The New Model 1873 Short Rifle from Winchester Repeating Arms

The new Model 73 Short Rifle from Winchester Repeating Arms.
Photo Credit: www.winchesterguns.com

I just picked up my Winchester 73 reproduction of a Winchester 73! Basically, it’s part of Winchester’s long-term plan to offer some of their classic models back into the market. The 73 is made by Miroku in Japan, which has a reputation for building world-class firearms. I think the Browning 92s in .357 and .44 Magnum, clones of the Winchester 92s, are some of the finest lever guns ever made.

Here is a YouTube video by Grizzly Dave filming Michael “Wolf” Bane shooting the ’73:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROYmNV47As

Some quick first impressions….The wood-to-metal fit is every bit as good as the fit on my pre-’64 Model 94, which is pretty impressive. One thing to immediately notice is that in spite of the fact that I love the color case hardening finish on the Uberti receivers, the Winchester 73 carries the same, deep blue-black finish as my pre-’64 30-30, which I believe is indeed the standard all lever guns are compared against.

Here’s the 73 on top, my pre-’64 Winchester 94 on the bottom.

The wood is very nice, and I like the matt finish better than the shiny finish of both my pre-’64 and my Ubertis. Definitely a step up from even my older Marlins. The trigger’s not bad… not as good as a tuned Uberti, but QUANTUMS better than an out-of-the-box Italian gun. Ditto on lever motion… it’s a little stiff, but not even in the same universe as the last Italian ’73 I purchased… I needed an Iron Man suit to run that lever!

Here’s the Winchester 73 on top, my match Uberti ’73 on the bottom.

Here’s the wood comparison between the 73 (on top) and the pre-’64 94 30-30.

Here’s the wood comparison between the 73 (on top) and my match Uberti.

Finally, for all you cowboy action shooters out there, here’s the picture you really want to see, the comparison of the stroke on the Winchester 73 to my short-stroked Uberti 73:

Fore more information on the Winchester ’73 Short Rifle, visit www.winchesterguns.com.