By going carbine you are saving weight, so the 73 would be pretty nice, but there's a reason the 92 is different, and why the 92 has been in production for so long. I think you will like the smoother 92 action better as well.
Howdy
The reason the '92 was in production so long is it was stronger than the '73, and less expensive to produce. Every modern '92 I have played with was stiffer out of the box than a '73. The Winchester Model 1873 is easier to smooth up and less prone to jams in rapid fire than the '92, that is why it is the most popular rifle in Cowboy Action Shooting. You seldom see a '92 in the winner's circle, almost always a 357 Mag/38 Special 1873 short rifle.
Forget Chiappa. Spotty quality and no spare parts available.
If you want a carbine length barrel, usually 20", you will notice that all the Rossi 92 carbines have the correct carbine butt stock profile. A less pronounced curve than the Crescent shaped curve on a rifle. The sharp points on the Crescent butt plate will dig into your shoulder with recoil unless you learn the correct way to mount a Crescent shaped butt plate. For a lighter rifle such as a carbine, the gentler curve will be less punishing if you mount it the modern way on the meaty part of your shoulder. Particularly if you are shooting Max loads of 357 Mag or 45 Colt. By the way, the way to tell a carbine from a rifle at a glance is not barrel length. Carbines have barrel bands holding the forend and magazine in place, rifles have the magazine supported by a dovetailed hanger at the front and the forend has a metal cap, there are no barrel bands. Rifle configuration lever guns came in many different barrel lengths, including short barrels. Rifles usually had that sharply curved Crescent shaped butt plate.
http://www.rossiusa.com/product-list.cfm?category=8
Same story with Uberti. For the most part they follow the old rule about butt stock shapes with rifles and carbines.
http://www.uberti.com/1873-rifle-and-carbine
Can't help you with the tang safety, if you don't want one on a '92, look for an original. But you ain't going to find an original '92 chambered for 357 Mag or 45 Colt, unless it was rechambered at some point.
By the way, the phrase The Gun That Won the West was a marketing slogan made up by Winchester about the Model 1873.
