The Uberti 1873 rifle and the .357 Magnum.

[AJD]

I've done my best to research the Uberti 1873 chambered in .357 Magnum in regards to strength. I've read posts on leverguns.com, SASSnet, firingline and also on this forum.

Some have said that it is just fine to shoot "factory" .357 Magnum ammo through the Uberti 1873.

Other say that it will crap out in no time if you shoot alot of .357 Magnum ammo in it.

Can anyone give me some first hand experience on this? If you've had one of these and have shot alot of .357 Magnum through it or if you have anything you'd like to add.

PS. I'm not looking for recommendations on other leverguns in .357 Magnum I'm well aware of the Marlin and other options available.

 

[AJD]

I'll bump this one back to the top..

And also ask a question about the 1873 feeding the .38 Special. Is there a specific overall length with the .38 Special that lends itself to more reliable feeding? Say 1.5" overall? I know Marlin has a recommended length.

What has your experience been with the 1873 and using .38 Special ammo. Accuracy, point of impact, reliability, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AJD]

One more time and then I'll leave it alone.

 

[jwxspoon]

I'd like to see these answered by someone knowledgable as well.

jw

 

[dfariswheel]

As for feeding, the 1873 is VERY length sensitive.
The rifle feeds through an "elevator" made of brass.
This simply slides up and down in the receiver.

When the elevator slides down, the next round in the magazine is pushed into the elevator.
When the lever is operated, the elevator rises. When the lever is closed the bolt pushes the round out of the elevator and into the chamber and the elevator drops back down.

What prevents the next round in the magazine from feeding is the solid portion of the elevator preventing the round from moving out of the magazine.
The round can only feed into the elevator when the opening in the elevator is fully down.

When you have a short or long round the elevator will jam.
A too long round will protrude out the front of the elevator into the magazine and prevent it from sliding upward.

A too short round will allow another round to move back far enough into the elevator to prevent the elevator from sliding up.
There is a little leeway in the feeding, and the rounds can be "slightly" long or short and still feed.

Unless you're going to shoot fairly hot, heavy bullet loads, the modern 1873 will handle most standard factory loads.
Just remember, the 1873 was designed for low pressure black powder ammo, and even when made of modern steels, the toggle-bolt action can get stressed.
What keeps the bolt closed are the round pins in the toggle bolts, and these pins can only be so strong.

So, if you want to shoot hot ammo, I'd suggest getting an 1892 or 1894 type rifle.
These rifles use sliding double steel blocks to lock the bolt and are much stronger.
However, if you're willing to stick with standard factory Magnum ammo, the 1873 is in a class all it's own.
There's just SOMETHING about the sound and feel of the action that no other lever action has.

 

[2bigfeet]

You can always shoot Don Jones an email...
http://www.codyscowboyshop.com/