Help restoring a piece of history? (Rifle)

[ScubaSteve]

I enjoy cleaning up and restoring old rifles but I am not in any way good at it. It just keeps me busy and out of trouble. I have come into possession of a rifle that I fear is way to important for me to touch. I am looking for any advise from people who actually know how to restore old firearms. I would truly love to hear from some people that have done this before even if their advise is don't touch it, get with somebody that knows what they are doing.

My situation:
My father called me from a garage sale and said somebody had an old rifle for sale for $40.00. It was mostly disassembled and no idea if all the parts were there. I asked him a few questions and told him to buy it. Worst case I would be out 40 bucks. It was a few weeks later when I saw my dad and when he gave me the rifle my mouth dropped open.

This is a Winchester Model 1873. Octagon barrel  38-40 cal rifle.  According to the serial number it is 130 years old. I have gone through all the parts and most major parts are there with the exception of one side plate. It needs some springs and screws but every part I feel is missing I have found available on the internet for this rifle. So I can rebuild it.

Most of the internal parts have plenty of surface rust on them but they seem serviceable. The barrel and receiver seem to be in amazing condition considering age. Sure there is some rust but most is on the surface and will come off with some navel jelly. The bluing is mostly intact.
I have sent off to the Cody museum for a letter about this rifle. Still waiting for the details from the factory ledger.

Now where I need help. I usually clean up and even cold blue a rifle when I find one. Cold bluing a rifle like this would entail stripping off 130 years of history to prep it. That just sounds like a very bad idea.
Like I said in the beginning I would love to hear from some people that may be in this business or at least have worked on really old rifles in the past.
I have attached a few pictures. I would be happy to take and send some detailed ones directly to anybody willing to help.
Thanks in advance
Steve

[Super Trooper]

Contact Dykes Reber at the muzzleloader shop.  Great people and great customer service even if it's talking about a piece of history over the phone.

http://www.muzzleloadershop.com/contact-us-2/

[stoneknives]

NO navel jell.

Old style blue is surprisingly deep.

CLP, Rem oil, Instead of 0000 steel wool maybe you can try brass or bronze wool; steel one will need "thicker" oil and gentle rubbing or it will eventually damage what remains of the finish. Under light exposure if looked at certain angles, the surviving finish might look spotted or brownish but under natural light conditions, might look pretty much like it did back in its time.

www.turnbullrestoration.com

[Rev.357]

Thanks for starting this conversation. This is extremely interesting. You are off to a positive start. Your, "First, do no harm" instincts serve you well. Not everyone can distinguish between a tactile piece of history and a fun plinker. 

Trooper and Stone offer good input. In this instance, the rifle in a basket presentation is a good thing. The unit is not frozen into a single ferrous mass. This makes it easier to resist the lure of the evil gel. Ballistol may be another viable option. Turnbull and the Muzzleloader Shop are great contacts. You may be able to email or otherwise contact someone in conservation at the museum.

To my way of thinking, shouldering the rifle into sight alignment so as to actually feel the historical connection is the greater objective. Rub her with oil and a piece of cotton ticking. If you can clean the internal parts just enough to cycle the action; then, oh man, it would be like the feel and sound of pulling back the hammer on a Colt SAA.