Going Upscale Cowboy: The Navy/Winchester ‘73

by
posted on April 10, 2014
Blank-for-web.jpg

Wandering into my office yesterday was a friend of mine of the last quarter century, Val Forgett III. Even more important than Val’s presence was the rifle he had in his hands. It was the Navy Arms Winchester 1873. And it is a rifle that will reshape a great American brand. There hasn’t been a lot of news regarding guns bearing the Navy Arms name in some time, and there are reasons for that.

Navy Arms, founded in 1956 by Val’s father, Valmore Forgett Jr., was the pioneer of the replica firearm category. It was Val who sought out partners, first in Belgium and then in Italy, that resulted in the resurgence of cap-and-ball revolvers Colt and others were no longer interested in or capable of making in the 1960s. Then came the explosion of interest in “cowboy” single-action revolvers and lever-action rifles. You name it, if it was from the American Revolution, Civil War or the Old West, odds are Val made a replica available to shooters. Was it successful? Uberti in Italy has made far more Single Action Army revolvers than Colt. Navy Arms, almost overnight, also sold more Henry rifles than Benjamin Tyler Henry did. It was a good business for many years.

But the market changed, and Navy Arms’ main partner, Uberti, was obtained by Beretta Holdings. After Val Forgett Jr. died, there was a nasty family fight over the business. The end result is that Val III has had to climb back out of bankruptcy and rebuild what was once one of the biggest names in gun business from literally nothing beyond a name with a snappy logo and a pile of debt.

The Navy Arms Winchester Model 1873 is actually marked “Winchester” because it is, well, a Winchester. It’s complicated, though. The Winchester name belongs to Olin Corp, and Olin licenses it to Browning’s Winchester Repeating Arms Co. The 1873 is made for WRA by Miroku in Japan and is then shipped to the United States in the white. Navy Arms then has Doug Turnbull Restorations finish the receiver, lever, hammer, fore-end cap, buttplate, receiver cover and other major parts with real bone charcoal color-casehardening. This is not a chemical surface treatment-this is the real deal done like only Doug Turnbull’s craftsmen (alchemists, really) can do it. The barrel and magazine tube assembly is also blued by Turnbull.

The rifle is offered in 20” or 24 1/4” octagonal barrels in either .45 Colt or .357 Mag. (cowboy competitors are big fans of the soft-shooting .38 Spl.). The stock and fore-end are checkered “deluxe” American walnut, and sights are a brass bead front and a semi-buckhorn rear.

This is a seriously good-looking rifle. Its action is slick, too (I’m not sure exactly what the “Winchester short-Stroke Kit” is yet as I have not disassembled it), but I cannot wait until a shooting sample arrives. This is a rifle you will be seeing more of in the pages of American Rifleman.

Latest

heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees
heavy machine gun crew with DShK on tripod pointing in air above trees

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

New For 2025: EAA Girsan Witness2311 Brat, Match and MatchX

European American Armory Corp. (EAA) introduced an affordable variation of the double-stack 1911 design with their Girsan Witness2311 in 2023, continually adding additional chamberings and slide length options. New for 2025, the company is adding three new versions of the Witness2311 with the Match, MatchX and Brat models.

Review: Citadel Trakr

At less than 4 lbs., this repeating rifle is easy on the back while also being extraordinarily easy on the budget.

Freedom Munitions To Move Ammo Component Production To Idaho

Freedom Munitions has announced it will be consolidating its projectile component production from X-Treme Bullets out of Nevada into its Lewiston, Idaho, facilities.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.