Manufactured in 1887, the factory letter describes this Model 1873 as: "Rifle, 44 caliber, Barrel Length: 26 inches, Barrel Shape: Octagon, Set trigger, Checkered stock with pistol grip" and "casehardened". The letter further states this rifle was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on May 29, 1888. This Third Model rifle has the integral dust cover guide rail and dust cover with serrated rear edges. The rifle has a full octagon barrel and full length magazine. The barrel has a "Rocky Mountain" style front sight with blued steel blade and a buckhorn sporting style rear sight with flat top and fixed sight notch. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped. The crescent buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor, and the butt trap contains a steel, four-piece, jointed cleaning rod with brass tip. The special order features on this rifle include sling swivels on the forearm cap and stock (not mentioned in factory letter), single set trigger, casehardened receiver and highly figured, deluxe, fancy grade, XX walnut forearm and pistol grip stock. The stock and forearm have a high polish piano finish with fine checkered panels. The bottom of the pistol grip has an ebony inlay. The barrel and magazine have a blue finish, the dust cover is a high polish blue, and the loading gate and trigger are a fiery niter blue. The forearm cap, receiver, hammer, lever and crescent buttplate are casehardened with vivid case colors. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped: "WINCHESTER'S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A./-KING'S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860-" in two lines ahead of the rear sight. The caliber: "44 W.C.F." is roll-stamped on the top barrel flat just ahead of the receiver. "44 CAL." is stamped in script across the bottom of the brass cartridge elevator. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "-MODEL. 1873.-" in fancy letters with foliate devices at either end. The serial number is roll-stamped across the lower tang between the lever latch and rear tang screw. Provenance: The Collection of David L. DeLullo

Exceptionally fine. This rifle retains 85% plus of the original blue and casehardened finish with only very minimal handling wear. The barrel has some slight edge wear and some age spotting at the muzzle near the front sight. The barrel markings are crisp. The blue finish on the magazine has begun to develop a plum-brown patina but retains most of the original blue. The dust cover retains 95% of the high polish blue. Nearly all of the fire blue finish remains on the loading gate and trigger. The forearm cap, receiver and hammer have original casehardened finish, with bright colors. Finish wear is limited to silvering on the receiver at the junction with the forearm and on the rear at the junction with the stock wrist with some finish wear on the lower edges of the receiver ahead of the side plates. The case colors are light on the top of the receiver heel and have silvered on the butt. There are some scattered spots of age discoloration on the bottom of the buttplate and on the buttplate heel. The stock and forearm are both excellent. The checkering shows only light-moderate handling wear, most of the piano finish remains, with wear limited to scattered and very insignificant handling marks. Mechanically excellent. This is an exceptional example of a deluxe special order Third Model 1873 Sporting rifle with the very desirable casehardened receiver.