Dumb Question

According to Madis' Winchester book, the letter "B" is a factory work mark and doesn't really mean anything special. Some 1873s had "A"s, some had "B"s and some had no letter at all.
 
Made in 1899 and it was the third model. The suffix was for engineering changes, like the addition of the dust cover dovetail (Mortise). It was a quick way for Winchester gunsmiths to ID correct parts, since all parts were not interchangeable between the three models.
 
thanx grump...have quiet a few of the old winchesters, but by know means a expert and have always been courious as to the a, b suffix and amazingly can't find a knowelgable person in this area?
 
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