Second Model Winchester 1876 rifle with screw-fastened dust cover guide and dust cover with impressed oval thumbprint. The rifle is accompanied by a letter from the Cody Firearms Museum Records Office which describes it as: "Rifle" with "Octagon" barrel, "Set" trigger, "Checkered Stock" and "Casehardened" receiver. The letter states that this rifle was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on May 6, 1878. The barrel, magazine, loading gate, bolt and dust cover are blue. The forend cap, receiver, hammer, lever and crescent buttplate are color casehardened. The rifle has a 28 inch full octagon barrel with full length magazine. The barrel has a standard sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and a folding leaf rear sight marked "1876" at the top of the sight and graduated to 1,000 yards. The rifle has a special order factory single set-trigger. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped for a peep sight. The crescent buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor. The stock and forearm are highly figured deluxe fancy grain walnut with checkered panels and a high polish piano 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 "MODEL 1876" in fancy letters. The serial number "1273" is in script numerals behind the lever latch. The leftside of the tang is marked "XX 98". Dust covers were special order items on early production Model 1876 rifles and are rarely found on Model 1876 rifles with serial numbers below 3,000.

Extremely fine. The rifle is all original and retains 85% plus of the blue and casehardened finish. Most of the blue finish is present on the barrel and magazine; wear is limited to some finish loss on the edges and some thinning on the left side of the magazine tube. The dust cover, loading gate and bolt retain about 90% of the blue finish. The forend cap, receiver, hammer and lever have 90% or more of the casehardened finish with strong case colors. Most of the case colors are present on the buttplate heel; the balance of the buttplate has a silver patina. The professionally revarnished highly figured walnut buttstock and forearm are both very fine and retain close to 95% of the high polish "piano" finish. The checkering on the stock and forearm is sharp. Wear is limited to a few very minor handling and storage marks. The barrel legend, model designation and serial number are sharp. The action is tight, and the mechanical condition is excellent. This is an outstanding example of a very early production Deluxe Model 1876 rifle with dust cover.