HOLD THE PHONE ..
.. er TELEGRAPH .......
PLUS ONE to PETTIFOGGER !! (Why am I always agreeing wid Pettifogger??) and to C. Fendley
There is a large following of aficanadsoes whom are just disgustingly CHAMPIONS of the Miroku Winchester '73/66. Calling them nearly perfect (GAG). NICE .. yes. Well finished .. you betcha .. a close copy of the One, The Only, the Greatest Winchester!! Ah, well, NO WAY.
Miroku Winchester:
Externally, from 6 feet, really close. Well finished. Internally .... not so fast pardner. Internally, Miroku copied ... TA DA .... Uberti. Separate Firing Pin with return spring, Firing Pin Extension Rod ... Uberti. Safety crap in the extension rod ... an underutilized engineer needed something to do. Pet Peeve: It's not a Winchester. Winchester doesn't make guns. It's a Miroku.
Uberti:
Externally, from 3 feet, really really close. Well finished. That ugly Uberti reddish stain/filler is actually pretty close to original, like it or not. Internally, Uberti re-engineered the ignition system. Probably to make manufacture cheaper/easier. The separate Firing Pin with return spring and Firing Pin Extension Rod works. Nobody ever calls it anything other than a Uberti. So There.
Biggest Bang for YOUR buck:
Flip a coin. Biggest bang is by giving either of them a first class action job. Re-work ALL the springs, some judicious rubbin-n-buffin and you will need a lever wrap. It will run so light you WILL hurt your fingers running then fast. And they WILL run FAST. There are considerable more speed parts available for Uberti. Miroku not so much. Miroku is very difficult to set up for Short Stroke.
By the way ........ The closest reproduction of the Original Winchester was the Chaparral. Very close indeed. Very poorly made with KRAP for quality control. Manufactured in the Armi San Marco plant. A real shame. Such Promises