Best 1873 replica rifle

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:59 pm

I am in the market for a 1873 rifle, "clone". I like the looks of the "Short Rifle" with the straight stock and case colored receiver, but would appreciate the opinion of any of you "cowboy shooters" as to the best brand and model (and why). I will use it mostly for plinking and short range "brush" hunting. I will buy it in the .45 Colt caliber as a "companion piece" to my Beretta Stampede. Thanks in advance for any inputs you can provide!

hightime · Post by **hightime** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:15 pm

I think Uberti builds the only one. Imported by several, but made by Uberti. Here's a Special Sporting Rifle.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 5:58 pm

I don't think you'll get but one opinion on this; A. Uberti. No matter who imports it, they're the maker of choice. If someone mentions Chaparral or CDNN, it'll likely be negative or questionable. Cimarron, EMF, Taylors, Navy Arms & Dixie Gun Works, AFAIK, they've all imported Ubertis.

Grizzly Adams · Post by **Grizzly Adams** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 7:17 pm

Griff wrote:I don't think you'll get but one opinion on this; A. Uberti. No matter who imports it, they're the maker of choice. If someone mentions Chaparral or CDNN, it'll likely be negative or questionable. Cimarron, EMF, Taylors, Navy Arms & Dixie Gun Works, AFAIK, they've all imported Ubertis.

What Griff said!

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 8:27 pm

Thanks for the quick responses! Beautiful rifle, hightime.
Any opinions on barrel length in relation to weight and balance? And, is the .45 Colt a good cartridge for this action, or should I be looking for another set of dies, brass, and bullets? (I'll be stretching the budget to buy a Uberti and I'd like to get it right the first time with this model.) Thanks.

hightime · Post by **hightime** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 8:58 pm

I don't compete. I target shoot and deer hunt. I like the 24'' in a 45 Colt. I'm thinking I might get a 44-40 in another one someday. I had some severe barrel leading at first with 452 dia. bullets. Now I'm having good luck with 455 dia. I would think that's too long of a barrel for competion.

Owen

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:05 pm

The Uberti '73 in .45 colt is probably a better choice for all but the most experienced handloader. .44-40 is authentic, but is a pain to load for.

Whatever you do, get your NEW rifle to an experienced CAS rifle smith and have it "slicked". failure to do so may result in premature wear. Now I know, you're not gonna compete with it, but as supplied they tend to be over-sprung and often have burrs and other little anomalies in the internals that will benefit from a good slicking and lighter springs all around. Tell em you don't need a short stroke job, but want it slicked up.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:59 pm

I have both a 1873 & a Henry by Uberti in .45Colt. Fine carttridge, both my rifles have the 24-¼" barrel. I like the extra weight and ba;lance; plus, the extra 4" or so of sight radius is no hindrance. Rifles being individuals, bore/groove diameters may vary between specimans. Mine likes .452 bullets. If you think you might wanna load BP cartridges, then a .44WCF might be given consideration. Not really that much more difficult to load, just a tad more sensitive on certain steps.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 10:36 pm

I received an Uberti '73 w/24" bbl. in 38WCF for Christmas last year and I love it. As Griff said, the longer barrel hangs nice offhand and I don't see it as a hinderance. Now, some guys might think it's to heavy to lug around, but I don't. Fit and finish are great and with what little I've been able to shoot it, it shows promise. Here's some more pics to whet your appetite.

Grizzly Adams · Post by **Grizzly Adams** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:52 pm

jager3 wrote:Thanks for the quick responses! Beautiful rifle, hightime.
Any opinions on barrel length in relation to weight and balance? And, is the .45 Colt a good cartridge for this action, or should I be looking for another set of dies, brass, and bullets? (I'll be stretching the budget to buy a Uberti and I'd like to get it right the first time with this model.) Thanks.

The 45LC works fine in the action - it just runs dirty!

My personal preference is the 44-40 or the 357. FWIW, the 44-40 (44WCF) was designed for the Winchester model of 1873.

Lefty Dude · Post by **Lefty Dude** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 12:12 am

The best 73 is the one you got in your hand.

For me, Well I got a pair, one for each hand. Uberti 73 SR Carbine's in 44WCF.
I like the 19" round barrel W/ the shotgun butt stock.

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 9:31 am

what they said!............great spegetti gun!
I love the short rifle look...mines a 44-40
and a standard in 45LC....
you will enjoy it!

jlchucker · Post by **jlchucker** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 9:57 am

adirondakjack wrote:The Uberti '73 in .45 colt is probably a better choice for all but the most experienced handloader. .44-40 is authentic, but is a pain to load for.

