Uberti 73 vs Winchester 92 (current)

K

kcub

New member
Looking for a 357 lever 20" and it may come down to these 2. Thoughts?

I know about Rossi, Henry, and Marlin. They might be in the running though likely not.

I'd like to find a nice used Browning B92 but most are 44s.

Use will primarily be informal shooting at cans and targets and such.
 
As I am also considering a .357 lever gun may I ask why you are ruling out the other makes? At the moment, I'm leaning more towards the Henry steel, but I'm open!
 
The 92 will be a stronger gun in that caliber if you either shoot a lot or use stiffer loads. Or both.
Denis
 
kcub , thanks for starting is thread . I have been trying to figure that out myself .

I know the 92 is stronger , but I really like the 73 , so I am leaning toward Uberti .
 
Henry's are great. I just got one in 44 mag, I may get something different, but maybe a steel Henry this time.

I know Uberti's are great, smooth. I have a 44-40.
 
I have a 20" Uberti (Taylors) 357 rifle. It is a quality piece. It has only shot cast bullets, I haven't fired a single jacketed bullet through it. I am impressed with the accuracy, smooth action, balance, and fit and finish of the rifle.

I have not noticed any frame cracking or other adverse reactions to 357 magnum loadings, but it is in the back of my mind, and I inspect it closely when cleaning after each outing.

As it came in the box the trigger pull was quite stout. I bought a hammer spring from an online vendor which rectified that issue.

It is a very pretty rifle. I enjoy looking at it nearly as much as I do shooting it.

I am very pleased with it, and if your experience is anything like mine, you will be too.
 
When I say "lots of use" I mean lots of casual 357 mag shooting, not full diet cowboy action amount of shooting.
 
The toggle design is inherently weaker than the 92.
Obviously Uberti feels modern steel can handle the pressures or they would not have done their 73 in the .357 caliber.

How long & how much is always an issue.
I would not expect the 73 to hold up as long with regular use of full-bore .357 Mag ammunition as the 92.

Denis
 
How long & how much is always an issue.
I would not expect the 73 to hold up as long with regular use of full-bore .357 Mag ammunition as the 92.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't either but what do I know. :D

 
What about round nose lead 38 special in the Henry big boy steel? Ok for tube, any leading concerns?
 
There's a concern for any round-nosed lead bullet to create a primer detonation in a round ahead of it under recoil, if that's what you're referring to.
Just make sure the nose is not small enough to reach inside the primer pocket sufficiently to set off a primer.

Otherwise, dunno what you're asking about leading.
Denis
 
I know the OP said he was primarily interested in informal shooting, but if he ever got interested in Cowboy Action Shooting, the Model 92 isn't permitted in the "Classic Cowboy" category. (One of my favorites) So I would lean toward the Model 73!
 
Does the longer barrel and higher velocity create lead deposits in the bore?

Thanks for all the replies.
 
Neat thing about the Uberti is the bore and groove diameter are a couple thousandths smaller than nominal 357 dimensions. It shoots cast bullets like a dream.

As I like to tell people, not all cast bullet lubes work especially well. The hard stuff that tends to be present in commercial offerings doesn't work especially well, in my experience. Simply changing over to a softer lube, in a suitable design lube groove, will allow the projectile to traverse even a 20" tube without issue.

Years ago I got into casting as a sort of economy measure. I don't know that it has saved any money, but boy I sure have enjoyed it, and never a speck of leading using an Emeritt's lube made at home. Even better, clean up is a breeze. Couple of wet patches, couple dry, voila! bore is clean and shiny.

Personally, I think that a steady diet of cast bullets seems to polish up the bore to a lustrous shine.
 
The current Winchester '92s and the current Winchester '73s are made by Miroku in Japan. They make good stuff.

Both have been altered a little from the originals, the '92 more so.

I have a Uberti '73 that I use in cowboy action shooting but I have been impressed with the Miroku '73s

I would buy a Winchester/Miroku '73. Swap out the heavy lever safety spring with an aftermarket spring. Probably all that it needs unless you shoot it in competition.
 
I nearly did but it didn't seem to be $500 better than the Henry and the 73 design worried me with 357. They didn't have a 92 as it turned out.
 
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