This rifle was manufactured by Winchester under contract with United Stated Navy in 1897. The Lee-Navy rifles saw heavy use by the Navy and Marine Corps during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and Puerto Rico and also in the Boxer Rebellion, Filipino Insurrection, and Moro Rebellion. They were the first U.S. martial rifles to experiment with truly small bore smokeless powder cartridges and had great penetration and allowed servicemen the ability to carry more ammunition. The chamber is marked "-U.S.N.- /[anchor]/No 2945/-N.C.T.--", and the left side of the receiver is marked with the two-line address/patent dates marking. It is equipped with a hooded blade front sight and a ladder rear sight graduated to 2,000 yards. The semi-pistol grip stock's buttplate has a compartment.

Good. The rifle retains traces of the original blue finish and has gray-brown patina on the balance with some light spotting and faint pitting. The re-oiled wood is good with some mild wear from use including some small cracks and repairs. The action is fine, and the markings are crisp. Only 10,000 of these rifles were produced in the first contract run. 623 of these first contract rifles were used by the 1st Marine Battalion when they landed in Cuba in 1898.