1873 win 38 WCF

[LGS]

For anyone interested. I saw a 1873 Win in 38 WCF. Appears to have a 26 " barrel. Condition about 75%. It appears to be complete even has the dust cover. The gun shop wants 1199.00. It's at , Gun World , Harrisville, PA. (724) 735-4490 I don't know a lot about these rifles but I thought I would pass this along if anyone is interested. I don't get to this shop often. I don't know how long it's been there.

[WARD O]

'73 in 38-40 is one of my favorites - got two already and enjoy shooting them. The 38-40 is not as popular as the 44-40 but from a collectors point of view it is much more scarce. For what we'd shoot in them these days it will do anything the 44-40 will do and save you a little lead as the same time.

Ward

[hydraulic]

Just bought one at the Sioux Falls show in February. I've wanted a '73 ever since 1950 when I saw Jimmie Stuart in "Winchester '73" I already had a .38-40 Colt Single Action, so that was the calibre I wanted. This one has an excellent barrel, brown, but lots of blue on the receiver and no cracks, splits or missing pieces of wood. I load 35 grs. of 2F with the Lyman 40173 and my homemade lube: beeswax, canola & crisco. I also have one of the old Ideal #4 loading tools that I use, and one of those Lee factory crimp dies. There is no other rifle in the world that comes up with your eye looking right down those sights. The only down side to this is that I'm getting pretty long in the tooth and it won't be long before St. Pete will be asking me why I needed a $2500 rifle when there's all those little kids around the world with no shoes. I suppose I'll get slapped around a little.

[boommer]

I have a 73 in 38-40 that my great grandfather took of a guy that was hunting turkeys on the farm and it's in tuff shape. I shot it about 30 years ago or more and bore so bad that 8" at 25 yards and key holing if I remember right. I think that it was manufactured in 75 or 76, heck the magazine tube is brazed to the barrel. I think one more payment and she's mine!!!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I've had one for a couple of decades and it is in good shape with an excellent bore. I handload for it using Lyman mold #40143 a 175-180 grain bullet. Crimping with it was a prob because that bullet was meant to be seated on a caseful of BP. Crimping behind the front band made the OAL too long to feed up thru the case carrier so I had to trim the cases back a little to get things to work right. With that arrangement it shoots accurately...well as accurately as one can do with a 38-40. Its a fun gun and a nostalgic piece of Americana. Its now worth a great deal more than I originally paid for it. It'll wind up a family heirloom I'm sure. LLS