My son found a replica Winchester 1873 SRC at the gun show this weekend and convinced me to buy it for $50 so he could hang it on the wall in his room. We have younger kids in the house, so a "real" firearm out on display is a no-no. The replica is made out of wood and steel, the lever, hammer, and trigger actually work just like the real one. Even the loading gate works. There's a small extractor on the fake bolt that makes me wonder if it originally came with fake bullets that actually cycled through the rifle.
The fun began after we bought it and he carried it around the rest of the day at the show. I let him walk a few steps in front of me and I had a blast watching people look at him and what he was carrying. Many people stopped us to ask if we would be willing to sell it, or how much we wanted for it. I thought about telling them I found it in Gramp's closet and asking how much they'd give me for it, but then I decided someone else may not find that funny.
Here's a picture of the phony 1873:
Here's a picture of the real one:
Blah, to those that coudn't take the joke. Besides, all you had to do was keep saying, "NO" to all offers! It does look real.
Art