Rootin Tootin Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Need your help here.............Been looking at the Winchester 73 on line but haven't held one yet. What has been your experience out of the box with these new guns??? Thinking of getting one to start my wife with but don't want to do a lot of work to loosen it up like you do with a Uberti..She's not into race actions but I want it to be smooth and fairly easy to cycle..I can tear down and debur and polish if it comes apart like a Uberti.... Your opinions are important...............Regards...........RT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Whiskers Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 A guy I shoot with has one. He said it was pretty darn smooth right out of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ T. Sites Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 i have a new winchester out of the box it was pretty smooth, but there are a few things you can do , first put a lot of rounds through it . On mine I put a small washer under the lifter and lever spring, very carefully bent the lever safety spring do not knick it as it will eventually brake there. I also thinned the main spring ( I wouldn't recommend doing this with out a spare). One thing to remember is that parts aren't available like a Uberti. They do have a shorter stroke than the Uberti and do disassemble basically the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ T. Sites Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 You can see in this pic they look basically the same how ever parts aren't interchangeable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Bill Burt Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I've handled several of the new Winchesters. Although they were decent out of the box, they were not comparable to a race ready Uberti (like my 4th Gen C&I Taylors). They're definitely stiffer and the lever throw is significantly longer. Many have said they're ready to go out of the box; I disagree. If you shoot with competitive Cowboys and your goal is to win matches you'll want a SS kit and some tuning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ T. Sites Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Here's a pic of the trigger assembly you can see how you will be able to adjust the level safety by slightly bending it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straight Arrow Hombre Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I've handled several of the new Winchesters. Although they were decent out of the box, they were not comparable to a race ready Uberti (like my 4th Gen C&I Taylors). They're definitely stiffer and the lever throw is significantly longer. Many have said they're ready to go out of the box; I disagree. If you shoot with competitive Cowboys and your goal is to win matches you'll want a SS kit and some tuning. Think of them as match ready and not race ready. While the stroke is longer than a 4th/5th gen, it is significantly shorter than a stock uberti. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oklahoma Dee Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I shot one, new out of the box. I was very impressed with the smooth full action, and accurate. I think it would be ideal for a starter rifle. A couple of suggestions, get a better front sight, flatten the rear sight and depending on the person(s) using it, cut the buttstock for easier and faster levering. Cheers, OkD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuce Stevens SASS#55996 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Honestly I think they are the best rifle going for the game for 90% of the new shooters looking to get into the game. I have one torn down on my bench right now doing some light tuning. It's the 4th one I've been inside of and they have all been great. Little sight work, minor spring tuning, some stoning combined with some trigger work add a lever wrap and you are off to the races. On the flip side just unboxed a brand new Uberti that going back to the distributor because the headspace is so tight I don't even want to bother with it, which is a crying shame considering what they cost. Are the Winchesters race ready? Depends on who is driving it. Probably not for most. But I would not hesitate to put one into a shooters hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ T. Sites Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Honestly I think they are the best rifle going for the game for 90% of the new shooters looking to get into the game. I have one torn down on my bench right now doing some light tuning. It's the 4th one I've been inside of and they have all been great. Little sight work, minor spring tuning, some stoning combined with some trigger work add a lever wrap and you are off to the races. On the flip side just unboxed a brand new Uberti that going back to the distributor because the headspace is so tight I don't even want to bother with it, which is a crying shame considering what they cost. Are the Winchesters race ready? Depends on who is driving it. Probably not for most. But I would not hesitate to put one into a shooters hands. Have you heard of any springs hitting the market yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamley Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 I just got mine from Boomstick last week. He worked his magic on it so it is not OOB, but it is very smooth and definately race ready now as far as the action. It is almost unbelievable how easy it is to lever. It is also lighter than my Uberti with the octagon barrel. Let me know if you have any questions and if you get out here to shoot with us, you are welcome to try it. They do need a bigger front sight, but out of the box they are smoother than Uberti. Hamley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tombstone Tex Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Your post says you want to start your wife with it, I have never handled a Uberti 73 that has been worked, but I did get a winchester 73. It is in 44-40 with a 24" octagonal barrel. Its the one that is said they will make only 250 or so of. It has only about 50 rounds through it since January, but I've gotta say, it is quite smooth. I took it with me to see one of the top shooters I shoot with on a regular basis because I didn't know what diameter bullets to get and he does his own. He handled it and was pretty impressed with it in terms with smoothness. I haven't done any work to it, and honestly, for my skill level, I probably wont any time soon. I plan on posting a write up on it here on the board from an amateur point of view one of these days. I need to load up some more rounds and get out to put it on paper before our season starts around here. As it is my first 1873, I really don't have much to compare it to, but I absolutely love it. I started with a Rossi 92 in 45 colt and have picked up my speed with that since I have started shooting, I'm excited to compare my times with this rifle as I assume I will definitely lose a few seconds on my time because being out on the range, I know I shoot the 73 much faster than the 92. I think it would be a great rifle for your wife to start with as it seems winchester is putting them out with consistent quality as you read from Deuce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy Cannuck Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Howdy, I started with a Puma 92, then went to a Uberti / Taylor & Co 66 and now I run a Winchester 73. The Win 73 is a great gun out of the box. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for your wife. I would agree that the front sight is very thin, I swapped mine. There are race parts you can get from Pioneer Gun works, I did and it did make a huge difference. Bottom line is that a Uberti out of the box will cost almost as much but it will not be as smooth, If you look at buying a race ready Uberti they start at a much higher price point. All the best! Frenchy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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