Factory-engraved Winchester Model 1873 Special Order Short Rifle, serial #629042B, .44 caliber, 20-inch octagon barrel, featuring a handsome 'Style 10' factory engraving, with scroll designs on one side and a standing buck on the other. The deluxe rifle features a fancy checkered stock and forearm. The gun is marked "44 W.C.F." at the breech, and the bottom of the brass cartridge elevator is marked "44 CAL." The serial is indicated on the lower tang, and the upper tang is marked: "Model 1873, Winchester, Trademark." Accompanied by a letter from the Cody Firearms Museum, with information extracted from Winchester's records: "Received in warehouse on March 10, 1908; Shipped from warehouse on March 20, 1908, Order number 134178, Shipped to: Gmo. Peter & Co. Exp. Seu. C. Torreon Coah., Mexico, In care of J. N. Shafter, Eagle Pass, Texas."
The association with John Shafter is particularly noteworthy: he was a resident of Eagle Pass, Texas—which had been the first American settlement on the Rio Grande—and worked as a customs agent for the Mexican International Railway (FIM). He was the brother of General William R. ('Pecos Bill') Shafter, who led several raids into Mexico against Apaches and Comanches. Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is named for William R. Shafter, as are the city of Shafter, California, and the ghost town of Shafter, Texas. A scarce and desirable association piece.
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