Deluxe, Special Order, Winchester Model 1873 Sporting Rifle manufactured in 1885. This rifle has the Third Model receiver with integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated edges. The rifle is accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter which lists the features as: "Type: Rifle, Barrel Type: Octagon, Trigger: Plain, X stock" and "Casehardened". The letter further states this rifle was shipped from Winchester on October 31, 1885. The rifle has a full octagon barrel with full-length magazine. The barrel has a Rocky Mountain style front sight with blued blade and a sporting style buckhorn rear sight. A very rare, special order, tang peep sight made only for the Model 1873 Winchester is mounted on the receiver tang. This sight is illustrated and described on page 193 of "THE WINCHESTER BOOK" by George Madis. The receiver has the special order color casehardened finish. The forearm cap, hammer, lever and crescent buttplate are casehardened and the barrel, magazine dust cover and loading gate are blued. The stock and forearm are highly figured, fancy grain "1X" walnut with a high polish piano finish. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped: "WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN. CT./KING'S-IMPROVEMENT-PATENTED-MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." in two lines ahead of the rear sight. "44 CAL." is roll-stamped on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and the receiver. "- MODEL. 1873.-" is roll-stamped in fancy letters on the upper tang with foliate devices on either end. "44 CAL." is stamped in script across the bottom of the cartridge elevator. The serial number "173811A" is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang behind the lever latch.

Very fine. The rifle is all original including the rare, special order, folding peep tang sight and retains 80% of the original blue and color casehardened finish. Most of the blue is present on the barrel and magazine; wear is limited to several small areas of pitting on the upper barrel flats and a few scattered spots of age discoloration. The dust cover retains 75% of the high polish blue finish with some scattered edge wear. Nearly all of the fire blue finish is present on the loading gate. The forearm cap, receiver and side plates have strong case colors; wear is limited to some scattered spots of age discoloration on contact points. The lever has the strong case colors on the sides with some silvering along the bottom surfaces. The case colors on the buttplate have faded to a dark patina with a few spots of age discoloration. The highly figured, fancy grain, "1X" stock and forearm remain in very fine condition with most of the high polish piano finish with a few very minor handling and storage marks. All of the barrel and receiver markings are sharp. This is both an exceptional and attractive example of a special order, deluxe, Winchester Model 1873 Sporting Rifle with desirable case-hardened receiver.