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Unless the serial number is 1000-1950 it was most likely a rifle when it left the armory. The rear sight, stock (with cleaning rod channel filled, which can easily be matched with a piece of the wood removed), barrel crowning, front sight, and trigger guard, all point to a cut down rifle. That the lock assembly was replaced is common and may or may not have been part of the attempt to make the rifle a carbine. Since this wasn't a simple sporterization, it was likely an attempt to pass it off as a genuine "Custer era" carbine. In my opinion the three 5s stamped on the lockplate are irrelevant and you can take the story of a "ranch rifle" marking, or make up your own story as you choose.
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Uhh - not exactly correct. Most of the first 4500 Model 1873s were carbines. That was because no standard carbine had been adopted during the .50 period, and the troops in the field were equipped with a mix of Spencers, reworked Sharps, a few Starrs, etc. Carbines were seen as the greatest need upon the 1873 model change. The gun in this article is NOT an original carbine, however. Rifle sights were not used on carbines, nor were reworked stocks. When the ring and bar (not needed for a simple hunting mod) is added to a cutoff piece, larceny is usually the aim.
