Have one on route in .357 mag. High grade wood with shotgun style stock, pistol grip, and checkering. Seems to be a hard critter to find and caught my eye when I stumbled across it. Is there or will there be collector value or should I just shoot her and enjoy? Thanks.
1873 Deluxe Sporting Shot Show Special
- Thread starter Mds694
- Start date
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
Nice rifle to have fer sure. No need to worry about collector value if ye take good care of 'er. Run mid-range power loads and shoot away. Full power factory .357 loads ain't nice to the toggle link action in the new 73's after so many firings. How many is hard to say as I never used them in the '73 I had.
Attachments
'73's are a bit picky on ammo length. I run 1.5" in my '66 because it won't fit 10 if they are any longer. Search Cowboy action forums for full explanation.
In my '73 I could use a bit longer. Anything longer than 1.55" and it will start to jam. Anything shorter than 1.45" and it will not elevate properly.
As above, I don't see the need to shoot full power.
I'd suggest a Cowboy loading in 38 Special with a flat nosed bullet. Not so much a primer issue as a ammo alignment issue in the tube.
Sorry, this is just a brief overview. PM me if you want details.
Nitro.
BTW, my '73 is a Miroku Winchester. The Uberti ones are a bit different.
In my '73 I could use a bit longer. Anything longer than 1.55" and it will start to jam. Anything shorter than 1.45" and it will not elevate properly.
As above, I don't see the need to shoot full power.
I'd suggest a Cowboy loading in 38 Special with a flat nosed bullet. Not so much a primer issue as a ammo alignment issue in the tube.
Sorry, this is just a brief overview. PM me if you want details.
Nitro.
BTW, my '73 is a Miroku Winchester. The Uberti ones are a bit different.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
I'd go with Cowboy Action loads from Sellier Bellot, Winchester and others for factory stuff. Numerous suppliers are in Canada for this ammo.
Good advice, so far. Also: Stay away from rounds featuring either semi-wadcutter, or wadcutter bullets. They do not feed well through the 73's action; tending to jam at the chamber mouth. This rifle design prefers: RNFP(round nosed flat point), bullets, or: TCFP(truncated cone flat point) profiled bullets. RNFP are the most commonly found. Especially with commercial 'Cowboy' loads.
Lots of information over at CasCity, sign up is best;
https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/
Winchester 1873
https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/board,109.0.html?PHPSESSID=6h9mpn9rtt4tbaahv3sl9mmeb6
https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/
Winchester 1873
https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/board,109.0.html?PHPSESSID=6h9mpn9rtt4tbaahv3sl9mmeb6
I'd like to add a picture of my ammunition. It basically shows what is mentioned. The overall length is 1.5", the crimp is aggressive enough so that the edge of the case mouth is flush with the surface of the bullet. The bullet weighs 147 grain, the sides are curved to aid feeding and the nose of the bullet is flat so that the cartridges stack straight(er) in the magazine tube.
For Cowboy Action the goal is to run the rifle as fast as you can and still hit the target. This can put a bit tighter tolerance on the ammunition requirements. Running normal, lots of factory ammunition works just fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjXjLfO56yo
Chuck Hawks tested a new Winchester '73 and this is what he said: "We tested the Winchester 1873 with factory loaded ammunition that we had on hand. This included Remington/UMC .38 Special with 130 grain FMC bullets, Remington/UMC .38 Special +P with 125 grain SJHP bullets, Remington/UMC .357 Mag. with 125 grain JSP bullets and Winchester Super-X .357 Mag. with 158 grain JHP bullets."
For Cowboy Action the goal is to run the rifle as fast as you can and still hit the target. This can put a bit tighter tolerance on the ammunition requirements. Running normal, lots of factory ammunition works just fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjXjLfO56yo
Chuck Hawks tested a new Winchester '73 and this is what he said: "We tested the Winchester 1873 with factory loaded ammunition that we had on hand. This included Remington/UMC .38 Special with 130 grain FMC bullets, Remington/UMC .38 Special +P with 125 grain SJHP bullets, Remington/UMC .357 Mag. with 125 grain JSP bullets and Winchester Super-X .357 Mag. with 158 grain JHP bullets."
Wow lots of info there, much more than I expected. Got some reading to do. Am also looking for an original to go along with it. Not a competitive shooter, just a guy who likes guns. Sounds like most important thing will be a round nosed bullet. Also have an eye on the 1892 Trapper Takedown model, wondering how many I can sneak by the wife before she demands another ring.
