Manufactured in 1870, this Winchester Model 1866 musket was made when large swathes of the American Frontier sat waiting to be tamed. While it is more often the carbine and rifle variations associated with the Wild West, the musket variations such as this would have been of equal use with their ability to fix a bayonet in last ditch defense. In collector's terms, these muskets are also significantly more rare than the other two, with 3/4 of the total Model 1866 production being carbine, and of the remainder, rifles outnumbering muskets two to one. The top of the barrel on this third model is marked with the standard two-line address and King's patent marking and the serial number is on the lower tang just behind the trigger in block numerals. The partial matching serial number, "1855", is marked in the stock inlet and inside the buttplate. It is fitted with a set of period replacement sights including a blade front and an unidentified combination notch and folding ladder rear sight. It is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with filler screws in the sling swivel plate on the bottom and a trapdoor military style buttplate containing a four-piece cleaning rod. Provenance: The David L. DeLullo Jr. Collection

Good, with the iron showing a grey patina speckled with darker brown-grey patina and a few patches of light surface pitting. The very good brass shows an attractively aged patina with some scattered minor dings and tight fitting side plates. The wood is also good with a hairline crack in the forearm and some scattered minor handling marks. Mechanically fine.