I'm in the market for a clone of the Winchester 73 in .45 Colt, and Uberti appears to be my only choice. I had a bad experience with a Uberti SA and am wondering if the rifles are of a better quality?
LD
LD
Thoughts on the Uberti clone of a Winchester 73
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I have a You Birdie 73, have had I several years. I use it in sass matches and have not had a problem with it. Just make sure the OAL of your load will fit in the carrier. Some SWC bullets are to long.
Traditionally, except for soft screws, the Uberti leverguns have been better & more consistent in quality & function than their revolvers.
It's my understanding the soft screws have been addressed, if not you can buy harder replacements from VTI.
The Uberti '73s are good guns.
Denis
It's my understanding the soft screws have been addressed, if not you can buy harder replacements from VTI.
The Uberti '73s are good guns.
Denis
They have all the strengths, and weaknesses, or the original Winchester design. The repro of the Winchester 92 is a much stronger action, it you're going to be shooting anything hotter than Cowboy Action ammunition.
I see now the Uberti 73 can be had in .357 and .44 magnum. Have read the action remains true to original. but i always thought the 73 action was pretty weak.
http://www.uberti.com/firearms/1873-rifle-and-carbine.php
342700
Carbine
.357 Mag
10+1
19"
Blue Steel Frame and Buttplate, Case-Hardened Lever
$1,169
341260
Carbine
.44 Mag
9+1
19"
Blue Steel Frame, Rubber Recoil Pad, Case-Hardened Lever
http://www.uberti.com/firearms/1873-rifle-and-carbine.php
342700
Carbine
.357 Mag
10+1
19"
Blue Steel Frame and Buttplate, Case-Hardened Lever
$1,169
341260
Carbine
.44 Mag
9+1
19"
Blue Steel Frame, Rubber Recoil Pad, Case-Hardened Lever
Crunchy Frog
Member
You might find some Chaparral brand reproductions out there but I would avoid them.
The Uberti '73s and '66s are much sought after by cowboy action shooters. I'm sure they have the occasional lemon but mine has been great. I know dozens of people who have them; they shoot the doghair out of them.
If something happened to my Uberti '73 I'd buy another to replace it.
The Uberti '73s and '66s are much sought after by cowboy action shooters. I'm sure they have the occasional lemon but mine has been great. I know dozens of people who have them; they shoot the doghair out of them.
If something happened to my Uberti '73 I'd buy another to replace it.
VA27
Member
I got one of the Chaparral guns. The rear sight was a little wonky and I had to shim the hammer spring to get reliable ignition, but at half the cost of the Uberti, I can live with it.
The toggle action is RELATIVELY weak.
While I wouldn't shoot full-bore magnum loads in either .357 or .44 in a 73, presumably the factory has done whatever was necessary to safely shoot, at least for a while, in those calibers.
I'd expect premature wear, not necessarily a safety issue.
Denis
While I wouldn't shoot full-bore magnum loads in either .357 or .44 in a 73, presumably the factory has done whatever was necessary to safely shoot, at least for a while, in those calibers.
I'd expect premature wear, not necessarily a safety issue.
Denis
Idly curious Denis. I would have thought that if the Uberti 73's or similar in 357 Magnum were a problem we would have heard about the failure by now. I am starting to conclude that maybe they are a lot more tough then we give them credit for.
I have a Uberti (Cimarron) 1860 Henry that I baby and shoot very mild loads in it. I wonder why the 73 could be rated for 357 magnum, yet my 44/40 Henry needs to be babied so much?
I know the perception on the 1860 forum is hot loads are just asking for trouble with toggle link compression or frame stretch, but given that I have an Iron frame (steel) 1860 I don't see that it is so.
So my question is do you really think the 73 is under-rated for the 357 magnum with hot loads or are you taking a prudent approach because of the toggle link action in general?
I have thought about a 73 357 mag several times and even handled a few but I keep reading about the 73's in 357 mag may be too weak so I keep erring toward a 92 clone instead.
I have a Uberti (Cimarron) 1860 Henry that I baby and shoot very mild loads in it. I wonder why the 73 could be rated for 357 magnum, yet my 44/40 Henry needs to be babied so much?
I know the perception on the 1860 forum is hot loads are just asking for trouble with toggle link compression or frame stretch, but given that I have an Iron frame (steel) 1860 I don't see that it is so.
So my question is do you really think the 73 is under-rated for the 357 magnum with hot loads or are you taking a prudent approach because of the toggle link action in general?
