Winchester M73 Repo's

[Buckshot]

...............I'm seriously thinking of getting myself a Uberti repro of the Win 1873 full length rifle in 45 Colt. Any remarks to be made from those out there with facts and opinions, or apocryphal info, good or bad.

...............Buckshot

[marlin39a]

Buckshot, get on over to WinterRange at Ben Avery in Phoenix, February 18 - 25. See those guns in action, and get real opinions. www.winterrange.com. Only 6 weeks away.

[eljefe]

I owned one with a shorter barrel when I shot cas. It was beautifully made and shot extremely well. I loaded with triple seven and a 250 grain bullet. I would buy another again in a new York minute. I never had any trouble whatsoever with that rifle. In my opinion, Uberti makes the finest reproduction firearms available.

[Warhawk]

I have one of the Winchester/Miroku 1873s. Mine is a 16” 357. I haven’t shot it much yet, but I have never seen a more beautiful levergun. Buds has some at good prices, CDNN has a bunch of them.

210885

[Texas by God]

My late friend shot one for years in CAS and loved it. He was also a bench rest shooter and he said that Uberti .45 Colt barrel as as smooth as he'd seen. I shot it some and it was almost hard to miss with it. Buy with confidence.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[square butte]

I've been thinking about one of those Win/Miroku 73 trappers. One of the things i like most about them is that the front sight is actually correct - instead of those that have the sight integral to the barrel band.

[kaiser]

Buckshot - I've had a Uberti Short Rifle (20" BBL) for many years now and it has proven to be "ultra" reliable and accurate. Mine is in a .45 Colt, which to me (biased opinion), is the very best of calibers in the Uberti for hunting or target shooting. Buy with confidence; you will not have "buyer remorse"!

[Buckshot]

..............Appreciate, the responses to my question. A local shop has had 2 1873's and a 1876 on the wall for close to a year. Thought I'd suggest if they gave me a good deal I'd take one of the 73's off their hands.

..............Buckshot

[missionary5155]

Good morning Buckshot
Good to read you are looking to keep on shooting something. I get the willy's when I see fellers selling off their accumulated prizes.

Anyone seen any of the old "Santa Fe" 1873 models floating around ?
Mike in Peru

[Larry Gibson]

Buckshot

I shot the Uberti rifles and carbine M1873s quite a bit in 357 and 45 Colt. My own is a carbine (20" barrel) with the full octagon barrel. It holds 10 rounds. I also put the gen III speed linkage in it. It is a very good rifle.

210954

If you get over this way give me a shout, we'll have coffee, go shooting or both.........

[William Yanda]

When I saw your title, I thought; Wow, a source of reasonably priced, high quality lever guns.

[.45colt]

I had a Uberti sporting rifle with the 1/2 mag for about a year, 24" barrel. I mostly shot 200grn bullets with enough Hs6 to get 1300fps. It was a great shooter and a joy to look at but heavy. If I one day get another it will have a 20" barrel.

[Mr Peabody]

I'd look for one without the cresent buttplate. jmhi

[dverna]

I had two Uberti’s and still own one. I added the short stroke kits to be more competitive but they are not really needed for a fun gun. Both were accurate and very fast...10 shots on a CAS target in less than 6 seconds. I shot 38’s in the .357’s.

The only downside is they eject brass on top of your head. Not a problem if you wear a brimmed hat. Interesting if a well endowed woman shoots one without a hat and a becoming blouse.

[Warhawk]

I've been thinking about one of those Win/Miroku 73 trappers. One of the things i like most about them is that the front sight is actually correct - instead of those that have the sight integral to the barrel band.

A couple more pics for you

210996210997210998

[hp246]

I have both a 66 and a 73 by Uberti. Both are tricked up a bit for CAS. I like the 66 a bit better, as it doesn't have the lever safety like the 73 and I find it to be a bit smoother because of it. But both guns are very nice. My 73 has nicer wood than the 66. Do see any sense in going with the Japanese Winchester for a whole lot more money.

[jimb16]

I've got a 73 Uberti and I love it. .45 colt. Have the 73 Cattleman revolver in .45 colt to go with it. Good accuracy and dependable, but it is heavy. But then again, you don't feel much recoil with factory duplication loads.

[SpadeAce]

..............Appreciate, the responses to my question. A local shop has had 2 1873's and a 1876 on the wall for close to a year. Thought I'd suggest if they gave me a good deal I'd take one of the 73's off their hands.

..............Buckshot

I hope you already bagged it -- I've been shooting Cowboy Action since 2002; and you can't go wrong with the Uberti's. Lots of peeps out there making them replicas, and I say you can't barely make a bad one. As long as the barrel is straight, you can fix just about anything else on it. If it was me; I'd be looking for another one with a case-harded / marbly blue look. I've had yellow boys (brass), and they can't hold up to the punishment of thousands of rounds we put them through in competition. Mine is .357 caliber now (shooting .38/.357 is much more economical and easier on the shoulder too) simple blued, and wish it was case-hardened. I'd do that chimpanzee dance staring at it for sure!

Enjoy your '73!!

[SpadeAce]

Buckshot, get on over to WinterRange at Ben Avery in Phoenix, February 18 - 25. See those guns in action, and get real opinions. www.winterrange.com. Only 6 weeks away.

