Manufactured in 1883, this is one of only 3,284 Winchester Model 1876s chambered in the venerable .50-95 Express. The Model 1876, an up-sized version of their prolific Model 1873, was designed and introduced with those customers in mind who felt they may need more power than the .44-40 cartridge had to offer. The 1876 was designed as a larger version of the 1873 that could handle larger and more powerful cartridges. Naturally, this made the Model 1876, also known as the "Centennial Rifle" due to its year of introduction, very popular among big and dangerous game hunters. At short range, the .50-95 Express, with its 95 grains of black powder behind a 300 grain hollow point bullet, was capable of stopping even the most dangerous game dead in its tracks. Because of this incredible stopping power, these rifles found popularity among hunters and adventurers in the American West as well as British sportsmen, who found it particularly useful against tigers and lions in the far reaches of the British Empire. This particular example is in the configuration that is far more often associated with the western frontier of North America, and it lacks the British proofs often seen on rifles sold on that market. A rifle like this, with a single well-placed shot, would have been capable of stopping even the most dangerous North American game, including moose, bison, and bear at close range, as well as any human threats one might expect to encounter on the frontier. It was also capable of following up that shot with multiple more in quick succession. While lacking the long range accuracy of some of the single shot rifles of the period, the 1876 in .50 Express made up for its lack of range with delivering stopping power in rapid succession. The included factory letter confirms the rifle in express caliber with an octagon barrel and plain trigger when received at the warehouse on 6 September 1883, and shipped the following day in order number 7011.This particular example is a third model with an integral dust cover guide and dust cover with grip serrations at the rear and the Winchester Express caliber marking on top, which was standard for rifles in this caliber. The top of the 26 inch barrel is marked with the standard two-line address and King's patent marking, with the caliber marking at the breech. The caliber marking is repeated on the bottom of the cartridge elevator. The model marking is on top of the upper tang and the serial number is on the lower tang. It is fitted with a No. 21 German silver blade front sight and a typical "1876" marked folding ladder rear sight. It is also fitted with a pair of period-added sling swivels on the nose cap and the bottom of the buttstock, which appear to have been fitted outside the factory, an upgrade that was not uncommon for these large, heavy rifles. It is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with a trapdoor crescent buttplate containing an included four-piece cleaning rod.