This is an example of a Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle that was manufactured in 1887. The receiver has the distinctive integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated edges. The rifle has a 24-inch round barrel and full-length magazine. The barrel is fitted with a standard dove-tail mounted front sight with nickel-silver blade and sporting style rear sight . A Lyman "New Model" folding peep sight is mounted on the receiver tang. The buttplate has a sliding brass trap door and the trap contains a four-piece, jointed, steel, cleaning rod with brass tip. The barrel, magazine, forearm cap, receiver and dust cover are blued. The hammer, lever and crescent buttplate have a color case-hardened finish. The loading gate is niter blue. The stock and forearm are straight grain black walnut with a varnish finish. The top of the barrel 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 caliber designation, "44 W.F.C." is roll stamped on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and the receiver. "44 CAL" is stamped in script on the bottom of the cartridge elevator. The script serial number, "268889B" is roll-stamped on the lower tang between lever latch and tang screw.

Very fine. The rifle retains nearly 80% of the original blue finish overall. Barrel wear is limited to several minor dents along the edge of the muzzle. The forearm cap, dust cover and receiver have most of the high polish blue finish with some minor edge wear on the side plates and some thinning on the lower tang and forward edge of the receiver. The hammer has 75% of the original case colors. The case-hardened finish on the lever and buttplate has faded to a silver patina with a few small areas of darker age discoloration. The barrel markings are clear. The front sight and tang sight are original to the rifle and the rear sight is a later production non-factory replacement. The stock and forearm have been revarnished but are in very good condition with only minor handling wear. This is a solid example of a Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action 44-40 caliber Rifle.