I have thought about a 73 357 mag several times and even handled a few but I keep reading about the 73's in 357 mag may be too weak so I keep erring toward a 92 clone instead.
I shoot some pretty stout loads out of my Uberti 73 in 45 Colt,and have done so for many years.I haven't broke anything yet,it's been a damn good rifle.
Strong compared to a rubber band, but not much stronger.
The toggle action is mechanically unstable and carries load through pins. Also, the load is carried through a long toggle to the rear of the action. All of which stretch on a per inch basis.
I am amazed they are chambering the things in 44 Mag.
Here are a two photos of my Uberti '73 that I've had since the Fall of 1996. It's chambered in .44WCF.
While this rifle has had a few boxes of the Winchester cowboy loads, 90 to 95 percent of the rounds fired through it have consisted of a compressed charge of GOEX 3f behind a 200 gr lead RNFP. There are no signs of excessive wear.
Vernon
While this rifle has had a few boxes of the Winchester cowboy loads, 90 to 95 percent of the rounds fired through it have consisted of a compressed charge of GOEX 3f behind a 200 gr lead RNFP. There are no signs of excessive wear.
Vernon
While I wouldn't quite compare the 73 action to a rubber band, I'd tend to agree with the rest of Slamfire's assessment.
I personally wouldn't fire full-bore magnums in either caliber through a 73, but that's (again) more of a wear issue & caution relative to such than concern about breaking anything or blowing it up.
Yes, a steel frame helps resist frame stretching, but the toggle action simply isn't set up to be as strong a design as a Marlin, new Henry, or Winchester 92.
I like the 73, with load equivalents it was designed around.
You CAN shoot full-bore .357s through a Colt Peacemaker too, obviously, but it'll catch up with you sooner than later if you do it in volume.
And BP pressures create a slightly different back thrust than smokeless, there is a difference.
Denis
I personally wouldn't fire full-bore magnums in either caliber through a 73, but that's (again) more of a wear issue & caution relative to such than concern about breaking anything or blowing it up.
Yes, a steel frame helps resist frame stretching, but the toggle action simply isn't set up to be as strong a design as a Marlin, new Henry, or Winchester 92.
I like the 73, with load equivalents it was designed around.
You CAN shoot full-bore .357s through a Colt Peacemaker too, obviously, but it'll catch up with you sooner than later if you do it in volume.
And BP pressures create a slightly different back thrust than smokeless, there is a difference.
Denis
I'm a SASS member (Life Member) from way back. My first Cowboy Battery was a Uberti Schofield, a Uberti Cattleman, a Uberti 1866, and Colt Custom Shop black powder frame Single Action Army, and a Rossi M92 carbine (all in 44-40).
.
Since then, I've added at last a dozen Uberti arms to my battery and never had a problem with any except for one: a Henry rifle in 45 Colt. The 45 Colt rim is about half the size of the 44-40 and extraction problems occur when I'm trying to cycle the action rapidly. OTOH: my 45 Colt 1873 Uberti has performed flawlessly for close to 20 years now.
Frankly, in hindsight, I wish I'd bought both of those rifles in 44-40 just because of the 44-40s history... but 45 was all the dealer had (or could get) at the time.
The toggle action in the Henry, 66s, 73s is indeed nowhere near as strong as in later rifles, but it's smooth as butter, and works like a charm... with reasonable loads. It worked wonders back in the day and IMO its still viable today, even if it is antiquated.
I never heard of soft screws in Uberti handguns (other manufacturers to be sure but never Uberti) and I've been pretty involved with Uberti guns for a long time.
The biggest complaint I ever heard about them was that the tolerances on their first Schofield models were so tight that the number of black powder rounds you could fire through them before they bound up from lack of cleaning wouldn't get you through a SASS match. I read this in a 1995? Shooting Times magazine and the author was Mike Venturino (aka Iron Duke). Regardless, Mr Venturino allowed as how that problem had been resolved by Uberti before he had completed writing the article.
My first Schofield was a Uberti 44-40 with a 3 digit serial number. It IS close tolerance, but will shoot BP throughout a match.
I also have a brace of 45 Colt Uberti Schofields which became my main match guns for years. Once or twice (out of God alone knows how many unloading cycles) the extraction/ejection star on one of the 45s would slip "around" the extra small 45 rims and that takes about 15-20 seconds to remedy - critical if you're unloading and reloading on the clock - but again, the problem is in the design go the 45 Colt round (which is why there were NO rifles designed for the 45 Colt until the 1990s ... 19, not 1890s. The 45 Colt lever rifle is less than 30 years old.
