*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE SPECIAL ORDER ENGRAVED DELUXE WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 LEVER ACTION RIFLE

*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE SPECIAL ORDER ENGRAVED DELUXE WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 LEVER ACTION RIFLE INSCRIBED TO MILLARD P DUELL. SN 308993. Cal. 32 WS. Very rare special order `94 with 26" oct to rnd bbl, half magazine, takedown, with Lyman ivory bead hunting front sight, semi-buckhorn rear sight and Lyman locking combination tang sight. Mounted with about 3-4X very highly figured, center crotch, flame grain American walnut with style "A" carved forearm & capped pistol grip stock with smooth steel shotgun buttplate. Left side of lower tang is stamped with the assembly number "1178", "X" and "SC". There is also a tiny "61". The matching assembly number is on the rear face of buttstock, under the buttplate, along with "94" and an obliterated assembly number. Matching assembly number is also found inside toe of buttplate. A reasonable assumption would be that this rifle was initially designated with a pistol grip stock and lightly figured wood, however when the order was placed for the highly decorated & plated rifle we see today, the wood would have been exchanged for much fancier type for the much higher decoration. Receiver is beautifully engraved in style "4" by John Ulrich and is signed on the lower tang behind the trigger. Lower tang is also engraved in period script "Millard P. Duell". Engraving consists of a very large panel of a hunter shooting from behind a tree with two wounded bull elk in the foreground, all in a forest scene on the left side and a grizzly bear in a mountain scene on a promontory on the right side all surrounded by foliate arabesque patterns and wavelet borders. Top & bottom of receiver, top & bottom tangs, hammer, lever, takedown ring, forend cap, buttplate tang and exposed flats of bbl over chamber area are engraved to match. Base of bbl, at the receiver and around the muzzle are inlaid with gold bands. Receiver, takedown ring, forend cap & buttplate are all gold plated. Accompanied by several Winchester Museum, Buffalo Bill Historical Center & Cody Firearms Museum letters dating 1971, 1982 & 2008 which all provide the identical information which identifies this rifle in 32 WS caliber with half oct bbl, half magazine, plain trigger, "clover leaf rear, Lyman front, Lyman rear" sights, takedown, engraved $24.00, #4 and gold trim, received in warehouse March 27, 1907 and shipped same day to Order #93543, repair & return on June 29, 1917. Note: A cloverleaf sight is described in The Winchester Book, Madis, as a style "28" which is a semi-buckhorn style as found on this rifle. The sight currently on this rifle is of a later vintage with smooth edges rather than the serrated edges of the 1917 era when this rifle was most likely restored. This rifle is pictured, on p. 172 with three photographs, in the book Winchester Engraving, Wilson. The caption details mostly only the information found in the letter and states that when the rifle was returned & repaired in 1917 "at which time the inscription on lower tang was engraved". PROVENANCE: Lloyd Goff Collection; Glenn Hockett Collection; Wes Adams Estate Collection. CONDITION: Very fine as restored. Overall retains about all of a factory-style restored finish to both metal & wood; bbl & magazine tube retain 97-98% strong, factory-style blue with only light muzzle & sharp edge wear; receiver, takedown ring, forend cap & buttplate retain most of their strong gold plating with some light flaking on top right edge of the receiver; lever & hammer retain brilliant case colors; wood is sound with a few, very minor nicks & scratches and retains about all of its fine restored finish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-44372 JR15

Starting Price: $10,000