This is a fine example of a Winchester Model 1873 rifle that was manufactured in 1888. The rifle has the Third Model receiver with integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated edges. The receiver has the "step" at the junction with the barrel found on rifles chambered for .22, .32 and .38 caliber cartridges. The rifle has a 26-inch full octagon barrel with full-length magazine. The barrel has a standard sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and buckhorn sporting style rear sight with screw-adjustable center insert and serrated edges. The upper tang is factory drilled and tapped. The crescent buttplate has a sliding brass trap. The barrel, magazine, forearm cap, receiver and dust cover have the Winchester commercial blue finish. The loading gate is fire blue. The hammer, trigger, lever and crescent buttplate are color casehardened. The stock and forearm are straight grain American walnut with a varnish finish. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped with the two-line legend: "WINCHESTER'S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A./-KING'S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860.-" ahead of the rear sight. The caliber designation, "38 W.C.F." is stamped on the top barrel flat just ahead of the receiver. "38 CAL" is stamped in script letters across the bottom of the brass cartridge elevator. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "-MODEL 1873-" in fancy letters with foliate devices at either end. The serial number, "319788B" is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and the tang screw.

Fine. The rifle is all original and retains 60% of the blue and casehardened finish. The barrel, magazine and forearm cap have most of the blue finish intact with a blue-brown patina and some age spotting. The receiver retains most of the bright blue finish. The finish on the right side and side plate and parts of the left side of the frame show considerable blue-brown patina on contact points. The loading gate retains nearly all of the fire blue finish. The hammer, trigger and loading gate have 95% of the muted case colors intact. The case colors on the buttplate have slightly more wear but remain about 90% intact. The markings are crisp. The stock and forearm are in very good overall condition. Most of the original finish is present on the stock while the forearm shows more handling wear. There is an old, shallow, 3/4-inch chip in the underside the stock behind the receiver tang; the remainder of the stock shows limited handling wear. The forearm has several small handling marks and bruises. This is a very good, original example of a 1888 production, Winchester Model 1873 lever action rifle.