Well, it’s official now:
http://www.winchesterguns.com/library/articles/detail.asp?id=459Click on the image for a high-resolution PDF version of the catalogue page. It appears that the 1873 short rifle will be part of the 2013 product line, in .38/.357. On the barrel of the rifle in the picture, it is stated that the gun was imported by the Browning Arms Company in Morgan, Utah.
Note the bizarre new arrangement of the firing pin, to make some sort of “firing pin striker block”. Also note the position of the trigger, which implies that there is also a rebounding hammer safety.
It is incredible to me how thick-headed the management of some American firearms companies are. All over the internet, one can see endless extremely negative opinions about these ill-conceived and utterly useless modifications of elegant and timeless firearms designs. With the added modifications, this 1873 is perhaps more of a “copy” of an original than the Uberti versions, the correct butt-stock shape notwithstanding.
For decades, most of Winchester’s lever-action rifles have been degraded by these unwanted safety modifications. There have been endless complaints about these features, and many shooters eliminate them—despite the fact that it is ridiculous to have to extensively gunsmith a brand new rifle to make it acceptable. The claim of liability concerns does not stand up to scrutiny. Countless replicas of Winchester lever action rifles, with no added safety features, have been imported for over forty years without incident. Perhaps more significantly, Winchester’s own 9422, which was made in the U.S. until the factory closing in 2006, never had safety modifications.
Now, Winchester finally bring their most famous rifle back to the market, and miss the opportunity to produce the exact replica of the original, in design and finish, that aficionados of classic firearms desire.
Perhaps by the time they get to the .44-40 calibre and 24-inch octagonal barrel (which should have been features of the first version released), they’ll have learnt their lesson. But I suspect that holding one’s breath would be unwise.