This excellent late production Winchester Model 1873 Sporting Rifle was manufactured in 1916. This rifle has the late stepped receiver with integral dust cover rail and dust cover with serrated rear edges. The rifle is accompanied by a Cody Firearms Museum letter that describes it as: "Rifle, 44 caliber", with "Octagon barrel". The letter states that this rifle was shipped to the S.B. Hubbard Co., in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 27, 1917. The 24-inch octagon barrel, full length magazine, forearm cap, dust cover, loading gate and receiver are blued and the hammer, lever and crescent buttplate are color casehardened. The barrel has a sporting style front sight with blued steel blade and a sporting style buckhorn rear sight. The upper tang is factory drilled and tapped for a tang sight. The buttplate has a sliding brass trap door. The stock and forearm are oil finished, straight grain, American walnut. The left barrel flat is roll-stamped: "WINCHESTER'S REPEATING ARMS. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A./KING'S IMPROVEMENT PATENTED MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." in two lines ahead of the rear sight. The caliber designation: "44 W.C.F" is roll-stamped on the left side of the barrel just ahead of the receiver. The script marking "44 CAL" is stamped across the bottom of the brass cartridge elevator. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "MODEL 1873/-WINCHESTER-/ TRADE MARK. REG. IN U.S. PAT. OFF." in three lines. The serial number, "703582 B" is stamped in block numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and the rear tang screw.

Excellent. The rifle is all original and shows minimal handling wear. Nearly all of the blue finish is present on the barrel and magazine. The barrel markings are perfect, with 80% of the blue finish on the sides and bottom of the receiver and the sides of the forearm cap has flaked leaving a smooth brown patina. Nearly all of the blue finish is present on the side plates, dust cover and loading gate. The hammer, trigger and lever retain all of the original case colors. Virtually all of the muted case colors are present on the buttplate. The stock and forearm remain in excellent plus condition; all of the original finish remains intact and wear is limited to a few very minor storage marks. This is an apparently unused Winchester Model 1873 Lever Action Rifle that, except for the finish flaking on the receiver and forearm cap is in near new condition.