Mexican government issued 1873 Winchester?

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Suck My Glock
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Mexican government issued 1873 Winchester?

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Post by Suck My Glock »

A friend who is married into a Mexican family was entrusted with an heirloom .44WCF 1873 Winchester saddle ring carbine that has been south of the border all its life until recently brought to Tucson.

Despite being a pasty white Scotsman, he has been fully accepted into the clan and is respected and trusted. As the gundude in their midst, he was selected to receive the rifle. With the gun laws down there now, it was just a liability to keep in Mexico, and is considered in safer hands here.

In looking it over, we think this is/was an actual Mexican government issued weapon,...which by extention means this was "liberated" from some federale, perhaps as a battlefield pick up during the revolution?

I have a different 1873 in my own family history, so I spotted some curious things right away. Unlike on the one my great grand daddy bought in 1902, there is no serial number under the lever on the stock tang of the receiver. Neither is there a caliber marking on the brass riser under the receiver. (Although, being made of brass and never engraved all that deeply, its pretty common to see these unreadable.)

But what we DID find is a 60 over a G on the right side of the receiver, and an RM over a date of 188? (worn) on the left side of the receiver. We believe the RM stands for Republica Mexicana. There is also just under the saddle ring a 9 followed after some space by a 99. Could this be a serial number? Is the 60 over the G some sort of unit designation?

If any of you Winchester guys can clue us in to what we actually have here, that would be awesome.

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Steve_In_29
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Re: Mexican government issued 1873 Winchester?

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Post by Steve_In_29 »

Nice piece of history
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xerts1191
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Re: Mexican government issued 1873 Winchester?

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Post by xerts1191 »

That is awesome. Check with the guys at Winchester Collectors.org some are a pleathera of knowledge and a bit full of themselves but I’d bet one of them would love to chime in on that!
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