Uberti 1873 Winchester lever rifle
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ameridaddy
US Veteran
I love mine in .357; can't speak for 45 Colt never having shot one.
I've owned several.
The elevator type lever guns(1860 Henry, 1866Win, 1873 Win, 1876 Win) are very sensitive to cartridge length. Since the cartridge itself acts as a spacer in the mechanism the round must be the correct length.
Some factory 45 Colt loads may not cycle properly.
Stay with "cowboy" load levels. Do not shoot hot ammo in them.
The guns themselves are quite nice. Well made and well finished.
I like them.
Don't expect stellar accuracy at more than about 40yds.
The 45 Colt at cowboy power levels is pretty weak and loses it out past 50yds or so.
Hand loading helps as you can work up a slightly better bullet/powder charge combo.
If you go blackpowder they are a bit of a pain to break down and clean properly. The 45 Colt is particularly bad as the lack of a neck cause back blow resulting in excessive fouling in the action. 44-40 is mo better.
The elevator type lever guns(1860 Henry, 1866Win, 1873 Win, 1876 Win) are very sensitive to cartridge length. Since the cartridge itself acts as a spacer in the mechanism the round must be the correct length.
Some factory 45 Colt loads may not cycle properly.
Stay with "cowboy" load levels. Do not shoot hot ammo in them.
The guns themselves are quite nice. Well made and well finished.
I like them.
Don't expect stellar accuracy at more than about 40yds.
The 45 Colt at cowboy power levels is pretty weak and loses it out past 50yds or so.
Hand loading helps as you can work up a slightly better bullet/powder charge combo.
If you go blackpowder they are a bit of a pain to break down and clean properly. The 45 Colt is particularly bad as the lack of a neck cause back blow resulting in excessive fouling in the action. 44-40 is mo better.
I've owned several, one of which was in Colt 45. The Uberti rifles are fine guns, nicely build and reliable. I've never had a problem with any of them. I did not care for the Colt 45 cartridge in the rifle, my strong preference being for the 44-40 in rifles. But that was an issue with the cartridge, not the rifle. They're great guns.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
I don't know about current production. My Uberti 73 in 44 Special is about 18 years old and doing great!
Ammo: YOU MUST HAVE THE CORRECT LENGTH OF CARTRIDGE! They are good with any factory pressure load. Any shape projectile works fine. My gun shoots 1.5 MOA (2 1/4") at 150 yards my reloads. I wouldn't use the Buffalo Bore or Grizzly self defense loads, but a 20 round box of Winchester STHP's cycled fine, and grouped great. That would be my hunting and SD ammo of choice.
If you are looking for a 45 Colt carbine to handle the "Rugar Only" loads, get a Rossi 92, they are stronger than Marlin 1894 and don't have long action issues of the pistol cartridge Winchester 94's.
My 73 is tricked out with an action job and the semi-short stroke lever treatment. The normally smooth 73 action became like glass and the lever stroke is a matter of just extending the center and ring fingers. (with practice sounds like a full auto/much faster than the 92 action)
Ivan
Ammo: YOU MUST HAVE THE CORRECT LENGTH OF CARTRIDGE! They are good with any factory pressure load. Any shape projectile works fine. My gun shoots 1.5 MOA (2 1/4") at 150 yards my reloads. I wouldn't use the Buffalo Bore or Grizzly self defense loads, but a 20 round box of Winchester STHP's cycled fine, and grouped great. That would be my hunting and SD ammo of choice.
If you are looking for a 45 Colt carbine to handle the "Rugar Only" loads, get a Rossi 92, they are stronger than Marlin 1894 and don't have long action issues of the pistol cartridge Winchester 94's.
My 73 is tricked out with an action job and the semi-short stroke lever treatment. The normally smooth 73 action became like glass and the lever stroke is a matter of just extending the center and ring fingers. (with practice sounds like a full auto/much faster than the 92 action)
Ivan
I love mine! Smooth and reliable with proper ammo. I can hit clay pigeons at 120 yards offhand 10 for 10. As was mentioned before, if you want to use anything warmer than standard pressure loads, get the Rossi 92. Few things get your attention faster than blowing the side plates out of position and locking up the action. Did that with some hot .357 loads once, won't do it again.