Probably my all time favorite, most useful, Single Action revolver is my Uberti made Cimarron New Thunderer. The action is the best of any out of the box SA I've ever experienced and to me the birds head grip (with the S&W hump) is pure perfection.
When I carry a SA in the desert, it's my only choice these days.
I have a few other Uberti made shooters as well and with the exception of the extraction problem on the Henry rifle, they have served me superbly for many years.
But my stuff is OLD, like me. I've no idea what Uberti quality is like since being acquired by Beretta. I would hope that it got even better than it was when i was in the buying mode.
. Since then, I've added at last a dozen Uberti arms to my battery and never had a problem with any except for one: a Henry rifle in 45 Colt. The 45 Colt rim is about half the size of the 44-40 and extraction problems occur when I'm trying to cycle the action rapidly. OTOH: my 45 Colt 1873 Uberti has performed flawlessly for close to 20 years now.
Frankly, in hindsight, I wish I'd bought both of those rifles in 44-40 just because of the 44-40s history... but 45 was all the dealer had (or could get) at the time.
The toggle action in the Henry, 66s, 73s is indeed nowhere near as strong as in later rifles, but it's smooth as butter, and works like a charm... with reasonable loads. It worked wonders back in the day and IMO its still viable today, even if it is antiquated.
I never heard of soft screws in Uberti handguns (other manufacturers to be sure but never Uberti) and I've been pretty involved with Uberti guns for a long time.
The biggest complaint I ever heard about them was that the tolerances on their first Schofield models were so tight that the number of black powder rounds you could fire through them before they bound up from lack of cleaning wouldn't get you through a SASS match. I read this in a 1995? Shooting Times magazine and the author was Mike Venturino (aka Iron Duke). Regardless, Mr Venturino allowed as how that problem had been resolved by Uberti before he had completed writing the article.
My first Schofield was a Uberti 44-40 with a 3 digit serial number. It IS close tolerance, but will shoot BP throughout a match.
I also have a brace of 45 Colt Uberti Schofields which became my main match guns for years. Once or twice (out of God alone knows how many unloading cycles) the extraction/ejection star on one of the 45s would slip "around" the extra small 45 rims and that takes about 15-20 seconds to remedy - critical if you're unloading and reloading on the clock - but again, the problem is in the design go the 45 Colt round (which is why there were NO rifles designed for the 45 Colt until the 1990s ... 19, not 1890s. The 45 Colt lever rifle is less than 30 years old.
Probably my all time favorite, most useful, Single Action revolver is my Uberti made Cimarron New Thunderer. The action is the best of any out of the box SA I've ever experienced and to me the birds head grip (with the S&W hump) is pure perfection.
When I carry a SA in the desert, it's my only choice these days.
I have a few other Uberti made shooters as well and with the exception of the extraction problem on the Henry rifle, they have served me superbly for many years.
But my stuff is OLD, like me. I've no idea what Uberti quality is like since being acquired by Beretta. I would hope that it got even better than it was when i was in the buying mode.
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Slam,
Well, if you're talking GALACTICALLY BIG rubber bands....
Judge,
Since this thread's on the rifles, I said the LEVERGUNS have had soft screws, I didn't say the Uberti revolvers did.
The revolvers were known for soft guts, not soft screws.
Many people have buggered up Uberti levergun screws over the years breaking them down for cleaning. That's why VTI first offered a set of harder screws for the guns.
Denis
Well, if you're talking GALACTICALLY BIG rubber bands....
Judge,
Since this thread's on the rifles, I said the LEVERGUNS have had soft screws, I didn't say the Uberti revolvers did.
The revolvers were known for soft guts, not soft screws.
Many people have buggered up Uberti levergun screws over the years breaking them down for cleaning. That's why VTI first offered a set of harder screws for the guns.
Denis
Slam,
Well, if you're talking GALACTICALLY BIG rubber bands....
Judge,
Since this thread's on the rifles, I said the LEVERGUNS have had soft screws, I didn't say the Uberti revolvers did.
The revolvers were known for soft guts, not soft screws.
Many people have buggered up Uberti levergun screws over the years breaking them down for cleaning. That's why VTI first offered a set of harder screws for the guns.
Denis
My apology, sir. A squirrel musta run by when I was reading the OP :bang head:
Ya know, getting' old ain't fer sissies.
In my years I've seen more than a few nice guns ruined by some genius using an incorrectly sized screwdriver.
Anyway, I'll try to read the OPs a bit more closely in the future, Pard. Thanks for setting me straight.
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