150th Anniversary Editions For Winchester 1873

You know you've designed something properly when you get 150th anniversary editions for your rifle from two separate manufacturers! That's the case with the classic Winchester 1873 lever-action rifle this year. On its 150th anniversary, we see commemorative models from the company that brought us the rifle in the first place, as well as one of the most faithful and consistent replica manufacturers.

Winchester Model 1873 150th Anniversary

When Winchester introduced this model, it was the company's first centerfire rifle, chambered in .44-40. It was an evolution of the lever-action design that went to even before the Winchester 1866, which was built on Benjamin Tyler Henry's development of earlier lever-action concepts. The 1866 stayed in production alongside the 1873, but eventually faded away as the 1873 played out its initial 50-year production run.

Although the Model 1873 had a steel frame, it was still only chambered in pistol-calibre cartridges, and such it is with this modern-day Model 1873 made by the Miroku factory in Japan. This throwback is chambered in .44-40 and has an octagonal 24-inch barrel and curved buttplate, giving it a profile similar to the original rifle-length version of the rifle. However, those original Winchesters did not come with fancy-pants gold-enhanced receiver engraving or laser checkering.

The original Model 1873 also did not come with a $3,659.99 USD price tag. However, it's worth noting that is considerably less money than the 125th anniversary edition of the Mauser 98 that we told you about earlier this month...

Find more pix and details on the Winchester Model 1873 150th Anniversary at the company's website here.

Uberti 150th Anniversary 1873 Rifle

Italian manufacturer Uberti has been making faithful copies of the Model 1873 for many years, and that continues with this short-barrelled take on the design.

While the 20-inch octagonal barrel may not look a bit more modern than the initial 19th-century production run, it's certainly a lot more handy at the Cowboy Action Shooting range, and indeed, Uberti's marketing says "Please don’t be afraid to take these engraved rifles to the range or the field. That is what they were designed to do!"

Uberti's version of the rifle also comes with a case-coloured receiver, and is offered in either .45LC or .357 magnum. Asking price is $1,799 USD, which is a lot of money for a lever-action, but a lot less than the competition's MSRP...

For more details, see the rifle at Uberti's website here.