Picked up my new yellowboy a couple of days ago (photos not the best, it was a bit sunny). It's marked as made in 2013, but the guy I bought it from never used it, he bought it and put it in his safe and that's where it stayed (still has the protective plastic covering the brass bits). It's a .38sp Sports Rifle version.
I'd already found a couple of excellent youtube vids on tweaking one, so I knew what to expect. As it comes from the factory the lever needs a bit of effort, using the shoulder and arm, to operate. I stripped it down completely (only thing left attached was the barrel!) and, as I expected, found a fair bit of black gunk inside, probably from the machining I suspect. I washed everything in petrol and started smoothing and polishing anything that looked like it might be rubbing. I thinned down the two springs that operate the lever and lifting block and for good measure put a small washer underneath each one. This alone made a heck of a difference to the operation. I thinned down the hammer spring a bit and also put a washer under that. There were a few other bits that I had to grind down and use the buffer on, all up I spent just under two days on it.
Now I can operate the lever with my fingers, not my shoulder!!! It feels beautiful and smooth and cycled some dummy rounds without a problem. I wouldn't mind fitting the coil spring replacement for the hammer spring, as that is where the remaining effort is required, but maybe later. One thing I won't be fitting is a short stroke kit, they just don't seem "right" to me.
The rifle itself is a thing of beauty! The finish is excellent, other than the forestock could do with thinning a little where the wood meets the metal (maybe later, if I decide to refinish the wood). The inside was a bit disappointing, and could have been cleaned up a bit I reckon before leaving the factory, but if you're prepared to spend a bit of time on it then it will be time well spent. Most folks who shoot Cowboy Action seem to go for the 1873, so that was enough of a reason for me to get the Brass One. Being used to shooting an 1892, this thing is noticeably heavier and makes some remarkable metallic clanking/clattering noises when it operates!
Forgot to mention that it came with the nice leather carrying bag.