This exceptional Winchester Deluxe Model 1873 rifle was manufactured in 1878. The accompanying factory letter lists this rifle with a round barrel, plain trigger, checkered stock and casehardened finish when received in the warehouse on September 5, 1878, and shipped the same day. It is the very desirable Second Model 1873 rifle variation with dust cover with checkered oval finger grip and screw-fastened dust cover guide. The rifle has a 24-inch round barrel with full-length magazine. The barrel has the standard, sporting style, front sight with nickel-silver blade and buckhorn, sporting style, rear sight with knurled edges. The magazine has the first style, threaded, cap. The upper receiver tang is factory drilled and tapped. The crescent buttplate has a sliding brass butt-trap door. The barrel and magazine have a blue finish. The rear sight, dust cover and bolt and blue are bright blue and the loading gate is a fiery niter blue. The forearm cap, receiver, hammer, trigger, lever and crescent buttplate are casehardened. The stock and forearm are deluxe, highly figured, fancy grain walnut with a high polish piano finish. The stock and forearm have the early style factory checkering that extends nearly to the edge of the receiver on the forearm and extends around the lower tang on the stock. The left side of the tang is marked "XX" and "776" which matches the number "776" on the buttstock and buttplate. The top of the barrel is roll-stamped: "WINCHESTER'S-REPEATING-ARMS. NEW HAVEN.CT./KING'S-IMPROVEMENT- PATENTED-MARCH 29. 1866. OCTOBER 16. 1860." in two lines ahead of the rear sight. The upper receiver tang is roll-stamped: "MODEL. 1873." in fancy letters. The serial number is stamped in script numerals on the lower tang between the lever latch and rear tang screw. The barrel and cartridge elevator, correctly, lack the caliber markings found on later production Model 1873 rifles.

Excellent. The barrel and magazine retain 95% of the original blue finish with very faint edge wear visible at the muzzle and magazine cap and some thinning on the magazine band. The dust cover retains about 85% of the bright blue finish. 90% of the original nitre blue finish is present on the loading gate. The forearm cap, receiver, hammer, lever and trigger retain 85% plus of the original casehardened finish with vivid case colors. Wear is limited to some minor fading to the case colors at the edges of the receiver and side-plates. The receiver has an old wax finish which shows some discoloration and very minor handling marks that do not extend to the actual case colors. The top of the buttplate has most of the casehardened finish intact. The case colors on the bottom of the buttplate have silvered and there is dark age discoloration and light pitting on the buttplate heel. The deluxe, highly figured, oil finished stock and forearm remain in excellent overall condition. Wear is limited to a few very insignificant handling marks. The correct early style factory checkering on the stock and forearm is sharp. The barrel and receiver markings are extremely crisp. This is an exceptional example of a scarce deluxe Winchester Second Model 1873 rifle.