South African Model 1873 Winchester

[Centurion]

I'm looking for help to determine the provenance of an interesting Winchester Lever Action rifle that I recently bought at a UK auction. It's a full-length Model 1873 Winchester in 44-40 Calibre with an octagonal barrel and appears to be completely original. The serial number indicates that it was made in 1897. There are two important features of note:

1. On the top barrel flat, in the first two inches from the receiver, the U Broad Arrow Military Acceptance Stamp has been placed twice, one before and one after the factory calibre stamp. I presume that these are Cape Colony stamps.

2. On the right barrel flat, approximately two inches from the receiver, "BESL" is stamped. I have not been able to find any corresponding Cape, Bechuanaland or South-African military, paramilitary or police unit titles that would correspond to the abbreviation. "British Empire Service League" (ie the predecessor of the South African Legion) would be the only abbreviation that readily comes to mind.

I'd like to establish some more information about the rifle and whether it might have arrived with the first contingent of the Canadian Mounted Rifles at the beginning of the Second South African (Boer)War. Many Canadian officers served there from 1899-1902, and many of these men were recruited from Western frontiersmen and the NWMP; these men would have been familiar with this rifle and may it may have been a private-purchase sidearm for one of them. The Cody Museum has been of limited assistance and I don't know whether there is a traceable London Agency source for Winchester dating from that era. Any assistance would be of value.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.