This attractive Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle was manufactured in 1881. The rifle has the Third Model frame with integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated edges. The 26 inch round barrel has a standard sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and a standard, sporting style, buckhorn, rear sight. The upper tang is factory drilled and tapped for a rear sight. The buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor. The barrel, magazine, forearm cap, frame and dust cover are blued and the hammer, lever and crescent buttplate are color casehardened. The stock and forearm are straight grain black walnut with low luster 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. 1865. OCTOBER 16. 1860." ahead of the rear sight. The upper tang is roll-stamped "-MODEL. 1873-" in fancy letters with foliate devices at either end. The serial number, "92428A" is roll stamped in script numerals on the lower tang behind the lever latch.

Extremely fine. The rifle has minimal handling wear and retains 95% plus of the bright original blue finish. There is an eight-inch strip of pitting on the left side of the barrel that extends downward from the muzzle and a smaller patch of pitting on the right side of the barrel at the muzzle and on the adjacent portion of the magazine. The pitting is apparently the result of poor storage; the balance of the barrel and magazine tube retain nearly all of the original blue finish. The forearm cap, dust cover and frame have 98% or more of the original blue finish with very minimal handling wear. The loading gate has 98% or more of the fire blue finish intact. The hammer, trigger and crescent buttplate have 95% or more of the original case colors. The lever shows handling wear and the case colors have aged to a gray-brown patina. The stock and forearm are in excellent plus condition and retain virtually all of the original finish with a few extremely minor storage marks. The barrel and tang markings are crisp. This is an excellent example of a Third Model Winchester 1873 rifle that, despite the storage wear on the barrel and magazine is in nearly unused condition and displays very well.