This Third Model Winchester 1873 Musket was manufactured c. 1902 and has the distinctive 30 inch barrel with full-length forearm, three barrel bands, block front sight base that serves as a lug for a socket bayonet, military style folding leaf rear sight and carbine buttplate. Sling swivels are mounted on the middle barrel band and the stock. The musket has the Third Model receiver with integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated edges. The buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor and the butt trap contains a four-piece, jointed, steel cleaning rod. The barrel, magazine, barrel bands and receiver have the Winchester commercial blue finish. The loading gate is niter blue. The hammer, loading lever, buttplate and lever latch are color casehardened. The oil-finished stock and forearm are straight grain American walnut. 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." between the lower barrel band and the rear sight. The caliber "44 W.C.F" is roll-stamped on the top of the barrel behind the rear sight. "44 Cal." is roll-stamped in script letters on the bottom of the brass cartridge elevator. "-MODEL 1873-" is roll-stamped on the upper tang in fancy letters with foliate devices at either end. The serial number "569721B" is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and the upper tang screw. This musket appears to be one of approximately 700 Model 1873 Muskets shipped to Nicaragua in September 1903. Some of these muskets were apparently never uncrated and were discovered in the original crates in unissued condition in the 1950s and returned to the United States for resale.

Excellent plus. The musket is all original and in virtually unused condition with only very minor storage and handling wear. The barrel, magazine and barrel bands have nearly 98% of the blue finish. The right side of the receiver has several small spots of light pitting adjacent to the hammer which were probably acquired during storage. The balance of the receiver and the dust cover retain nearly all of the high polish blue finish. Virtually all of the fire blue finish remains on the loading gate. The hammer, trigger, lever and lever latch retain close to 99% of the casehardened finish with strong case colors. The buttplate has scuff marks and finish loss on the heel and toe and retains about 85% of the original case colors. The stock and forearm are in excellent plus condition and retain almost all of the original finish. Wear is limited to a few very minor storage marks. This is an outstanding example of a Winchester Model 1873 Musket in near mint condition.