if you're going to shoot it a lot, go with the 1873
reason- the forged iron or steel 1873, was way stronger than a cast brass 1866, which is why Winchester improved it and made the 1873 in the first place. also the cover over the action, and a stronger action
here's the "source" of that relevant information- make a wise purchase with your hard earned money- to read it easier, click on the magnifying glass with the "+" mark inside of it, and wait for it to magnify- click again until it just fills the page, not bigger
http://books.google.com/books?id=T-...zJzbDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
can't be a 38 spl. for availability
here's more info on the advantage of the 1873- no doubt I'll now be accused of trying to corner the market on rifles as well, and perhaps get banned for posting my basic knowledge of metallurgy- but such is life here I guess... if you see "banned" by my name after this, it's because I answered your question
http://www.precisiongunstocks.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d11.html&lmd=39917.641146
Model 1873 Repeating Rifle
"The gun that won the West"
The Winchester Model 1873 features many improvements over the Model 1866. It is a stronger action able to handle heavier cartidges. First produced in September of 1873, it was a very popular rifle - favored by Buffalo Bill Cody and many Texas Rangers - with a total manufacturing run of nearly 721,000. The last Model 73 left the Winchester factory in 1925.