The letter describes this musket as: "Musket, 45/70 caliber" and states that it was shipped from the Winchester warehouse on September 20, 1893. The Model 1886 musket is the rarest of all Winchester lever action muskets. Experts estimate that total production of Model 1886 musket was just over 350 pieces. Model 1886 muskets are exteriorly rare; most of these muskets were apparently manufactured for export. The musket has a thirty-inch round barrel with distinctive full-length forearm and Model 1876 style forearm tip. The forearm has a single barrel band secured by a band spring on the right side. The barrel has a steel block front sight that serves as a lug for a socket bayonet and a military style tangent rear sight with folding leaf graduated to 1,000 yards (10). Factory sling swivels are mounted on the barrel band and stock. The carbine style buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor, and the butt trap contains a five-piece, jointed, steel cleaning rod with steel tip. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped: "-MANUFACTURED BY THE-/-WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A.-" in two lines between the barrel band and the rear sight. The caliber "45-70" is roll-stamped on the top of the barrel between the rear sight and the receiver. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "-MODEL 1886-". The 1884 and 1885 patent dates are stamped on the lower tang in two lines behind the trigger and the serial number. The musket has the Winchester blue finish on the barrel, forearm tip, barrel band, sling swivels, bolt, loading gate and trigger. The receiver, hammer, lever and buttplate are color casehardened. The stock and forearm are oil-finished, straight grain American walnut.