Miroku 1873

[hickstick_10]

I couldn't give a hill of beans for a miroky 92, 94, 85, 86 or 95 but this is one repro that i would really truly want.

Anyone held one or seen one in the flesh yet?

http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/imagepreview.asp?mid=534200#center

http://www.winchesterguns.com/support/files/images/wfa/2013----All/2013---Articles/Winchester-1873-2013-Catalog-Page.pdf

[OD#3]

Because it's made by Miroku, I'm sure that we can expect it to be constructed of the finest steel with excellent fit and finish. I'm confident that the toggle links are fitted very well also; I wouldn't be surprised if the overall quality was better than Uberti. However, I noticed that the firing pin extension appears to have extensively modified from the original, and I bet the hammer is rebounding. Like you, I wish someone would post a hands-on review somewhere. Strange (and a real shame) that it is only chambered in .38/.357.

[jmort]

"Strange (and a real shame) that it is only chambered in .38/.357."

^ That is what a lot of the SASS competitors use. If it can be short stroked I bet it will be used in matches by some of the best.

[larryp]

I bet it'll be well over a grand apiece judging by their 92 prices.

[hickstick_10]

pretty steep, but no different then an uberti price.

I like how it looks, I hope these 73s take off.

[rbertalotto]

Sure wish it was case colored............Don't like that carbon black at all.

I wonder if the various short stroke kits will fit or will Winchester yet again reinvent the wheel.

Retail price is listed as $1300

[marlin39a]

Sure is tempting. Davidsons www.galleryofguns.com is listing them. They are allocated, so unable to get a price other than the $1299.99 MSRP.

[smkummer]

I am guessing they are testing the waters with what 75% of what cowboy action shooters are shooting. I am guessing next will be a 45 Colt. Darn, US workers can not produce that rifle and make a profit at $1295 retail? Really? My only rant.

[Don McDowell]

I'm waiting for them to come in 38wcf, then I'm all over the first one me and the master card can find...
Have several miroku built guns and they are all first class, and well worth the money paid.

[Doc65]

With the Uberti's it's usually recommended that you not feed it a steady diet of full power .357 rounds due to the relatively thin long bolt. I wonder how this one will hold up. I know in competition they'll be feeding it .38 almost squib loads, but I still wonder. I'm with rbertalotto, really wish it was color case instead of blued. I'll also be interested in how well it feeds .38's as the toggle link guns are notorious for being finicky about cartridge overall length. My 66 in .38 special would even bind up on the 125gr .38 cowboy boolits(they were too short & the next round would enter the riser & bind it up) I just shot all those boolits out of the New Vaqueros & started making boolits out of a 9mm TC Saeco mold I have sized them to .358 & had no more issues. However if the difference in the seated length of those two boolits can bind up the riser, what will the difference between the length of .38 vs .357 do?

[Don McDowell]

There's no problem making 38 special level loads in 357 cases, and it sure stops the feeding from to short oal problems...

[MtGun44]

Clearly an internal firing pin lock visible, like these fools put in my 1886, and it misfired a lot and had terrible vsrtical stringing problem. I have it somewhat fixed, not a chance I would buy one even though the build quality was excellent.

Bill

[HDS]

Can't really say it interests me. I want another caliber than they offer, I want it case colored and I want no extra modern frills. Uberti for me.

[35 Whelen]

With the Uberti's it's usually recommended that you not feed it a steady diet of full power .357 rounds due to the relatively thin long bolt. I wonder how this one will hold up. I know in competition they'll be feeding it .38 almost squib loads, but I still wonder. I'm with rbertalotto, really wish it was color case instead of blued. I'll also be interested in how well it feeds .38's as the toggle link guns are notorious for being finicky about cartridge overall length. My 66 in .38 special would even bind up on the 125gr .38 cowboy boolits(they were too short & the next round would enter the riser & bind it up) I just shot all those boolits out of the New Vaqueros & started making boolits out of a 9mm TC Saeco mold I have sized them to .358 & had no more issues. However if the difference in the seated length of those two boolits can bind up the riser, what will the difference between the length of .38 vs .357 do?

I'm curious where the recommendation for not shooting .357's in their .357 chambered rifles comes from. I've never read that. Equally as curious is the fact that Uberti now chambers their '73 in .44 Magnum and it is being distributed by Uberti, Cimarron and Taylor.

