This is an extraordinary example of a Winchester Model 1892 Takedown Sporting Rifle with Cody Firearms Museum letter. The letter describes Model 1892, serial number 14917 as: "Rifle, Takedown, 44 caliber, Barrel Shape: Octagon" and "Plain trigger". The letter states that this rifle was shipped from Winchester on April 2, 1894. The rifle has a blue finish with color case-hardened hammer, lever, trigger and crescent buttplate. The stock and forearm are nicely figured American walnut with a varnished finish, The full octagon barrel has a standard sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and a buckhorn, sporting style rear sight with serrated edges and screw-adjustable center-piece. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped: "-MANUFACTURED BY THE- / -WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A.-" in two lines ahead of the rear sight. The caliber designation: "44 W.C.F." is roll-stamped on the top barrel flat just in front of the receiver. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "MODEL 1892./-WINCHESTER-/PAT.OCT.14.1884." in three lines. The serial number, "14917" is roll-stamped across the front edge of the lower receiver.

Excellent. The rifle is all original and retains 97% plus of the bright original high polish blue finish overall. Handling wear is limited to traces of finish loss on the receiver high points and a few scattered and very insignificant handling marks on the sides of the receiver. The nitre blue finish on the loading gate and extractor has mottled to a gold-tinted color. All of the markings are extremely sharp. The stock and forearm are in excellent plus condition with no significant handling or storage marks. Nearly all of the original finish remains intact with some slight dulling from handling on the bottom of the forearm. Model 1892 Takedown Rifles are quite scarce. It would be difficult to find a better example of an antique Winchester Model 1892 Takedown Lever Action Rifle.