This looks really good to me.  What do you think?




38/357 chambering
20" barrel
Color case hardening

Heck, it's a Winchester, too.

Why haven't you bought it yet.

Pics of it on range day or GTFO.

Get it they are nice, I have one in 45 Colt 

While it looks great, it's actually a Japchester (a licensed version made in Japan) not a Winchester made in America.  They go for $1300 on the gun sale sites so they're about $100 more than the equivalent Wopchesters (Uberti's version made in Italy).  Can't say which is better but neither is made in America.  I've got 2 Ubertis, an 1866 Yellowboy 19" carbine and an 1873 24" Special Sporting rifle, both in 45 Colt, and they both are well made, smooth and fun to shoot.  I also have 2 Rossi 1892 leverguns; a 20" carbine and 24" rifle, both in 357mag.  After a simple action/trigger job I did using Steve Young's DvD and parts, both are also slick as snot.

I mention them because the model 1873's action isn't anywhere near as strong as the model 1892's as it was designed for a max 14,000psi black powder pressure.  That means that the 35,000psi pressure of a full bore 357mag cartridge is significantly higher than the action was designed for.  While the 1866 & 1873 actions are great for CASS and cowboy shooting where speed is important but the loads are very low power, they can't sustain a full diet of heavy 357mag level loads without stretching the receivers and/or overstressing the bolt and toggle link pins.

Either brand will be fine with 38spl level loads and an occasional 357mag, however, I shoot full power 357mag handloads exclusively in my Rossis as their action is strong enough to handle even 454 Casull level loads while I keep the Uberti's loads below a 14,000psi level to ensure safe operation.  As most commercial 357mag ammo is full power, if that is what the OP is planning on shooting most of the time, it's hard to recommend an 1866 or 1873 actioned levergun, whoever makes it.

I keep looking for a 357-chambered, round-barreled, similarly outfitted 1892 or 1883 Burgess but have not found one.  Someday, I will just order one.

Rossi makes a nice short rifle 1892 in 357mag, however, it's got an octagon barrel.

Miroku makes some superb rifles.

They are the "jap" in "japchester" and the sad fact is that they make better Winchesters than Winchester has since the whole USRAC thing happened.  In fact, they've made better Winchester lever actions than Winchester has since 1964.

They are also the folks who made the Winchester and Browning Model 52 B and 52C re-issue sporters in the late 1980s and I don't hear people complaining about the quality of those rifles either.  They were arguably the best production .22 LR sporters ever made.

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I agree with the comments on the 1873 action in general however.  It is a toggle link design and the head space tends to grown with a steady diet of .357 Magnum ammo.

The Model 1892 however is a smaller version of the Model 1886 and as such it is a very strong action that stands up well to the 65,000 psi .454 Casull.  

Winchester (Miroku) still makes Model 1892s but they are pricey.

Armi Sport - Chiappa makes a very authentic 1892 copy and it's sold under a number of brand names.  The details vary a bit by brand, but they all function very well, and the fit and finish is excellent.  They are slick and ready to tun our of the box and make great shooting rifles and carbines.

Rossi also makes a near copy of the Model 1892 as their Model 92.  They have more experience with the design and modern pistol cartridges than any other maker and after nearly 50 years they have a very fine tuned design.   The lines of the receiver vary a bit from the original and it incorporates a coil hammer spring rather than a flat spring, and has some other changes such as a firing pin safety (that can be removed and plugged if you prefer).

Rossi's have very nice exterior metal polish and finish once you get the preservative off, but you'll find some tool marks and general grit inside, so they benefit from some general clean up and polish.   Stevesgunz.com sells a DVD showing you how to slick up the action and sells a lighter ejector spring and a metal magazine follower.   The lighter ejector spring will give you the single biggest improvement in smoothness of the action and will stop it from ejecting the empty brass 6 ft over your head. But since you've got it apart to change the spring it's not much more effort to polish the cartridge lifter detents and the few other areas that benefit from some polish.

The stock finish wasn't bad in the past, degenerated to something akin to shoe polish for a few years and now is back on the upswing.  However, the base finish makes a great start for a tung oil or tru-oil finish. The first couple coats will dry slow when applied directly to the original finish as the two integrate the but rest dry down in the normal length of time.  The results are very nice.  


Price wise the Armi-Sport Model 1892 will run you around $900-$1000, while a Rossi will run about $500.

You can get the Rossi in blued, stainless or color case hardened finishes.  


Here are my 20 and 24 inch rifles after some Tru-oil on the wood - knocked back to a semi glass with 0000 steel wool.



This is my 20" Model 92 rifle with CCH finish:





 

Both rifles are in .357 magnum and with the Lyman 17AHB front sight, Marbles Tang Sight and a Merit #3 or #4 adjustable aperture are capable of 5 shot 2" groups at 100 yards with Federal's 158 gr JSP load (1810' per second in the 20"), or with hand loaded 125 gr Hornady XTP (2170 fps in there 20" , 2210 fps in the 24").


Here is my 24" Armi Sport Model 1892 Takedown:

I do want the round barrel due to the extra weight of the octagonal (the rifle is meant to be used by my wife).  The rifle might end up as a 16" barrel but, for now, I am still looking for a 20".  That, in part, is what limits my choices.

The low price of the Rossi may be unavoidable.