Whatever you do, get your NEW rifle to an experienced CAS rifle smith and have it "slicked". failure to do so may result in premature wear. Now I know, you're not gonna compete with it, but as supplied they tend to be over-sprung and often have burrs and other little anomalies in the internals that will benefit from a good slicking and lighter springs all around. Tell em you don't need a short stroke job, but want it slicked up.

Good to know, Jack. I've been thinking about one of these for a while, in 44-40 or 38-40. Handloading neither one of these scares me. While I'm not a CAS person, I still don't want to go chasing ejected brass all over the place in order to reload it. I'd like to know what others who've got experience with 44-40 and 38-40 Ubertis have found as to whether the bores are oversize or not. I shoot primarily cast bullets, and wouldn't care to have to go searching for specialty molds because my rifle would need an oversize bullet in order to shoot straight and not lead.

adirondakjack · Post by **adirondakjack** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:00 am

Oh, FWIW the stock matters. Mine is a 24" rifle with the straight stock, and I like how it fits me better than those with the curved grip.

The extra nose weight does make the 24" rifle "hang" more steady, and does not appreciably effect speed of handling. Mine is fully done up as a CAS race gun, and it'll run as fast as any in the right hands. Even in MY mediocre hands, 8 shots in 3 seconds is not unusual and I rarely miss.

Driftwood Johnson · Post by **Driftwood Johnson** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:55 am

Howdy

The go to rifle in CAS circles these days is an Uberti '73 short rifle with pistol grip and 20" barrel, chambered for 357 Mag. Any importer. Most shooters shoot lightly loaded 38 Specials out of them. That's the gun that you will see in the winner's circle most often. Most have been highly tuned and short stroked. You do have to be a bit careful about your overall cartridge length with 38 Sp to be sure your rounds will feed reliably through the 357 action.

I don't have one of those, all of my CAS rifles are chambered for 44-40. I will have to disagree ever so slightly with my good friend Jack, 44-40 is not that much of a pain to reload. It is however a bit 'fussy' to reload. The issue is the very thin brass at the case mouth. Much thinner than 45 Colt for instance. You have to be careful, it is easy to crush the neck if you slam it into the bottom of the sizing die. Going a little bit slowly will take care of that. There are also issues with bullet size. You have to use a bullet the right size, or the neck can be crushed from too much friction being presented as the bullet is seated. Sometimes there are issues with the diameter of the expander plug that comes with a 44-40 die set. Most 44-40 die sets use an expander plug for .427 bullets. If one is using large diameter bullets, say .429 or .430, the neck may need to be expanded a bit more. Usually the expander plug from a 44 Mag/44 Sp die set will work, as these are usually for .429 bullets. Lastly, you have to be sure to adjust your crimp so that it folds correctly into the crimp groove of the bullet. Cimping a tad too high or a tad too low can also lead to crumpled necks.

But really, I have been loading 44-40 for many years now, and I have gotten it all down pretty good. I seldom mash a case neck any more. I just go slow and steady on my Hornady progressive press and everything works out fine. I use a standard, plain vanilla RCBS die set to load 44-40, I don't have the fancy, more expensive Cowboy dies.

Regarding rifling groove diameter, the 19th Century standard for 44-40 was .427, however you will find barrels from the 19th Century that varied all over the place. Sometimes as low as .425, sometimes up to .430. I have an old Winchester 1892 and a Marlin 1894 that both slug at .427. But I have a slightly newer Winchester 1892 that slugs at .429. My Uberti 1873 slugs at .427. This gun was made in the 1980s. But I have a recently made Uberti Henry (that's it in my avatar) that slugs at .429. Most of what I have read recently seems to indicate that most of Uberti's 44-40 rifles are coming off the line with .429 barrels these days.

Until I bought the Henry, I was shooting .427 diameter bullets in all my 44-40s. I usually load with Black Powder and a dead soft, pure lead Mav-Dutchman Big Lube bullet. The .427 '73 was my Main Match gun for a number of years, and it would shoot .427, .428, or .429 bullets just fine. But the combination of a .429 bullet in a relatively tight chamber made chambering that combination just a bit stiff. Yes, the rule of thumb is .001 over rifling groove diameter, but I shot .427 bullets in my .427 '73 just fine for years.

When I bought the Henry with its .429 bore I upped my bullet diameter to .428. These bullets would chamber fine and shoot fine in the '73 with its .427 bore. Suprisingly, even though they are .001 undersize for my .429 Henry, they shoot just fine in it too. This may be due to the fact that my bullets are dead soft, pure lead and they may be bumping up in diameter in the bore to fit the rifling. Anyway, a 44-40 case full of FFg Black Powder and a .428 soft bullet works just fine in all my 44-40 rifles, including the .429 Henry and the .429 Winchester.

