I grabbed a Winchester 1873 Rifle project a little bit ago in 38-40. this one was made in 1888.

Rusty, side plates didn’t fit, no links trigger or lever. It has a an octagon barrel that has been shortened and a buttstock that is shorter too. Not much original. I decided to make it a shooter and give it a simple refinish. So I started searching for parts.
Here it is apart after I found some toggle links.

This Saturday I spent my time filing and sanding on my back patio sipping ice tea. This was an extremely rewarding build so far. I just have a smile ear to ear when I take two rough, crusty and rusted parts that are ~130 years old and make them fit together just right. More pics to come. Should have it done in a couple weeks.
-Rob