original or replica ????

[DarryH]

I want / need a 38-40 rifle.
I am leaning towards a 73, as I own 2 92's in another caliber.
I don't own a 73.

New replicas are $1050 and higher.
Originals good enough for shooting start at that price,
and I can find a pretty good one for $1300-$1600.

This will be a fun gun, and really won't get shot a lot.
I will NOT be doing cowboy action shooting with it.

I hesitate to buy a replica.
I have a Winchester/Miroku 92, which is a nice gun, but
it still does not feel or handle quite like an original.

For those who prefer Marlins, I would consider an original.

My latest purchase was a Winchester 94 Centennial in 30-30.
It does not have that slick feel and sound or a used, pre-64
model 94.

I am wrestling pretty hard with my choices right now.
Who prefers originals, who prefer replicas, and why ????

Thanks
Good Shootin!!
DarryH
Nebraska

[Marc]

My most fun gun is an original 73 in 44WCF. It is very accurate and I shoot it more than any other rifle. I am also shooting silhouette with the rifle. I don't think I would enjoy it one tenth as much if it was a replica.

[perry owens]

Get an original if you can afford it. When you're not shooting it you can hug it and speculate about the craftsman who made it, the people who have owned it and where it's been. Plus you can tell the wife you are making an investment. My "pension plan" is now up to 17 originals of various types.

I use my 1890 vintage 1873 in 38-40 for CAS all the time. It's far from collector grade and it's doing what it was made for-cranking out black powder rounds as fast as it can go. If something breaks I will find or make a new part. That's what they did in the old days and it's no different now. Because the barrel is pitted I use Big Lube bullets over 777 powder as that combination seems to maintain accuracy best.
I have nothing against replicas because I recognise that if there were no replicas there would most likely be no CAS. I have a Uberti 1873 SRC as a CAS backup gun but I hardly ever shoot it.

Perry Owens

[rangerider7]

ALWAYS get the real thing when possible and that pertains to anything. IMHO

[pokey]

ALWAYS get the real thing when possible and that pertains to anything. IMHO

+1

buy american.

[Buck Elliott]

When possible, follow John Taffin's admonition... BUY BOTH...

You can hug, caress & fondle the originals all you want, and SHOOT the replicas all you want, without doing any damage to a valuable collector piece.

The Uberti replicas are almost scary accurate, and will last you the rest of your life, with normal care.

My '73 in .45 Colt is a real keeper. Every time I take it out to the wild country, I gain further appreciation for it.

[hocbj23]

I have an original 1873 in .38-40,and while many people say it is the nicest original '73 they have ever seen, I wouldnt think of NOT shooting it.I realize it is a piece of history,but when I pass it on to my son/grandson,I want them to know that lots of people have shot this old gun including Grandpap Ben.Then I become part of the guns history as well.bj

[Buck Elliott]

Didn't mean to say the originals shouldn't get shot. They should -- and often -- but the replicas take some of the worry out of being close...

There are people out there who could bugger up a tent peg...

[kimwcook]

Funny this post sounds familiar. I guess there's two of us looking for a '73 in 38 WCF.

[.45colt]

I sold My Uberti '73 last winter. it was so darn pretty I couldn't bear to beat it up.so I got my $$$$ back while it looked like new. I hope to buy another one, hopefully used one so I won't be afraid to break it in. That rifle was just flat gorgeous to look at.And shoot.
I have followed both threads and Yes it will prolly be a 38WCF.

[barbarossa]

Yes who could afford to shoot an original 1 of 1000 thenext best thing is my Uberti copy

[claybob86]

[quote="barbarossa"]Yes who could afford to shoot an original 1 of 1000 thenext best thing is my Uberti copy

That's a beautiful rifle! Can we see the other side too?

[DarryH]

Wow....nice lookin shootin iron !!!!!
But..have you shot it yet ???

I have a hard time firing the first shot out of
some of my new guns. I had a whole set of S&W N frames,
all pre-1980, all unfired in presentation boxes.
I ended up selling the collection for guns I could enjoy shooting without fretting over how much value I was losing by just shooting them once.
My new Winchester 94 Centennial model went to the range in 4 days, and a box of ammo is already down the bore.
Now, if I could just get that first nick or scratch over with!!!!!!!!

Good Shootin!!
DarryH

[barbarossa]

Yup shes been shot and I m planning on taking her out to hunt deer this season as well.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I have an original Marlin Model 1894, chambered for 44-40, made in 1895, that I bought as a lark back around 1975. I didn't even know what 44-40 was at the time. It is pretty banged up on the outside, there is no blue left, just a little bit of varnish on the wood, and the bore is old and pitted. But the rifling is still strong and the gun is still accurate. I took the old Marlin to my first CAS match about ten years ago. It caused quite a stir.

I ran into a nice old Winchester Model 1892 a couple of years into my CAS shooting adventures. This one is also chambered for 44-40. It was made in 1894. It had been completely refinished, and was beautiful to look at, and this brought the price down so it was quite affordable. This gun also has a pitted bore, but it is also quite accurate and I used it as my main match levergun in CAS for a couple of years.

When the Black Powder bug bit me, I had read that a shiny new bore is better for Black Powder than an old pitted bore. All those thousands of tiny pits make nice places for the fouling to hide and require a bit more elbow grease to clean the bore. So I found a nice used Uberti 1873 that was practically new, and it became my main match Black Powder lever gun for a bunch of years. 44-40 of course, since I was already very familiar with the cartridge.

Finally, a couple of years ago I decided to buy a 1860 Henry for my CAS shooting. I wanted to be a bit different than all the '73s you see at a match. Seeing as the originals are a little bit pricy, and 44 Henry Rimfire ammo is not available anymore, I bought an Uberti. Steel case hardened frame. Yeah, I know, most of them were brass, but this one was on special at Dixie Gunworks at the time and I really liked it. 44-40 of course. It has never had a round of Smokeless down it since I bought it.

So I have no problem with either originals or replicas. If I could afford them, I would buy either, and I would shoot them too. These days the Henry goes to all my CAS matches with me.