The Winchester Model 1873 is billed as the gun that won the West, and rightfully so – there are few rifles that have had such a dramatic impact on the history of the United States. In 2013, Winchester reintroduced the Model 1873 into production for the first time since 1919, offering it in 357/38 special and now also in 44-40 Win and 45 Colt. In the October 2012 issue, we tested a Henry, Cimarron, and Chiappa in 357/38 Special, with the Henry Big Boy rifle winning, closely followed by the Cimarron. So with Winchesters re-entry available, we wanted to see if the new model 1873 would be the gun that won the Test.
To ensure a level playing field, we tested the Winchester with the same brands and lots of 38 Special and 357 Magnum ammunition we used for the other three rifles: a designated Cowboy Action load from Black Hills Ammunition, the 158-grain 38 Special CNL (Conical Nose Lead) DCB38N1; some bulk-priced ammunition from Brownells, Winchester USAs 130-grain Q4171 Full Metal Jackets, and Winchester USA 110-grain WINQ4204 357 Magnum Jacketed Hollow Points. As in the earlier test, we shot accuracy from sandbags on a bench at 50 yards. Heres how the gun performed:
Winchester Model 1873 Short Rifle
#534200137 357 Magnum/38 Special, $1300
The dark bluing on the receiver and butt plate match the barrel and magazine tube, with an option for a case-hardened version for an extra $280. The Shot Show Special 1873 Sporter Case Hardened model is an extra $440 and has a 24-inch octagonal barrel. It was also limited to a production run of only 250. The first thing we noticed about our 1873 was the plain walnut furniture, almost identical to the furniture on the Chiappa, and we did not think it looked good on either. Upon closer inspection, we noticed the manufacturing stamp on the barrel; one side is labeled Winchester while the other says Miroku, made in Japan, so this proud piece of American history is now imported from a distant shore.
The overall look and feel was that of the original frontier gun, simple, plain, and purely functional. We have to admit we preferred the fancier look of the Henry and the Cimarron to the Winchester. Testing using the same ammunition types as before, the chronograph data for the 1873 was on par with the other two 20-inch rifles. Accuracy was comparable as well, with the Winchester outshooting the Henry at 50 yards 3.1 inches to 3.3 inches with the Winchester 357 Magnums, 2.3 inches to 3.4 inches with the Black Hills 38 Specials, and tieing at 2.9 inches with the Winchester USA 38 Special 130-grain FMJ rounds.
We did not care for the sharp curvature of the butt plate and had occasional issues with it slipping out off our shoulder while shooting from the sandbags. We had no issues with the action loading or ejecting rounds, but we would like to see a short stroke kit and a lightened trigger pull as an option. The loading gate caught our finger a couple of times, and it would need to be adjusted or filed down to reduce this issue. Overall, we thought the Winchester 1873 was a nice replica of the original. It functioned well and for a simple target or small-game rifle, it would work fine out of the box. Our biggest problem with this Model 1873 was the price tag. At an MSRP of $1300, it is $400 more than the Henry that won the original test and even up there with the Cimarron that had already been tuned with a short-stroke kit and trigger package that made it SASS-ready out of the box.
To see if our assessment lined up with the opinion of a serious Cowboy Action shooter, we handed the rifle to Oklahoma Dee of the Plum Creek Cowboy Shooting Society, asking him to compare the new Winchester and to the Uberti that he uses in competition. In his review, he found the rifle to be accurate shooting steel plates from 15 to 80 yards and had no problems swinging the Winchester right to left or left to right. He would be interested in this 1873 as a competition rifle only if the butt stock was cut flat and a leather cover added, a larger front sight-bead installed and the rear sight wings were filed down, the loading gate was filed down, a short-stroke kit was installed, and the brass carrier skeletonized. And those were his list of basic modifications.
Our Team Said
We feel that the Winchester 1873 model is a good rifle, but it is priced considerably too high, considering the Cimarron competition rifle is the same price and the Uberti competition 1873 is only $200 more. We wouldnt dissuade anyone from purchasing one, but we would remind them of the other options available because there are equivalent, yet cheaper, options or tuned rifles that are the same price. To put it in the perspective of the previous test, the Winchester looks like the Chiappa, shoots like the Henry, and costs as much as the Cimarron.
Written by Austin Miller,photographed by Gun Tests staff.
