Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Musket manufactured in 1903. This musket was part of a lot of over 700 Model 1873 Muskets in the 560,000-571,000 serial number range that were shipped to Central America in September 1903. A number of these muskets were discovered in their original crates and were returned to the United States in un-fired condition in the 1950s. This musket has the distinctive 30 inch round barrel with full-length forearm and three barrel bands. The barrel has a block front sight that serves as a bayonet lug and a military style folding leaf rear sight with 900 yard center notch. The Third Style frame has an integral dust cover guide and a dust cover with serrated edges. The stock has a carbine-style buttplate with sliding brass trap door. Sling swivels are mounted on the middle barrel band and the stock. The barrel, magazine, barrel bands, receiver and dust cover have the Winchester commercial blue finish. The loading gate is a fiery niter blue. The hammer, loading lever and buttplate have a color case-hardened finish. The straight grain walnut stock and forearm are oil-finished. 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 "44 W.C.F." 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. "- MODEL. 1873-" is roll-stamped in fancy letters on the upper tang with foliate devices on either end of the marking. The serial number, "570130B" is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang behind the lever latch. The musket is complete with the four-piece jointed steel cleaning rod in the butt trap.

Near new. The musket is all original and remains in nearly new, un-fired, condition. The barrel, front and rear sights, magazine and barrel bands retain nearly all of the Winchester blue finish. The receiver has at least 98% of original blue finish intact. There is a very minor scratch on the right side of the receiver in front of the side plate and several small spots of flaking on the upper tang and the right side of the receiver behind the side plate. The dust cover has all of the blue finish intact. The loading lever, hammer and carbine buttplate retain 98% or more of the casehardened finish with un-faded case colors. The brass cartridge elevator has a mellow, un-touched, patina. The straight grain walnut stock and forearm are nearly new condition; wear is limited to two shallow scratches on the right side of the forearm behind the lower barrel band. All of the markings are perfect. This is a nearly new example of a Winchester Model 1873 Lever-Action Musket that would be very difficult to improve upon.