Hello all. Last October, I stumbled on an ad for an 1883 Winchester Hotchkiss rifle for sale. The ad did not include pictures, but it indicated that the wood was checkered. This piqued my interest because most of these rifles were made for military use.
I asked the seller to forward me pictures, and I was shocked when I opened the files! The rifle was beautiful.
Long story short. I was able to purchase this rifle for a steal because it won't fully chamber a 45-70 round. I knew that the barrel wasn't original because it doesn't have any Winchester markings on it. I also realized that the receiver and trigger guard should be color case hardened and not blued.
Further research with a member of the Winchester Arms Collectors Association and through the Cody Firearms Museum revealed that Winchester made about 1,247 1883 Winchester Hotchkiss sporting rifles. This rifle is 1 of 28 Fancy Sporting rifles made!
I'm all about conserving/ restoring my own rifles, but I don't have the resources or ability to get this rifle back to her former glory. I shipped her out to the Wyoming Armory to have Mark Douglas, and his crew install a correctly marked 28-inch barrel and case harden the receiver and trigger guard. Mark's shop specializes in restoring antique Winchesters. I stumbled on his YouTube channel years ago and I felt that he was the best person to do the work. He currently has about a 6-8 month wait time. The wait is going to be the hardest part.

https://www.youtube.com/channe...Mqm5UwUOIN3dSMv3L9ew

Here's pictures from the seller as well as pics that I took outside in the sunlight.

[URL=https://www.imagebam.com/view/ME11NX8U] [/URL

Absolutely breathtaking! Can't wait to see it restored -- and put to use.

Thanks Bill. I'm very excited about this rifle. I'll be sure to post pictures whenever it is finished. I've decided that I will work on an accurate 45-70 black powder load once I get a chance to take her to the range.