Winchester Lever Action Rifle 1873 Engraved Rifle 38" Replica

I read the two unfavorable reviews on this replica rifle before making a purchase decision, and decided to order it anyway. The reason: I am doing a series of Old West cowboy-themed drawings, and I could not get the Winchester rifle to come out right from looking at photos. I needed an actual replica rifle. It didn't have to be a perfect replica, just something good enough to use as a model, and I didn't want to spend over $100 on a quality replica. (Maybe later.)My rifle is not very well constructed. Like the other reviewers, I found that the wood does not fit tightly into the metal sections; there are gaps. The moving parts are pretty loose, and they rattle. The sight won't stay put, keeps falling down flat. The small part that is supposed to keep the lever from moving (when you are not "firing") is so loose that the lever keeps falling out of place too.But the rifle has enough authentic-looking details, and a good enough overall appearence, that it's acceptable for my drawings; that's why I gave it three stars. It helps a lot to hold the rifle in firing position and see how the weight affects the human model's hands, arms and shoulder. So this replica is fine as an artist's prop. You could also use it if you want to dress up in a cowboy costume and have your photo taken.

This thing looks awesome and it feels real as well! However, I found it to be disappointing when it came to function and durability. The lever won't stay up in place unless held by hand or the use of the retainer tab. Lastly, the "ejector" cover on top of the "gun" does not operate well at all and needs to be put back in place each time you "cock" it. Not very realistic, right?

Product met our expectations. Shipping was reasonable and reasonably fast. Would recommend this products to others. This will be hanging over a western painting.

It can be best described as more of a toy for 10-yr olds for than a replica to be displayed. The lever is overly wobbly, the barrel and wood under were loose and detached, the whole rifle craftsmansnhip is perhaps 2 out of 10, at best. It's made of cheap and soft metal, the wooden parts have grooves from careless sanding. For those intending to use it as a decoration or wall display, you'd be much better off buying more realistic winchester replicas from Denix of Spain or Kimar of Italy.

...with a little work it can be made "okay". I purchased one of these on the leading auction site for use in a costume. It was about $10.00 cheaper than here and with free shipping a total of nearly $20.00 less. The quality is almost comically low, but if you absolutely must have a full size replica of this gun and only have $40.00 or so to spend then this can be a starting point (please look around, paying more than $ 50.00 total, for this item would be a waste). Mine actually had a fair sized chip in the butt stock and the lever was loose due to the pivot screw having fallen out. The fit is poor, with many of the parts being a bit loose giving that whole thing a wobbly feel. The stain finish of the wood is poor. If you are handy you can correct much of that. What I did: installed the lever pivot screw (it was in the box), glued the piece chipped out of the butt stock back in place. To improve the balky "cocking action" I removed the side plates from the receiver area and lubricated all the moving parts with petroleum jelly. I reinstalled the side plates using super glue on the screws threads as thread locker. I tightened all other screws (use care not to strip them). I carefully applied super glue to where the wood parts touch the silvery metal. When this all dried, the rifle had a tighter feel. Later I may see if I can install some sort of spacer at the lever pivot point as it is very sloppy as is. If the poor finish of the wood really bothers you I guess you could remove them, sand, re-stain,and varnish them. I would use care as the wood seems to be both soft and brittle. I know the sounds like a lot of work but if an "okay" replica of this gun is what you want and you don't have the additional $75.00 to $100.00 buy something better, then it is a fair option.

This rifle looks pretty good in all the (same) ad pictures I've seen from various sources, Ebay, Amazon, search engines, etc. I was looking for a western display rifle at a decent price, and didn't want to shell out $180 for a Denix type replica. This seemed like a reasonable alternative...The good: The rifle is a good weight and size, and is all metal and wood construction.The bad: The pieces are ill fitting, stock to receiver, forestock to barrel, lever to receiver, just about everything rattles and/or has gaps. The finish on the wood is uneven (on mine, the buttstock has a big light splotch on the side of the buttstock), and bare wood is visible (no finish at all) where the wood is not snug to the metal.Overall: For under $50, this not a bad deal. With a little work on your own, this could be a really nice display. I got a suede buttstock cover from a shooting store, and it covers most of the finish blemish there. Not hardy enough for kid or outdoor play. Like I said, for the price, it is what it is...