Make: Uberti of Italy, imported by Stoeger

Model: 1873 Special Short Rifle

Serial Number: W49940

Year of Manufacture: 2013 (CL date code)

Caliber: .357 Magnum

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Side Loading Gate fed by Full Length Tubular Magazine

Barrel Length: 20” Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to the barrel above the muzzle. The rear sight is a square notch buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the top rear of the barrel.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with a nose cap, semi-pistol grip, straight comb, and curved metal buttplate. The wood shows a few light nicks and dings, as well as some minor handling and storage marks. The checkering is sharp. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stocks are in Excellent overall condition.

Type of Finish: Blue and Case Color

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is some stubborn fouling in the grooves but no erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates a 9 or 10 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 99% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish shows no notable wear or damage, just a few light handling marks. The screw heads are sharp. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None. 

Our Assessment:The famous Winchester Model 1873 lever action repeating rifle, known as "the gun that won the West", had its beginnings in the Volcanic Firearms Company and the later designs by Benjamin Tyler Henry.The Model 1873 had a steel frame that was much stronger than the brass framed Model 1866, allowing Winchester to move away from .44 rimfire and develop the powerful new .44-40 WCF cartridge, as well as a family of other new potent rounds, with Colt usually producing Single Action Army revolvers in the same calibers shortly after they were developed. The Model 1873 has an almost mythical status among firearms collectors, Old West enthusiasts, and fans of the Western film genre, even inspiring the 1950 movie "Winchester '73" starring Jimmy Stewart. Uberti of Italy has been famous for high quality, fully functional replicas of historic firearms since the company was founded by Aldo Uberti in 1959. This Uberti Model 1873 Special Short Rifle was made in 2013 and is in Excellent condition. It’s chambered in .357 Magnum, and features a 20” octagonal barrel, 99% of its crisp, original blued and case color finish, with stunning iridescent case color on the receiver, hammer, and lever, and lustrous bluing on the remainder, gorgeous two-piece checkered walnut stocks, strong mechanics, and a mostly bright bore with sharp rifling. This is a beautiful example of the Uberti Stoeger Model 1873 Special Short Rifle.