Yes, 44-40 brass is a bit more expensive than 45 Colt, and it can be more difficult to find. I used to only use Winchester brass, but it has gotten hard to find. I liked Winchester because it had the thinnest brass at the neck. More forgiving if you have to go to a 'big' bullet. Now I call up Starline and have them ship me 500 whenever I need more brass. The samples that I have measured have had the same thickness, .007, at the neck as Winchester.

By the way, that thin brass at the neck is why 44-40 is such a terrific Black Powder caliber. The thin brass expands much better at relatively low pressure to completely seal the chamber. No blow back at all. 45 Colt guys who shoot Black Powder in their '73s usually have to clean their guns halfway through the match because of fouling build up in the action as the fouling blows past the thicker brass of the 45 Colt. My BP 44-40 brass ejects looking just as clean as Smokeless ammo because it seals the chamber so well.

Hope this is of some help.

P.S. Jack is right about slicking the gun up. Uberti is notorious for running their CNC equipment too fast and leaving all kinds of burrs in the mechanism. And rough surfaces on the parts. Getting it slicked up by a good smith who knows what he is doing will make a '73 a pleasure to shoot. And at the very least, I would suggest replacing the lifter and lever springs with a set of Whisper Springs from the Smith Shop. The OEM springs are much too stiff and can wear away the cam on the lever.

http://www.thesmithshop.com/springkits.html

Also, while your at it, replace the lever safety spring with one from the Smith Shop. The originals are way too stiff and require squeezing the lever too hard to disengage the safety. The Smith Shop replacement spring will make you forget the safety is even there.

http://www.thesmithshop.com/leversafety.html

bdhold · Post by **bdhold** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 11:02 am

Chaparral - not recommended. Good barrel, mediocre finish on the wood, good-looking finish on the metal, poor metallurgy in the mechanism, which too closely copies the original Winchester mechanism for the soft steels used.

see the galling which lets the carrier spring spit out...

Uberti foresaw those problems and solved them by increasing all the contact patches on the mechanism.

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:36 pm

Man, what a wealth of information! Thanks to all for your inputs. A new Uberti is in my future after I survive the Christmas season outlay. I think I'll leave the 44WCF to you experts, I already have a 38/55 to contend with (it took a while to find the right components to make her "sing" in the right "key").

Post by **Chuck 100 yd** » Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:51 pm

I have two , .45 Colt and .32-20 . Both in 24" version w/o pistol grip.
I love both!!

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:18 pm

I sold two guns last week at a gun show so I could buy a 1873. I ordered a Uberti 1873 Short Rifle in .45 colt yesterday!

COSteve · Post by **COSteve** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 12:30 am

Deleted

gak · Post by **gak** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 12:51 am

I know it's the minority view, but I'll go against the flow and say SRC. For one thing, it's not what everyone else has

(maybe for good reason, but still...) but to me they're the iconic western piece, fave of the mounted cowboy and indigenous warrior alike. I'm a light 'n handy type when it comes to rifles (to make up for the fact I'm not particularly light or handy

). I've lugged around a friend's '86 octagonal, and my '92 octagonal rifle enough to sway me the other direction--and COSteve, mine's a .44! (my way of saying I'm impressed with your carrying the 92/.357!). Same friend has a small herd (covey? brood?) of '73 SRCs that I've envied for some time. But seriously, what everyone else has said--hard to go wrong with the short rifle for your purposes,...but they're all fine pieces AFAIC--16-19/20-24.

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:45 pm

A SRC in 357 ..I'd have one by now but for some dang reason Uberti puts a 19 inch tube on the SRC instead of the propper 20 inch... Cant get past that... Or if I could get the short rifle with a carbine butt plate I'd be in the tall cotton!

kaschi · Post by **kaschi** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:50 pm

I've got a Uberti SRC in 32-20 and love it!

Lefty Dude · Post by **Lefty Dude** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 1:35 pm

Ben_Rumson wrote:A SRC in 357 ..I'd have one by now but for some dang reason Uberti puts a 19 inch tube on the SRC instead of the propper 20 inch... Cant get past that... Or if I could get the short rifle with a carbine butt plate I'd be in the tall cotton!

The proper barrel length for the 73 SRC is 19".

I am with the Carbine crowd. I own two 73 Uberti SRC's. For me they have a better balance than the short 20" Rifle. If I wanted a Short Rifle I would buy the 1/2 round/- 1/2 octagon, excellent balance and swing.

Ben_Rumson · Post by **Ben_Rumson** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 7:55 pm

Lefty...

