Winchester 1876 Letter|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

You’re asking a question that probably has no definitive answer.  After years of collecting and studying early Winchesters, here’s my opinion for what it’s worth.  Dust covers became a standard feature very early on (some say around serial number 1500 or 1600).  Any customer who already owned an open top, could return it to the factory and have the new dust cover, rail and extractor fitted to their rifle or carbine.  This of course, was at the customers expense.   Sometimes but not always, the letter notation will say “lid” or “lid added” along with the words R&R or returned & repaired.  After the dust cover became a well established standard feature, open top guns which still remained in the warehouse were pulled and dust covers were fitted to these guns.  Most often a letter that reads “with lid” is one of these warehouse guns.  Winchesters way of recording the fact that the early serial numbered gun left the factory with the dust cover fitted.