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

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[browningautorifle]

We'd love to see some pics of this one...?

[Centurion]

I'll try to get some closeups of the stamps. The gun is pretty plain-Jane. Of significance: there are no British proof marks. On another forum I was directed to a SA gunsmith/gunmaker who, in the 1880s, regularly imported Winchester rifles directly from the US. The models included the 1873 and 1876. However, this firm apparently stopped importing when he and his son died within months of one another, in 1890. I am also interested in pursuing another interesting link to the Canadian War Hero: Major A.L. Turner:

A.L. "Gat" Howard was born an American, and was a Union Army Officer. In the 1880s he became the foreign sales representative for Colts, who were attempting to market Gatling Guns. In 1885 he and a Colt Gatling Gun accompanied the NW Field Force to quell the NW Rebellion and he operated the gun in winter conditions. Subsequently, he remained in Canada and eventually became a Canadian Army officer. He was a lieutenant when he sailed with the First CMRs to South Africa in 1899, and, through hard work and daring, rose to the rank of Major, eventually becoming the C/O of the Canadian Scouts (later the Royal Canadian Dragoons). He was well liked and respected by all who met him. On Feb. 17, 1901, while on a recce with his CSM, he was captured by the Boers. Both men were summarily executed when their identities became apparent. It would be no small surprise that such a man would equip himself with familiar American weapons, and these may have been private-purchase items he brought with him in 1899. I have been told that he carried a Winchester rifle and Colt pistol as his personal sidearms. It would also be no surprise if the Cape Government later acquired a Winchester rifle from surrendering Boers, who would have most-certainly relished such a gun captured from an enemy officer.

Of course, all this is conjecture on my part. But, the fact remains, the provenance of this gun has to be interesting, whatever it might actually be!

[Centurion]

Pictures of South African M1873:Attachment 68940Attachment 68941Attachment 68942Attachment 68943

[Patrick Chadwick]

Maybe it's simpler than you think: Besl is a somewhat uncommon German family name. 73 personal and 10 business entries online. But no luck with the Netherlands telephone book.

However, in South Africa...

I leave it up to you to follow this clue. You may be surprised.

[enfield303t]

delete

Thought Buffalo Bill Museum might be of help.

[Centurion]

Thanks: I've contacted Cody Museum, Winchester Collectors Association and the South African Military Historical Society, to name a few. However, no real Joy yet. I've looked through the Imperial surname list of the Anglo-Boer War Historical Society without success, although I suspect that this would more-likely be a Boer-Dutch/German/Swiss surname, and I'm not sure just how inclusive the list is. Unlikely to be Boer, given that most combatants would not have had the means or skills to strike their initials on a gun barrel. Most would have carved them in the stock, as they did with their Mausers.

[Paul S.]

... Unlikely to be Boer, given that most combatants would not have had the means or skills to strike their initials on a gun barrel. Most would have carved them in the stock, as they did with their Mausers.

I'm not sure that is a valid assumption. Agreed, it is more likely that individuals would (and did then) carve the stocks given an abundance of idle time, boredom and an available knife. However, one can not assume that it was unlikely that Boers didn't have access to the tools or the skill required to stamp a name on a rifle. Nor can one ignore the possibility that this particular rifle may have been stamped with an owner's name when it was purchased or otherwise acquired.

[Centurion]

--I've looked at a lot of wartime Boer guns and have yet to see one with initials stamped on the barrel. It is entirely possible that the letters were stamped by a gunsmith/gunmaker who might have directly ordered the gun from the US. It is also possible that the letters were stamped at some later date. I've seen lots of wartime capture guns in Legion messes over the years--the gun may have been removed after spending years on display in a Legion mess somewhere. In any case, at this point, all this is pure conjecture. It would be interesting to see similarly stamped guns with known provenance, as that would probably clarify things quite a bit. Attached are pictures of typical Boer stamps/marks. Typically, only guns purchased by the Orange Free State (OVS) prior to the war have stamps placed on metal parts.

[Centurion]

--Typical Boer Rifle Markings: