campaign are provided in what is known as the “Hannagan Report,” an after-action document compiled by Depperman.

“Over 150,000 ‘WANTED!’ posters were produced and circulated nationwide,… they distributed these posters to daily and weekly newspapers, radio stations, rifle clubs affiliated with the national Rifle Association and 20,000 chiefs of police. In addition to these efforts, Winchester distributed it to over 50,000 Winchester dealers.”

The posters were hung in the 7,000 movie houses that screened the movie, as well as numerous theaters worldwide showing Universal-International Picture’s films. In England, the posters even found their way into the Bisley matches.  

A 1950 Universal Pictures Co. solicitation, released as part of a publicity campaign for the Winchester movie seeking information regarding the whereabouts of "One of One Thousand" Winchester Model 1873 rifles.

The marketers at Steven Hannagan Associates could not have wished for a more perfect environment for their campaign. Despite the prevalence of pre-Depression era Western movies, the 1940s through the 1950s is generally considered the Golden Age of the Western. In the 50s, according to one source, the number of Western films produced was greater than all other genres combined, and that doesn’t include the number of TV series, comic books, BB gun hawking cowboys, musicians, dime novels, and any radio shows that still lingered around after the widespread adoption of the television.

A Winchester 73 "One of One Thousand" that was reported to Universal Pictures, and the Winchster Model 94 carbine presented by Universal to the rifle's owner as part of the 'Winchester 73' search.

To a public already devouring Western culture, the search took off like wild horses. Not only did it harness the widespread affinity for all things “Wild West,” it also capitalized on the very human desire to experience a great windfall, to discover treasure. Who knew where these rifles might be found? Your own gun safe? Your father’s? His hunting buddy? They could be anywhere! The promise of assisting in their discovery, the thrill of unearthing something valuable, and the potential reward of a new Winchester were a dynamite combination.

By 1965, a listing for a Model 1873 1 of 1,000 (serial no. 6594) in the Jackson Arms catalog begins, “The crowning glory of any Winchester collection is the much sought and extremely rare One of One Thousand.” Such words would never have been printed just two decades prior. The campaign changed the 1 of 1,000 forever, a task seldom achieved in the history of arms collecting. Yet its effect was far more reaching than its influence over a single model.

Spurring Gun Collecting: More Than a Marketing Campaign

This campaign, barring the appearance of documents from 1946-1950 detailing the process which say otherwise, was not intended to focus on gun collecting. Winchester, undoubtedly, was hoping to spur sales, and Universal-International wanted paying patrons to fill the theaters. But the impact was far more than selling movie tickets or Winchesters; this campaign marked the new dawn of arms collecting across the nation.

The onscreen hero rifle from the 'Winchester 73' film next to a vintage example of the Winchester 1 of 1,000.

Awareness of these supremely rare rifles spread far beyond the sphere of gun collectors. Not only were people introduced to the desirable guns, they were taught to identify and actively sought them! If one had to boil gun collecting down to three separate behaviors, one would be pressed to do it more succinctly.  Few campaigns, intentional or not, could’ve been the impetus for putting these quintessential “collector” behaviors into motion on such a scale.

The 1950’s are considered the Golden Age of Gun Collecting. While people had collected guns before, this was a boom fueled by wonderful confluence of circumstances. The post-World War II era ushered in a prosperity which would soon see the United States grow into the richest nation in the world. It also saw an abundance of surplus, which was not only inexpensive and widely available, but also introduced foreign military arms to the American collector market, spanning multiple models from the war’s various international participants.

It should also come as no surprise that the prevalence of the firearms being used in the ubiquitous Westerns of the era catalyzed the growing hobby of collecting those same guns. Colts and Winchesters found more aspiring collectors than ever, gun shows sprung up across the country, collector groups formed, and magazines were started. Guns were being “discovered,” research was being done, information was being exchanged, and as all this was happening, legends of the fine arms field were being born.

This tidal wave of collecting was possible because the social mores regarding guns were not only accepting, guns were commonplace! Shooting ranges were in the basements of gathering places like churches and town halls. Kids took their hunting arms to school so they could hunt afterwards. Harold’s Club, a casino in Reno, Nevada, grew substantially in the 1950s and 60s with its Old West motif and walls smothered in collector firearms.

This rifle won the Texas Gun Collector Association award for the most outstanding weapon of the show at San Antonio, Texas, on September 27, 1966. August 2022, it sold for $235,000 at Rock Island Auction Company.

