Rare factory nickel plated Winchester Model 1873 rifle with Cody Firearms Museum letter. The letter describes the rifle features as: caliber 38 with octagon barrel, plain trigger, checkered stock and pistol grip, Lyman leaf sights and nickel finish. The letter states that this rifle was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on October 25, 1884. The rifle has a full nickel plated finish with 24 inch octagon barrel and full length magazine. The barrel has a standard sporting style front sight and buckhorn sporting rear sight. The Third Model receiver has an integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated rear edges. The top of the receiver has the step found on .38, .32 and .22 caliber rifles and the upper tang is factory drilled and tapped for a rear sight. The crescent buttplate has a sliding trapdoor. The butt trap contains the correct jointed steel ramrod with brass tip. The forearm and pistol grip stock are special order deluxe fancy grain walnut with a high polish piano finish and Winchester Style H checkering. The pistol grip has an ebony inlay. The top barrel flat is roll stamped "WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN CT./KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29.1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." ahead of the rear sight. "38 CAL." is stamped on the top barrel flat between the rear sight and the receiver. "38 CAL" is stamped in script on the nickel-plated 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 "165387/A" is stamped in script numerals across the lower tang between the lever latch and the tang screw. Model 1873 rifles with a full nickel plated finish and deluxe stock and forearm are scarce. In WINCHESTER NEW MODEL OF 1873, author James Gordon states that his survey of over 3,800 Winchester Model 1873s found only about 90 rifles with a full nickel plated finish and that approximately one-third of the full nickel plated rifles had deluxe stocks and forearms.

Excellent. The rifle retains 95% of the original nickel plated finish with several small spots of flaking on the top and right side of the barrel near the muzzle. The receiver has nearly all of the nickel plating; wear is limited to several very minor areas of flaking on the edges of the side plates and some scattered age texture. The edges of the buttplate heel and toe have some minor finish wear. The stock and forearm are both excellent overall and retain more than 90% of the high polish piano finish. The checkered panels are excellent with minor handling wear. All of the markings are clear. The rifle is in excellent mechanical condition. This is an excellent example of a scarce Winchester Model 1873 rifle with full factory nickel plating and deluxe stock and forearm.