Deluxe, special order, Winchester Model 1873 rifle with Winchester Museum letter and copy of factory ledger sheet. This rifle has the Second Model receiver with screw-fastened dust cover guide and dust cover with serrated finger grips. The Winchester Museum letter describes this Model 1873, as: "rifle, octagon barrel, plain trigger, fancy stock, peep and knife blade sights, shotgun butt, casehardened" and "sling and swivel". The letter states that this rifle was received in the Winchester warehouse on December 14, 1882 and shipped on December 15, 1882. The rifle has a full octagon barrel with full length magazine. The barrel has a Rocky Mountain front sight with nickel silver blade and buckhorn, sporting style rear sight with solid back. A fifty minute folding graduated peep sight with early squared base is mounted on the receiver tang. Factory sling swivels are mounted on the forearm cap and stock. The stock and forearm are nicely figured, deluxe, fancy grade, "XXX" walnut with a semi-gloss piano finish. The barrel and magazine have a blue finish. The rear sight, bolt, dust cover and shotgun style buttplate are bright blue. The loading gate is a fiery niter blue. The forearm cap receiver, hammer, trigger and lever are color casehardened with vivid case colors. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped with the two-line legend: "WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT./KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED -MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." ahead of the rear sight. The serial number is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and the rear tang screw. The barrel and cartridge elevator are, correctly, not marked with a caliber designation. The left side of the lower tang is marked "XXX 882." The assembly number "882" is repeated on the stock inlet.

Excellent. This rifle is all original and retains at least 95% of the original blue, bright blue, and casehardened finish. The barrel and magazine tube retain 97% plus of the blue finish with a small spot of finish loss on the right side of the magazine near the muzzle. The Winchester markings on the top barrel flat are crisp. 90% plus of the bright blue finish is present on the dust cover, bolt and shotgun buttplate. The loading gate has 98% of the original nitre blue finish. The forearm cap, receiver, hammer, trigger and lever retain 95% of the vivid case colors with only very minor high point wear. The highly figured, fancy grade, stock and forearm are in excellent condition. The forearm shows light-moderate handling wear with 90% of the original finish. The stock retains 90% plus of the semi-gloss piano finish with light handling wear. This is both an attractive and excellent original example of a very scarce, documented fancy stock, highly optioned, special order Winchester Model 1873 lever action rifle