Factory engraved Winchester Model 1873 rifle manufactured c. 1875. This rifle is accompanied by a Winchester Gun Museum letter dated 1967 that describes Model 1873, serial number 15828, as: "rifle, octagon barrel, casehardened, fancy checkered stock, set trigger." The letter further states that the rifle has $5.00 engraving and was shipped from Winchester on May 6, 1878. This rifle is illustrated and briefly described on page 102 of "Winchester Engraving" by R.L. Wilson and on page 414 of "Winchester's New Model of 1873, Vol. II" by James D. Gordon. Both Wilson and Gordon note that this rifle was factory engraved by Gustave Young. The rifle has the very desirable First Model receiver with grooved dust cover guides and dust cover with checkered oval finger grip. The rifle has a blued barrel, magazine and trigger with color casehardened forearm cap, receiver, dust cover, hammer, lever and crescent buttplate. The loading gate is fire blue. The stock and forearm are deluxe, fancy grain walnut with the early style Winchester checkering and a piano finish. The forearm cap, dust cover, sides and top of the receiver, upper tang and buttplate heel are decorated with restrained but elegant scrollwork on a punch-dot background. The Wilson description notes that Gustave Young engraved "precisely the same" scrollwork on Smith & Wesson firearms during this period. The full-octagon barrel has a special order Beach folding combination globe front sight and a buckhorn, sporting style, rear sight. The upper tang is factory drilled and tapped and the receiver has a single set-trigger. The buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor, and the butt trap contains a jointed, four-piece, steel cleaning rod with brass tip. The top barrel flat 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. 1873" in fancy letters flanked by scrollwork flourishes. The serial number is engraved in script numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and rear tang screw. Winchester rifles factory engraved reportedly by Gustave Young are very rare.

Very fine. This rifle is all original and retains at least 85% of the blue and color casehardened finish. 85% the original blue finish is present on the barrel. The blue has some minor discoloration on the right side between the rear sight and the muzzle. The blue on the magazine has faded to a plum-colored patina on contact points. The Winchester legend is crisp. The forearm cap, dust cover, receiver and hammer retain 75% plus of the muted casehardened finish with scattered traces of age discoloration and some silvering on contact points. The lever has strong case colors on the sides with some silvering on the bottom. About 80% of the case colors on the buttplate remain and have aged to a dark, mottle patina with traces of pitting on the edge of the buttplate toe and heel. The loading gate retains at least 90% of the fire blue finish. The brass cartridge elevator has an attractive, untouched patina. The flawlessly engraved scrollwork is crisp. The highly figured walnut stock and forearm are both in very fine condition and show only minimal handling and a long heavy scratch at right upper wrist in the checkering. The stock and forearm display the same untouched patina as the other components and retain 90% plus of the piano finish and sharp checkering. This is a truly outstanding example of an extremely rare Winchester First Model 1873 rifle with factory engraving by Gustave Young.