About a year and a half ago I stopped in a local gun shop that I hadn’t been to for several years. It had moved to a new location that was more accessible and I wanted to see what they had. In the used gun case was a pair of top break Uberti Model 3 Russians in .44 Russian, the kind with the finger hook on the trigger guard. They were pretty reasonably priced and it was my guess that someone had gotten them with cowboy action shooting in mind, and it didn’t work out for them. I don’t know how long they had been in the case before I saw them.

There they sat for months, until one day one of them was gone. The other one stayed in the case for maybe a year and kept tempting me and eventually, it was also gone.

Well now I was kicking myself for letting two chances at an uncommon revolver get away. That was maybe six months ago. So yesterday I was making a stop into the store at lunchtime and reminiscing about the one that got away, and thinking how I had considered noting how long it’d been there and offering fifty bucks less than their asking price. Well, I looked in the used gun case and it was back. The price on the tag was fifty bucks less than it had been. Dang, they called my bluff!

I asked the clerk about it and he said that someone had put it on layaway and never followed through. I bought it. No box but it looks like new, probably unfired. Procrastination worked out for me this time!

By coincidence there is an article by Mike Venturino in the April 2012 Handloader magazine, about loading the .44 Russian for his Uberti Model 3 Russian. He says that the inscription on top of the barrel translates as, “The Third Russian Gun-Making Factory.”

I have been wanting one of these too. Nice revolver!
I already load 44 Russian ammo using Starline brass, 200 gr bullets and FFg.
Be sure to try out some black powder loads and make a personal connection with history when you take your #3 to the range.

That is a nice revolver. I want one to. I do shoot .44 Russian with my New Model 3 sometimes. I load 14 grain swiss no 1 after a 200 lead .429 sized bullet. It does the trick for that great revolver.

I have one question about the Uberti Russian. How thick is the forcingcone? Did you have off the cilinder yet?
The forcingcone of a Uberti Schoflield in .45 colt is paperthin and always get ripped.

I have always wanted one of those but the price has been keeping one out of reach, but that is a beauty.

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Vaya con Dios

I have one on order from Stoeger. I know it has a hammer block of sorts, which is okay. Does it have a detrimental effect on the trigger pull? When Cimarron came out with the ASM Schofield a few years back, I made the mistake of buying one, sight unseen. The safety device made the trigger pull horrendous, to say the least! I immediately removed the parts and made a world of difference. The action flying open was a bit disconcerting, too. David Chicoine does a good job of troubleshooting the ASM Schofield, which was supposed to be a pretty good repro otherwise. Keep us posted on how she shoots!

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GMC-USN, Retired/1978 to 2001

The first thing what I did when I got my Schofield is to remove the safetydevice. When I ever get a Russian, I will do the same thing.

My .45 Colt Schofield is also made by Uberti, imported by Navy Arms. (The Model 3 Russian is imported by Stoeger.) I haven't had the cylinders off but looking through one of the charge holes, the forcing cone of the Schofield does not look particularly weak. Perhaps that was a problem that they addressed during the production run. I picked up my Schofield at a gun show in 2006, so it's not real new. Used, but in its box. I've shot it a few times and I like it.

The difference in the rear sights is interesting. The rear sight on the Russian is referred to by Venturino in his article as "a formality" for being so small, just a couple of ears on the latch. The Schofield has a wide rear sight that is comprised of the entire rear face of the latch. It has a broad vee rear notch that inhibits precise aiming. And of course they both have the half-moon front sight which while more authentic looking, is pretty poor for getting a fine sight picture with its shiny, indistinct appearance.

Also interesting is that the Schofield has a groove down the entire length of the rib on the barrel, while the Russian does not.














I haven't had any problem with any safety mechanism on my Schofield - whatever it is, it is transparent to me in use. I've only dry fired the Russian but it feels fine to me too. I see no reason for myself to muck around with the guts of either.

Actually, the Cyrillic inscription on the Uberti Russian translates more closely as " 3rd Russian Model made A. Uberti Italy"
Transliteration to Roman letters for pronunciation goes, "Treeya Russkaya oruzhenaya fabrica A. Uberti Italiya"

Interesting, and makes sense. Here's a closeup of the inscription:

Thanks for the good pictures Tom K. I hope that both revolvers gives you the same pleassure as I have.

This is that Beretta Laramie, a 45 c , clone of a New Model Three Target. It's my favorite pistol. It has shot several porkypines.

Owen

Attached Images

'73 and S&W.jpg (130.5 KB, 237 views)

I finally got my Schofield from Taylor's and Co. It is chambered for the 44 Russian cartridge. It shoots a bit low and needs some work on the front sight. The safety mechanism relies on the movement of the hammer to function. It does not place any undue stress on the trigger, which is nice, so I will leave it in place.

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GMC-USN, Retired/1978 to 2001