I'll see ya there, Marlin39a. I live about 20 mins away from Ben Avery; and if not shooting WinterRange; I almost always visit!

[Walks]

I shot a UBERTI '73 RIFLE in SASS from 1990-2015. In .44WCF. They didn't come out with the .45Colt chambering until about 1994. Bought a carbine in 1992 in .44WCF, both guns shot and ran FINE right out of the box. Bought an 1866 UBERTI Carbine in .45Colt in '95, it also shot and ran FINE right out of the box. But you have to watch O.A.L. Those 66/73 actions are designed for factory cartridge length. Doesn't matter where the crimp groove on the bullet might be.

All 3 guns running strong and true. 25,000rds through the '73 rifle, nothing but normal cleaning and annual teardown.

I wouldn't hesitate to by another UBERTI. The Japanese copies are well made, I've had a 1892 .44mag for 40yrs. It runs well too.

[OD#3]

Well, the only two entities producing 1873 replicas are Uberti and Miroku (the firearms manufacturer in Japan that makes these for Winchester). There are pro's and con's for both. You'll find the Miroku to be a superior product in terms of quality of manufacturing. I have examples of Winchester '66's and '73's from both concerns, and the Uberti rifles required a LOT more work to tune up and were more likely to have small flaws, burred internals, and left-over machine swarf inside. HOWEVER, the Uberti guns are more authentically constructed. Miroku re-engineered their toggle link rifles, and one can honestly say that these engineering changes included some improvements. But they did change the shape and contours of some of the internals, and purists don't like this. The Miroku lever throw is a bit shorter than a stock Uberti. It isn't much, but is shorter than an original Winchester as well, and that was enough to disqualify them for NCOWS. So if you plan on doing any cowboy action shooting with a Miroku, you'll have to stick to SASS.

Uberti offers much more variety than Miroku, and more calibers also. Miroku started out their '73 production with .38/357 only, followed by .44-40 the next year and eventually offering .45 Colt. They did the same with their '66, but they're long overdue for a .45 Colt in that rifle. I'm beginning to doubt that they'll ever include .45 Colt in their '66.

Prices are a little lower on Uberti rifles, but street prices are very close--close enough that the higher quality of Miroku construction more than accounts for that. Miroku rifles should cost more than they do, in my opinion.

Regardless, although it took a lot of work to tune up my Uberti rifles, now that I've gotten them tuned and slicked up to my satisfaction, I've actually begun to prefer them to my Miroku rifles a bit. My tune-up jobs turned out a little better on the Uberti rifles, which I attribute to their needing a more thorough job done to them. So much about them was rough that everything on them got some work, whereas I left a lot of stuff alone on my Miroku rifles. Consequently, the Uberti ones ended up a bit lighter and smoother to operate than my Miroku rifles, even though the Miroku rifles were much smoother out-of-the-box than my Uberti rifles. And I also prefer Uberti's more authentic construction.

Good luck on your decision. If you choose a Uberti '73, and you don't know how to slick it up yourself, set aside about $300 and send it off to one of the many outfits that specialize in tuning them. The end result will be a fantastic rifle!

[Michael J. Spangler]

A buddy and I both picked up Uberti 1873s. He got the 18” checkered straight grip and I got the 16”
You cannot beat these rifles for fit and finish. Flawless.

[Buckshot]

................As it turned out, the two M73's at the local Pawn Shop (AKA 'Gun Store) were both 38/357. A week or so passed so I drove over to Turners Outdoors and they also had a Uberti M73, but it was a carbine and also chambered 357, priced at $1099. Then drove to Bass Pro. Asked one of the counter guys about a Uberti M73, and he got that deer in the headlights look. Began typing into his computer. He was surprised that they could get one, but none of their stores sowed any in inventory, and none in their warehouse. He said if he ordered one he didn't have any idea when they'd get it. He said he would order one if I wanted to, and it would be $1179.

So I went back to the local Pawn shop, and asked they could order one for me (They're a stocking Uberti dealer). So the owner got on the computer did some figuring and then said that he could get one for me for $1079. With tax and DROS fee all in it'll be $1201. All I have to do now is patiently wait for their e-mail. They know to e-mail me and NOT call, as SWMBO might overhear. When I get it I'll have to post a couple photo's. Should fit in with the family.

http://www.fototime.com/95900A3C1D2F5E8/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/7848272124A4E8F/standard.jpg

Rossi 1892 x 45 Colt

http://www.fototime.com/745969169444B08/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/B655FB7E5A3EBD2/standard.jpg

Miroku 1892 x 45 Colt

http://www.fototime.com/1E3476AAA5405E2/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/5F7D681A0D25094/standard.jpg

Rossi 1892 x 357

http://www.fototime.com/47DD87E404FADAE/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/34A89A527939537/standard.jpg

Marlin 1893 x 38-55

...............Buckshot

[TXGunNut]

Looking forward to seeing your new rifle, there's something special about the 1873. Even though I mostly collect the original Winchesters the Miroku and Uberti versions always catch my eye.

[Ecramer]

I have the Uberti with the 30-inch barrel in .45 Colt that I use for Cowboy Action Shooting. I put on a Marbles tang sight. It is accurate to 100 yards, if I do my job. Obviously, the 1873 is not a magnum strength action and this is for low-range, cast bullet loads.