The Cody letter describes this Winchester Model 1873 as: "Rifle, Casehardened, Barrel Shape: 1/2 Octagon, Plain trigger, Checkered pistol grip" and "1/2 magazine" and states this rifle was shipped from Winchester on December 2, 1879. The rifle has the Second Model receiver with screw-fastened dust cover guide rail and later pattern dust cover with serrated finger grips on the sides. The 24-inch half-round/half-octagon barrel has a standard, sporting style front sight with nickel-silver blade and buckhorn, sporting style rear sight with knurled edges and solid back. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped. The crescent buttplate has a sliding brass trapdoor, and the butt trap contains a four piece, jointed, steel cleaning rod with brass tip. The forearm and pistol grip stock are deluxe, fancy grade, highly figured American walnut with fine checkering and a high polish piano finish. The Winchester "Style H" checkering is the intermediate pattern which features a large "V" on the stock wrist at the junction with the receiver and runs parallel with the edge of the receiver on the forearm. The stock pistol grip has the early style, fancy, ebony inlay. The barrel and magazine tube have a blue finish. The dust cover is a high polish blue, and the loading gate cover is a fiery niter blue. The magazine tip, forearm cap, receiver, hammer, lever, trigger and crescent buttplate are casehardened with vivid case colors. 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. "MODEL. 1873" is roll-stamped in fancy letters on the upper receiver tang. The serial number is stamped in tiny numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and rear tang screw. The barrel and brass cartridge elevator, correctly, are not marked with the rifle caliber.

Exceptionally fine. The barrel has 85% of the original blue finish with some minor wear on the muzzle and has a small scratch and a small spot of age discoloration on the top just ahead of the octagon portion. The dust cover has 95% of the bright blue finish with some very minor handling marks. 97% of the nitre blue finish is present on the loading gate. 70% plus of the original case colors remain on the forearm cap, hammer, trigger and lever. 85% of the case colors on the receiver and sideplates remain and have some silvering on edges and contact points with some spots of discoloration on the bottom and lower edges of the sides near the forearm. The receiver has significant amounts of original varnish on sideplates and in protected areas. The crescent steel buttplate retains 85% of the casehardened finish with some age discoloration on the bottom and minor finish wear on the edges of the heel and toe. The deluxe, fancy grade walnut stock and forearm remain in excellent overall condition and retains most of the original piano finish. The exceptionally fine checkering on the stock and forearm remains sharp. Wear on the stock and forearm is limited to a few minor, scattered handling and storage marks. This is an exceptional example of a scarce and highly desirable, deluxe, special order, Second Model Winchester 1873 Sporting Rifle.