My original 3rd model 1873 has a 20" tube...I think that's the standard length they are...Uberti SRCs are the same length overall as the originals but that's because the buttstock is one inch longer...

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:10 pm

Just a quick follow-up. I just took receipt of a new 1873 Uberti a couple of weeks ago after selling 3 guns to get 1. I couldn't be happier with the rifle and what little shooting I've been able to do with My Uberti! It is the "Short Rifle" in .45 Colt and I've been working up "cowboy" level loads for chronograph results; so far, I've tried Unique, AA5, 2400, SR4759, and Blue Dot. My Beretta "Stampede" (companion piece and Uberti "Colt clone") shoots best with Unique and AA5. Thanks for all the 1873 info and expertise.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:10 pm

Jagermeister, you forgot your pics in all your excitement.

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:29 pm

I'm sorry about the pic

I'll take some pictures and post them as soon as possible. I'm not real computer literate, so bear with me

.

hightime · Post by **hightime** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:11 am

Yeah, please keep us posted as to your loads. I've tried as high as 9gr Unique, but backed off to 8.2 and 255 gr rn cast in 455 dia. for my 1873 and Stampedes as well as my Laramie. I had severe leading with 452 dia.

Owen

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:29 pm

The loads I have worked up thus far are: !. 8.7gr/Unique/Starline/CCI/250cast 2. 10.5/AA5/SL/CCI/ 250cast 3. 12.9/Blue Dot/SL/WLP/250cast 4. 17.0/SR4759/Rem/CCI/240JHP. 5. 5.8gr/Trail Boss/Rem/CCI/250Rem cast (.454 dia.) My cast bullet mold delivers a 253gr bullet of .453 diameter (unsized) and my lead mix gives me a BNH of about 13, which should handle standard pressures handily. So far, I have not had an real "leading" problems only a little bit of "soot" on the cases. AA5 seems to be the cleanest burning of those I've tried. Only the Blue Dot load pushes the bullet over 1200fps (barely) in the 20" BBL; all others are in the 1150 to 1175fps range (excepting Trail Boss load), which is about 200fps more than my 7 1/2" Stampede. I tried the excellent (pistol wise) 45-270 RCBS cast bullet, but I will probably have to "bevel" the receiver because they do not feed very well (filing on a new gun is something I'm reluctant to due at this time). I would like to use this bullet because of its design and effectiveness on game. I did "slug" my bore and it's right at .452 diameter. I loosened the lifting springs by 1/2 turn with a "proper" screw driver bit to make sure I could and it seem to lessen the amount of effort to work the action (along with 2000 cycles of the action while watching the "Pale Rider"

). I did make and install a leather wrap to the lever with a (recommended) dab of "Break Free" on the leather facing the metal to prevent any rust, but I'm not altogether happy covering up the beautiful "cases" colors displayed on the lever. I haven't decided whether to get the "Whisper Springs", since it seems to be "slick" enough; however, I would like to replace the "lever safety" spring that feels way to heavy compared to my Winchester and marlins. I am really pleased with Uberti's fit and finish and I'm anxious to get it to the range to do some accuracy testing!

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:19 pm

Hopefully pictures of my 1873 Uberti Short Rifle will come through.

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:33 pm

The "posting site" says I cannot send the pictures because the pixel count is too high??? If anyone could assist me, I could send them to anoher e-mail address for modification and submission?

hightime · Post by **hightime** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:59 pm

Do you have a photo editing program. I use one called ''Paint'' but I think Windows has one too, but I believe most computers come with some program. If you already have pics on your computer , right click on one and some options will come up. Click on ''open with'' , a program should show up. Click on the one you want, then find ''resize'', then click on '' pixels'', then it will show your picture size in a box that you can redue. Say it says 2400 as the highest number, click on it and press the backspace until all numbers are gone then type in 1000. Then find save as. Choose an option and your done. I resize many pictures at a time that I might want to send to someone.
Here on Leverguns click on '' brouse'' then look for your new picture. Then click on add file. You're done.

Owen

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:49 pm

Thanks Hightime, I'll try again.

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:02 pm

1873 pics.

P1010853.JPG

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:09 pm

Nice!

rbertalotto · Post by **rbertalotto** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:23 pm

Uberti....But they need a little love to make them right. If I had to do it over again I might buy it from one of the Cowboy Action gunsmiths, where you buy the rifle for a couple $$ more, but it comes all slicked up and ready to go....

hightime · Post by **hightime** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:09 pm

Ya did it..........Great, now we can see all your guns.

Owen

J Miller · Post by **J Miller** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:15 pm

jager3,

That's a very nice rifle.

