Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have one of only two known surviving examples from ten experimental .22 rimfire Winchester Model 1873 prototypes created by Klein & Carr of San Francisco in 1883. This is one of the rarest Winchester variations ever made as a 22 Winchester 73.
In July 1883, Winchester shipped ten Model 1873 rifles in .38 caliber to Klein & Carr, all listed in factory ledgers as “complete except for barrel, carrier block, piston, retractors, extractor, magazine follower” and “forearm octagon.” Klein & Carr received a patent in July 1883 for converting the Model 1873 to .22 rimfire for gallery shooting use.
Klein & Carr applied their conversion to all ten rifles, creating working prototypes. Winchester recognized the commercial potential and purchased the patent from Klein & Carr in late 1883 or early 1884. Shortly after, Winchester began marketing the Model 1873 in .22 rimfire to the public, creating an entire new market for indoor gallery shooting and small game hunting.
The barrel on this rifle is marked “MANUFACTURED BY/KLEIN & CARR/PAT. JULY 17. 1883” with no caliber marking. Klein & Carr’s conversion was very similar to Winchester’s subsequent production .22 rimfire rifles, including the non-threaded tapered takedown pin at the receiver front. The original loading gate was retained but the rifle loads through the magazine tube after conversion.
According to James Gordon’s “Winchester’s New Model of 1873 A Tribute Vol. II,” only one other surviving example was known when he wrote the book – serial number 127316A. This makes only two confirmed survivors from the original ten prototypes. Whether Klein & Carr developed these independently and sold the patent to Winchester, or whether Winchester directed them to create the prototypes remains unclear.
The rifle features a nickeled Beach combination front sight, elevation adjustable No. 22 notch rear sight, and a rare No. 62-B peep sight on the upper tang. The lower tang is marked “1414 S” confirming the shotgun buttplate configuration.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Klein & Carr .22 RF Prototype Winchester Model 1873 Rifle.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4096/30/klein-carr-22-rf-prototype-winchester-model-1873-rifle. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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