I own a Uberti '73 in .44 Special that I use for CAS. When I got the rifle, the only mould I had was a 429421. Loaded thusly, the c.o.a.l. was 1.582" and the rifle fed the rounds flawlessly as fast as I could lever it. Since then, I ordered and received an Accurate mould that casts a 170 gr. RNFP which when loaded gives a c.o.a.l. of 1.432" which likewise feeds very well. I can see where there could be potential feeding problems with varying o.a.l.'s what with the design of the carrier block, but mine works fine. A CAS buddy of mine uses a Uberti 1873 .357,and I know for sure he loads .38's in it although I don't recall if he seats the bullets out long.

With regards to your feeding issue, it sounds as though the bevel on the bottom front of your carrier block isn't correct. Have you by chance checked this?

35W

[ReloaderFred]

I handled the pre-production Winchester/Miroku 1873 last Tuesday at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas. They're nicely made guns, and the original 73's were blued, including the frames, so this one is historically correct. It wasn't until later that they started color case hardening the frames, according to my sources.

The new rifles are projected to arrive in late April, or early May, but one of the reps told me that "may be wishful thinking", so probably realistically by next summer.

As for not shooting full power .357 Magnums, both Long Hunter and Pioneer Gun Works, who do most of the action work on Uberti 73's, have repaired enough of them from shooting full power .357's to say it's not a good idea, if you expect the rifle to keep working. I've yet to see an actual .44 Magnum 73, and I looked for them at the SHOT Show.......

Hope this helps.

Fred

[35 Whelen]

As for not shooting full power .357 Magnums, both Long Hunter and Pioneer Gun Works, who do most of the action work on Uberti 73's, have repaired enough of them from shooting full power .357's to say it's not a good idea, if you expect the rifle to keep working. I've yet to see an actual .44 Magnum 73, and I looked for them at the SHOT Show.......

Hope this helps.

Fred

That's interesting. I'm quite familiar with Long Hunter and Pioneer Gun Works (bought my short stroke kit from Pioneer) but had no idea they did repairs on rifles as neither of thier websotes mention it.

With regards to the .44 Magnum chambering, I came within a hairs breadth of buying this one (http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=312975555) but my .44 Special came along at a price I could not pass up. Also saw this one (http://www.gunsamerica.com/998144388/UBERTI_1873_RIFLE_19_BRL_44_MAG.htm) but didn't want to spend that kind of money.

I still may get a .44 Mag because I much prefer the blue receiver and especially the round barrel. As recently as a couple of months ago I talked to Taylor about a .44 Mag and think they told me they had it in stock, but don't remember for sure.

35W

[9.3X62AL]

Miroku-made rifles and shotguns tend to be pretty well-made units. I have a Win 92 in 44 Magnum that has been problem-free in all respects since it arrived 14 months ago, and it has at least 1,000 rounds through it. So far, so good.

Having an original '73 in 44-40, and having viewed its locking mechanism with sideplates removed......I wouldn't run either 357 or 44 Magnum loads through them at any level close to SAAMI specs (36K CUP), which probably equate to 1700-1800 FPS with standard-weight (158 or 240 grain, respectively) castings. That is Win 92 and Marlin 94 country. I would limit the 73s by whatever maker to their standard boolit weights at 1200-1300 FPS from their carbine-length barrels, which is a little north of Special +P specs........say 900-950 FPS from revolver barrels. In other words, run your '73 rifles with loads that approach Magnum revolver ballistics at top end. The Pasta or Fried Rice Winchesters may be made of better metal than the originals, but why risk excessive wear and malfunction? Just my dos centavos.

[steve817]

The Pasta or Fried Rice Winchesters may be made of better metal than the originals, but why risk excessive wear and malfunction? Just my dos centavos.

I intend to hunt with 180 gr buffalo bore bullets with mine. That is until I can develop my own.

[9.3X62AL]

I lean toward the 180 grain-class bullets as about ideal for the 357 Magnum long guns, though my experience with rifles in that caliber is limited. I would cast my 180 grain "357 Maximum" group buy as softpoints, and run them in the 1100-1200 FPS ballpark.

I terms of actual game animals grassed, my 1897-vintage Winchester 1873 in 44-40 WCF is the wide-scale winner in terms of numbers. Its muley and blacktail numbers run well past 100, and at least two marauding black bears got their ticket punched by the little carbine per my grandmother's accounts of life on a mountain ranch where my Dad was born. It did this work with 200-220 grain flatpoints running 1100-1200 FPS. My own preferences for a classic levergun are to have it chambered in a classic/original caliber, though I understand the appeal of a straightwall more modern revolver caliber for eased reloading on progressive systems. 44-40 cases present a few issues that slow production down a bit, but I still love the old critters.