I would seriously caution against beveling the chamber for SWC bullets.
The .45 Colt chambers are usually at SAAMI max and the case rims are quite small. By beveling the chamber you might cause some head space issues.

My Mdl 94AE Trapper in .45 Colt is throated at the bottom of the chamber like a 1911 but the rest of the chamber opening is untouched. That is all I would consider and I probably wouldn't even do that. I think I'd find a different bullet first.

Joe

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:41 pm

Joe - the "beveling" I was referring to is on the "mortise" wall where the carrier passes, not the chamber. I found the fix online at: www.dorseyfoto.com/73/73fix.htm where it shows where to file. I'll see a gunsmith if it becomes a serious loading problem. Believe me, I dread the first scratch on this baby, but it is going to be shot a lot and hunted on occasion!
Thanks again Hightime for the help with the pictures, but you must know, this is the only rifle I own

Now that I know how to post pictures here I will endeavor to improve my photography skills (like posting right side up

)
Rbertalotta - that's a beautiful rig you got there! What caliber?

RIHMFIRE · Post by **RIHMFIRE** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:46 am

Nice 73s guys....
I have one from EMF in 44-40 and one frome Stoeger...in45lc
both have great fit and finish....the only thing I think they need to work
on is their heavy triggers.....otherwise outstanding guns...

hightime · Post by **hightime** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:48 am

No one should have just one, but the 45 Colt can shoot a lot of etable things. Good choice.

Grizzly Adams · Post by **Grizzly Adams** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:48 am

Owning the Uberti 73 is a bit like owning a Harley. They are beautiful and functional right out of the box, but you quickly discover that there is an entire world devoted to suppling "go fast" and "bling" for them. Since the 73 is basically the "go to" rifle for Cowboy Action shooters, a whole cottage industry has evolved to supply competition parts to make them even better. If a fella does not use one in competition, those parts are, for the most part, overkill. However, some of the parts that make these rifles thoroughbreds in competition, also represent improvements over the original design parts, and actually increase the service life of other components.

One "must do" change is the lever and lifter springs. I always set up my 73s with "SlixPrings" . Whisper Springs are fine, but I have found that they tend to take a set, whereas the SlixPrings do not.

I get most of my parts from Long Hunter. Fast service and a fine gentleman. He is also a SASS World Champion many times over!

http://www.longhunt.com/gunparts/winchester.htm

stickfred · Post by **stickfred** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 12:11 pm

Glad you got your rifle jager3. It looks beautiful, now go out and enjoy it.

CraigC · Post by **CraigC** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:17 pm

My Deluxe Sporting Rifle came from Dixie Gun Works and has been excellent. It's a .38WCF and I have yet to find a load that doesn't shoot into an inch at 50yds. Has since been fitted with a Marbles tang sight.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:00 pm

I dunno. I've not had any issue with either my early 1873 or my relatively new 1860 Henry replicas. I would check cartridge OAL and try to stay under 1.590". I generally load to around 1.565" and have no issues. Upon entering the lifter from the magazine, the cartridge should enter the lifter straight and remain straight. However, if the last cartridge thru the loading gate is not fully inserted, then... it may be slightly crooked. However, in looking into my 1986 production 1873, I can see a slight bevel where your link points.

I'd be VERY circumspect in grinding away in that area.

jager3 · Post by **jager3** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:08 am

Griff - I've rechecked all my .45 Colt loaded rounds for OAL and none or over 1.590 and most are right at 1.575. The feeding problem I am having seems to be with the bullets cast from the RCBS 270-45 bullet that are of the Keith design. Instead of feeding straight, this particular design seems to come off the loading elevator crooked whether it is the first or the last bullet out of the magazine. The bullets that feed well are: 255 (actual weight 253) cast from the Lee mold, 255gr Hornady cast, and 250gr Remington cast. I'm not overly concerned at this point unless it turns out to be the most accurate bullet in the 1873. Thanks for the advise.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Feb 02, 2012 3:23 am

jager3 wrote:...Keith design...

Yep... those don't seem to feed well in mine either... and it has nothing to do with the bevel on the back of the carrier well. The sharp shoulders seem to catch on the chamber mouth. When I first bought the Henry, I went to a cowboy shoot with my B-I-L and only had his ammo to shoot... 255 gr Keith .45 Colts... every round had to be shaken in the rifle to get it to feed... not conducive to fast shooting.

Here's a pic of the different bullets I use: (I've added a couple since this photo, and eliminated the Keiths as I decided I wasn't using them due to their problematic feeding).

All but the Keith on the far left feed like popcorn thru a goose! IIRC, I gave the Keiths I had left over to JMiller.