I own a very nice 73, 44-40, made in the early 1880's as well as a modern Uberti 73 in 45 Colt. I bought the later rifle because I heard to many horror stories of racing the old original 73's beyond their intended pressures. For me the best load for the original Winchester is a full load of PB pushing a 200 grain lead bullet. This load has put a lot of venison in the freezer. The Uberti I do shoot smokeless, but still I do not race this rifle due to the weak toggle design. For the hotter 44-40 I shoot my original 1892 and smile every time I pull the trigger.
