This excellent early production Winchester Model 1876 Rifle was manufactured in 1877. The included factory letter confirms the round barrel and plain trigger. The rifle was received in warehouse on 27 February 1878 and shipped on 8 May 1878. The letter lists a returned date of 9 October 1879 and a second shipment date of 25 December 1879. The rifle has the early, special order dust cover with impressed oval thumb-piece and dust cover rail that is screwed to the top of the receiver. It has a 28 inch round barrel, full length magazine and crescent steel buttplate with sliding brass trap. The butt trap contains the original jointed steel cleaning rod. The barrel has a dovetail mounted front sight with nickel-silver blade and folding adjustable leaf rear sight. The rear sight is graduated to 1,000 yards and marked "1876". The upper tang is factory drilled and tapped for a tang sight. The rifle has a high polish blue finish on the barrel, magazine, forearm cap, receiver and dust cover. The hammer, trigger, loading lever and crescent buttplate are color casehardened. The bolt and loading port have a fiery niter blue finish. The select straight grain walnut forearm and high comb stock have the standard oil finish. 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" ahead of the rear sight. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped with the early plain designation: "MODEL 1876". The lower tang is engraved with the serial number "1735" behind the loading lever latch. As an early production rifle chambered for the standard .45-75 W.C.F. cartridge, the rifle has no caliber designation markings. The Model 1876, nicknamed the "Centennial Model" for the year of its introduction, was the first Winchester rifle designed for use of large caliber cartridges suitable for big game. Although fewer than 64,000 Model 1876 rifles were manufactured between 1876 and 1891, the Model 1876 was enthusiastically endorsed by American hunters; most notably Theodore Roosevelt.

Excellent plus. The rifle retains 98% plus of the bright original high polish blue finish overall. Very minor wear is limited to the receiver high points, side plate edges and forearm cap. The case colors on the hammer and loading lever are vivid. The casehardened finish on the buttplate is slightly faded with traces of silvering but retains most of the original case colors. The loading port has nearly all of the niter blue finish. The stock and forearm are both in excellent plus condition with nearly all of the original oil finish; wear is limited to several insignificant storage marks. The markings on the barrel and receiver tang are crisp. This is an exceptional example of a second-year production Winchester Model 1876 Sporting Rifle. This rifle is one of the finest Model 1876 lever action rifles ever offered by the Rock Island Auction Company. It would be a stand-out piece in the most advanced Winchester collection.