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.