The ads of Hunter Whiskey in the years immediately following the release of “Winchester ‘73” provide a wonderful case-in-point. They went further than depicting just the more-common firearm uses of hunting or recreational shooting, instead showing examples of some of the finest arms available to collectors. This not only demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of arms collecting, but also indicates that collecting was so interesting and prevalent, that Hunter believed associating their product with these guns was a net positive.

Two examples of the Hunter whiskey ads show not just "nice" guns, but advanced collector pieces.

The ads tied Hunter Whiskey to other high value items such as gold coins, fine timepieces, and other high art objects, while simultaneously using words like “excellence,” “value,” and “quality,” all to describe the items/guns shown, and to connect that to their product. It’s no mistake that fine arms were included in these ads to evoke those qualities.

While it would be an overstatement to attribute the social prevalence of arms collecting solely to the Winchester 1 of 1,000, it would be downright false to argue that such a nationwide campaign didn’t play a massive, crucial part in it. The Winchester 1 of 1,000 introduced untold millions of people to not only the concept of rare and valuable firearms, but also the act of searching for them, identifying them, and desiring such a valuable arm. To date, it is the single greatest stimulus that gun collecting has ever experienced.

One of only three documented, factory engraved, John Ulrich signed, gold plated Winchester "1 of 1000" Deluxe Model 1873 rifles, this example sold at RIAC in December 2021 for $431,250.

Cementing the Winchester Legacy

Not only did the Winchester 1 of 1,000 have an unprecedented impact on collecting, but also on the legacy of Winchester Arms. The “hero” of the major motion picture was emblazoned on no shortage of movie promotional materials. In addition to the contest materials, it was featured in radio spots, TV trailers, and various sponsorships.

More significant than all of those are the theater posters, newspaper and magazine ads, promotional photos, and movie stills, produced in varying sizes, layouts, languages, all frequently plastered in bold typeface with the movie’s title “WINCHESTER ‘73” and its slogan, “The Roaring Story of the Gun that Won the West” (also alternately shortened as “The Story of the Gun that Won the West” and simply “The Gun that Won the West”).

For collectors who have seemingly always known the Winchester as “the gun that won the West,” this is of tremendous significance because prior to the promotion of this movie, that was not a widely held belief about Winchester, or any single model of firearm.

According to author and former curator of the Winchester Arms Museum Herbert Houze, Winchester had used the phrase as far back as 1919 in an international marketing campaign, but like nearly any other ad campaign, it didn’t enter into public knowledge. It’s uncertain if Winchester even bothered to trademark the now powerful phrase.

Yet here were the myriad, inescapable ads boldly proclaiming it as fact. More insidious were the pre-written newspaper stories for distribution which supported the claim. The collection of documents housed in the McCracken Research Library of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West contains numerous examples.

An article entitled “Stewart Claims Western Movies Are Important” with testimony from leading man Jimmy Stewart, has the following sentence tucked neatly at the end: “…he portrays one of the colorful men of the western pioneering history who blazed their trails and careers with the ‘73 model repeating rifles.”

Another headline reads, “’Winchester ‘73’ Brings Blazing Epic To Screen” and later includes this in its report: “The Universal-International picture takes its title from the famed 1873-model Winchester rifle which has been called by historians: ‘The gun that won the West.’”

Given the relatively obscure nature of the rifle prior to the search, it’s dubious that many “historians” were bestowing the 1 of 1,000 such a title. While the regular Model 1873 was, of course, much more known (and the actual title of the movie), the fact remains that the phrase “the gun that won the West,” was seldom used prior to the movie, let alone a widely expressed sentiment held by historians, gun collectors, or the general public.

Yet another story idea pitched by the studio for reporters, wants the writers to find their own Winchester 1873 stories, real or written. It encourages the writers to, “Let the gun speak of its role in the winning of the West… Let it recall a thousand and one historical facts of which it was a part. Among relics Americana there is no more dramatic object than this gun, the ‘Winchester ’73’.

With close ties to the “One of One Thousand” rifles, the Model 1873 “One of One Hundred” rifles are far rarer with only eight manufactured, and represent one of the most elusive variations of special order Winchesters.

