18" Octagonal vs. 19" round barrel- 1873 Winchester

[Mississippi Sam]

Howdy all!  I'm looking to get into Cowboy shooting and I'm weighing (quite literally) my options.

For a rifle, I want an 1873 Winchester clone.  I'm looking at either an 18" octagonal barrel or a 19" round barrel.  The good folks at Cimarron told me that there would be a 1-1.5 lb. difference between the two with the octagonal being heavier. 

In competition, how much difference would that 1-1.5 pounds make?

[Pettifogger]

Not much and most people like the muzzle weight.  On the 19" round barrel carbines the weight is more toward the rear.  Also, the carbine stock is shaped different and is effectively 1" longer than a crescent rifle stock.  If you have short arms it could make a difference.  Go to a match or store and handle each to see what you like.  You might have a difficult time finding an 18" octagon as most people go with the 20" border rifle.  Remember when you are measuring, the length is from the breech face to the muzzle and not from the front of the receiver to the muzzle.

[Abilene]

One reason you will see so many 20" octagon vs. 18" is that the 20" has been out for quite some time and has been the top choice of go-fast guys for a while.  The 18" hasn't been out for nearly as long.  Now, there is also 18 1/2" half-octagon (the brush popper) rifle.  Not as many of the top guys use the round-barreled carbines although there are a few.  The front sight on the carbine's barrel band is also not as easy (cheap) to change to a bead-type which most shooters like but there are options there as well.

So, yeah, try to go to a match and ask to handle some long guns.  You might not find all the varieties that you are considering but you should get a better idea than you currently have.

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[Fox Creek Kid]

FWIW, I had a buddy/gunsmith who had the 30" barrel '73 & he cut it down to 22" which is the "ne plus ultra" in barrel length!! PERFECT balance!!