I bought one from a friend at my local gun club who was a Cowboy Action Shooter before he passed away. It's fun to shoot!
He put thousands of rounds through it and it still works just fine. IIRC correctly, it was imported by Stoeger. The sideplate screw was buggered, so I ordered a replacement from Taylor's Firearms. It was a perfect fit and the bluing matched the original. Keep in mind that it's a toggle-link action like the original Winchester 1873 and it can't handle high pressure loads intended for Rugers and Marlins.
He put thousands of rounds through it and it still works just fine. IIRC correctly, it was imported by Stoeger. The sideplate screw was buggered, so I ordered a replacement from Taylor's Firearms. It was a perfect fit and the bluing matched the original. Keep in mind that it's a toggle-link action like the original Winchester 1873 and it can't handle high pressure loads intended for Rugers and Marlins.
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smoothshooter
Member
I have one in .44 Special. Good gun. Rifle, not carbine. Also another Uberti 1866 Yellow Boy .44 Special. This one has more drop in the buttstock than the 1873. I prefer the 1873 in some ways because of the lesser drop. I wish both of them had the Carbine buttstock instead of the deep crescent buttplate of the full-length rifles I have.
I load ammo for mine with a 200 to 215 grain medium hardness round nosed flat point lead bullets. The load is supposed to have a muzzle velocity of 1300 to 1350 fps. That’s just a little hotter than black powder loads would be, but I will not load it any hotter.
Accuracy is great, and have not noticed any increasing headspace issues.
I held out and got a .44 Special instead of the .45 Colt because I always have lots of .430 bullets around, and the .44 will have a little flatter trajectory. I also did not want to have to stock another large bullet caliber, and I already have gobs of .44 Special brass and lead bullets for shooting my Charter Arms Bulldog revolver.
I load ammo for mine with a 200 to 215 grain medium hardness round nosed flat point lead bullets. The load is supposed to have a muzzle velocity of 1300 to 1350 fps. That’s just a little hotter than black powder loads would be, but I will not load it any hotter.
Accuracy is great, and have not noticed any increasing headspace issues.
I held out and got a .44 Special instead of the .45 Colt because I always have lots of .430 bullets around, and the .44 will have a little flatter trajectory. I also did not want to have to stock another large bullet caliber, and I already have gobs of .44 Special brass and lead bullets for shooting my Charter Arms Bulldog revolver.
I owned the full length octagon rifle version. Beautifully made and accurate enough. I shot mild hand loads my Lyman 250 gr cast RNFPs. Like any tube fed lever gun OAL must be short enough to allow proper feeding. It was pretty, but not a strong action and so not a hunting rifle so I sold it to my neighbor.
If you are looking for something able to handle loads powerful enough for short range deer or hog, I'd go with a Rossi model 92 or one of the other designs.
John
If you are looking for something able to handle loads powerful enough for short range deer or hog, I'd go with a Rossi model 92 or one of the other designs.
John
smoothshooter
Member
I fail to see why a 45 LC rifle round that is safe for the 1873’s would not be just fine for deer and hogs out to at least 75 yards, maybe 100.
A fair number of serious handgun hunters take game that size out to 100 yards with .45LC loads that ballistically the same as low-end .45LC loads out of a rifle.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
That's a personal preference!
I think Uberti made a series of 1873's in 44 mag. It is not a standard 73! It has thicker parts with better steel and tempering! Some people think they are all made that way, but they are not!
Ivan
I'm just pointing out that of all the lever guns available today, the '73 action is the weakest. You won't get the most out of the 45 Colt cartridge with it. I'm sure a modern version will handle few heavy loads here and there, but with a steady diet you run the risk of loosening them up. That toggle link is the weak spot.
John
John
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