The Rossi in 357 flavor seems hard to find right now. The 20" round barrel was the easiest of the 357s to find. I have a 20" short rifle along with a few others. The 20" is my favorite gun to shoot and is more accurate then the  24" rifle. I also have a 44mag 16" carbine, I'd trade it in a heart beat for a 357 20" carbine.

As long as we're showing pictures . . . .

I got my NIB 24" Rossi rifle first in early 2009 as I had a wild hair to see if I could shoot a 158grn, 357mag rd with decent accuracy at 300yds.  We had a steel plate set up at 300yds, a 'hog' about 14" wide by 8" high at our range. Anyway, I slicked it up using Steve's kit and Dvd including adding the bolt safety plug.  It came out really well as now both the action and trigger are great.  I also added a Marbles tang rear and Lyman globe front with Lee Shaver inserts.  Zero JSP bullets over a full charge of H110, SR primers (same as SPM), and went to the range.  I can't believe how well a pistol bullet did at 300yds as after I got it dialed in, hitting the steel was a breeze.  I've got both a full power, 16.7grn charge that produces 1,822fps and then a 'hot', Elmer Keith level load that produces 1,977fps.   I've also tried it at 100yds at 4" steel, 150yds at 6" steel, and 200yds at 8" steel and with a 30" sight radius and target rear aperture the rifle is deadly.





As one is never enough, a few months later I picked up a NIB 20" carbine, also in 357mag, slicked it up too, and added Marbles semi buckhorn rear and 1/16" bead front sights to it as well.  It shoots fantastic as well. As you can see, I also added a saddle ring and some leather for the heck of it.  As to performance, using the same 2 loads as above, it produces slightly slower velocities, 1,789fps and 1,941fps respectively.  However, for those who want near 30-30 level performance, Buffalo Bore makes 357mag Heavy load ammo and they claim that their 158grn produces 2,153fps in an 18" Marlin levergun.



One note about Rossis, they don't have the most pretty of stocks or shinny finishes from the factory and mine were no different.  They look pretty good in the pictures above but that's because I cleaned them and then applied and rubbed in a couple of coats of WATCO Danish Oil, Medium Walnut, right over the Rossi finish and let them cure (they cure rather than dry) for a week.  From the factory the stocks were dull with no depth or color.



However, after just 2 light coats of WATCO, the difference is dramatic with color, depth, and richness that makes them look fantastic.



Both rifle and carbine have over 4K rds through each and they have been reliable and solid performers.  The 357mag in a light, compact Model '92 is just flat a blast to shoot.  No one who tried them doesn't end up with a smile on their face.  The recoil is very mild and they are just tons of fun to shoot.  Everyone should have at least one!

I even got a new Uberti SA Cav model 357mag pistol a month after the carbine to go with either out in the field.  I've loaded down some 158grn Unique powder loads for it and it's also a lot of fun to shoot.  I figure that out in the field, I've got things covered.

I like the look of a saddle ring as well and I added saddle ring equipped hammer screws to my Rossi 92 just because.

They also eliminate the need for a screw driver to remove the hammer screw:



I also have them on my 9422s, where the serve a very functional purpose, given the take down capability of that design.





I also have a color case hardened finished Winchester Model 94 Trapper in .45 Colt that came with a saddle ring.

Not to dis the earlier model Winchesters, I also have a Uberti 1873 24" Special Sporting rifle and a Uberti 1866 Yellowboy 19" carbine, both in 45 Colt.  Why 45 Colt vs 44-40?  I just wanted an excuse to get a Uberti SA Army in 45 Colt pistol to go with them.    Accepting that their toggle link action and small bolt designs were designed for lower pressures, I limit my loads to standard level, under 14,000psi so the 24" rifle doesn't have the long legs out at 300yds that the 357mag Rossis do.  I use 255grn bullets and 9.5grns of Unique powder to keep them at a standard pressure level.  I added a Lyman tang sight to my rifle and it works well out to 200yds.



Because of the non-magnum loads, they don't have the velocities a full power Ruger only 45 Colt rd in a rifle would produce but that's OK as neither is a hunting rifle for me.  1st, they are too pretty to go out in the woods and 2nd, they each weigh some 1-1.5 lbs more than their 357mag counterparts.  Besides, if I need something more powerful in a levergun for the woods, I always have my 1949 Savage 99 in 300 Savage or if that's not enough my 1959 Winchester 88 in .308.  I use these for fun; to shoot at reactive targets and just enjoy the feel of a bygone time. 

With the load I use, the carbine actually produces a bit higher velocities than the rifle as the charge just fades a bit in 24" barrels.  It actually works very well in the carbine.



The carbine came with a interesting flip rear sight that's set to use at 100, 200, 300, and 400yds just like the original.  Down it's good at 100yds.



Flip it up and the slot at the bottom of the oval is good for 200yds, the center of the oval is good for 300yds, and the notch at the top is good for 400yds.  Pretty slick setup.

I have a bunch of leverguns, Marlin, Rossi, Browning, Winchester and this one.  Its by far the nicest of the bunch.  

It's a Limited Edition 1873 Trapper 357.  CDNN has some similar rifles on closeout.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/firearms.html#manufacturer=WINCHESTER

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Can we re-title this thread to Lever Porn?  Dayum,  some nice looking rifles guys.

Please read CoC 1 carefully.  I'm not going to hunt down and edit every instance of Japchester, Wopchester, or other 'chesters.  Restart the thread if you want.