All this is not to say that the Winchester had no reputation or role in securing the American frontier; it most certainly did and production numbers alone would attest to some level of impact. Winchesters were reliable, accurate, fast cycling, hard-hitting weapons and were found to be so by users across the nation. The rifles performed well-enough to earn such a claim, and saw wide enough use to provide a more than ample sample size. If credit was to be extended to one gun, the Winchester 1873, alongside the Colt Single Action Army, was certainly a top contender, though Winchester handily wins the battle of production numbers.

The movie ‘Winchester ‘73’ and its compelling marketing weren’t just an influential catalyst in gun collecting, but also affected how Winchester would be forever remembered. The phrase “the gun that won the West” was repeated and seen over and over, exposing untold millions to the historic significance of the Winchester rifle. The phrase was so powerful and quickly recognized that others tried to capitalize on its success.

Harold F. Williamson’s 1952 book recounting the history of the Winchester Arms Company, with epilogue written by no less than Edwin Pugsley to whom the book was dedicated, was titled 'Winchester: The Gun That Won the West.'

The 1955 film “The Gun that Won the West” used movie posters depicting a Springfield “Trapdoor” extending the full vertical length of the print (larger than the actual characters), but neither the Springfield nor the film enjoyed the same success.

Since that marketing campaign and contest, the Winchester brand has always been remembered as “the gun that won the West.” If the claim were ludicrous, it never would have stuck, but stick it did. It is now written in American history, common knowledge among collectors, and a fact of American trivia alongside questions like “Who appears on Mount Rushmore?” and “Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?”

The Golden Age of Collecting is NOW

At the risk of overusing the term, the Winchester 1 of 1,000 has been a collector’s Holy Grail for over 70 years, and well it should be - not only for Winchester collectors, but also for collectors of fine 19^thcentury American arms, collectors of the Old West, historians, and museums.

On their face they are rare, beautiful guns seldom offered for sale, often loaded with deluxe features from a beloved manufacturer. Those alone are reasons enough to put it high on any collector’s wish list, but the Winchester 1 of 1,000 offers so much more.

During the “Golden Age of Gun Collecting,” which it largely brought into being, the significance of the Winchester 1 of 1,000 was established for being a supremely rare gun, touted for its from-the-factory accuracy and deluxe features.

A historically significant, factory documented "One of One Thousand" Winchester Model 1873 lever rifle ordered by "Mr. Montana" Granville Stuart and inscribed for his brother and fellow pioneer Thomas Stuart in 1875.

It may border on blasphemy to many, but it can (and should) be argued that the Golden Age of Gun Collecting is right now. Perhaps calling it the Second Age of Gun Collecting, to coin a phrase, would be less grating, but still carry the point that gun collecting has reached a new zenith.

• There is access to unprecedented amounts of information
• That information can be disseminated, discovered, and verified instantly across the globe.
• Fine arms are more appreciated than ever with elite items generating historically high prices.
• Access into gun collecting has never been easier. No longer do collectors have to know the right person, travel across the country to gun shows, or scour the back pages of gun magazine classifieds. Any number of fine arms can be found with a simple internet search revealing a number of specialized online retailers and auction houses

The Winchester Model 1873 rifle used in the film was engraved by John Kusmit, a student of George Ulrich.

It’s in this Second Age of Gun Collecting that collectors ought to recognize and appreciate the Winchester 1 of 1,000 for what it really is. Yes, it’s a rare and deluxe rifle from a respected manufacturer that inspired a movie, which launched a campaign. But SO much more significantly, it almost single-handedly ushered in the Golden Age of Gun Collecting, changed this noble hobby forever, and set in stone the Winchester legacy in American history.

To acknowledge that brings collectors closer to the far grander and more significant influence the rifle has had, and when we as collectors acknowledge that, we might realize how undervalued these giants of the fine arms field truly are.

A Browning Brothers shipped, special order Winchester Model 1873 "One of One Thousand" rifle chambered in .38-40 W.C.F. Available this May.

Sources:

Indick, William (2008-09-10). 'The Psychology of the Western: How the American Psyche Plays Out on Screen.' McFarland. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-7864-3460-2.

Lewis, Edmund E. 'The Story of the Winchester, 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles. Andrew Mowbray, 2009.'

Madis, George. 'The Winchester Book. Art and Reference House, 1985.'

Wilson, R. L. 'Winchester: An American Legend: The Official History of Winchester Firearms and Ammunition from 1849 to the Present. First ed., Random House, 1991.'

Wilson, R. L. 'Winchester: The Golden Age of American Gunmaking and the Winchester 1 of 1000. Winchester Arms Museum, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, 1983.'

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