Uberti Model 1873: yay or nay?

[Panzerschwein]

Hello!

So I found myself with a nice new Ruger GP-100 .357 magnum this past summer. I love it very much, but I think it needs a new friend. Preferably a friend that likes the same food!

I've been looking at the options for lever action rifles in .357 magnum, and I think I may have settled in on the rifle I want. It is the above mentioned Uberti model 1873 chambered in .357 magnum. The thing that really draws me to this rifle is that it supposedly is a pretty close reproduction of the timeless Winchester 1873 and that is really interesting to me. However, as with all my firearms, reliability is the most important thing for me. If I would ever need to defend myself with this rifle, I need to know that it would function.

Does anyone have anything to say about this particular rifle? Is it reliable? Are there parts that are prone to breakage? What is the quality I should expect? What kind of accuracy should I expect? Good fit and finish? I know there are other options out there for a lever action .357 magnum, but for historical reasons this one really interests me. But, like I said, above all else I want something that I can put my faith in.

Thanks for the input!

 

[StrawHat]

Lots of competitors use the 1873 as their rifle of choice. They get them worked over a bit but still, it is the rifle that rules.

The 1873 is a heavy rifle and chambered for a small cartridge like the 357 Magnum, recoil will be hardly noticable but the weight of the rifle will be. Personally, I like the short rifle or the long range versions but reallistically, I would be happy with any one of them.

 

[Tommygunn]

I have the saddle ring carbine version in .44-40, the original caliber. It has always worked well and is a good reproduction of the venerable Winchester 1873 "rifle that won the west."
I am a little amazed that Uberti is making them in .357 magnum. The toggle-link design, while smooth and effective, was never considered a particularly strong action and even back in its heyday there were competing lever action designs that were stronger than the 1873. The 1876 version provided a longer beefier receiver and was the penultimate design of Winchester's togglelink series and it used some hevier hitting rounds than the .44-40.
Now I'm sure that Uberti's .357 mag version is perfectly safe. Uberti would not likely risk marketing a defective rifle in today's lawsuit happy climate.
If the .357 mag. rifle will operate with .38SP you can practice with them and save $$$.
I note I have a Browning B-92 in .44 magnum in which I have fired .44 special. No problems cycling the gun but it simply was not as accurate .... it's not impossible your .357 will show the same thing when using the .38s.
As for breakage, the only part on mine that ever broke was a small flat metal spring that holds down the interlock safety -- the little button that is pressed by closing the lever that allows the trigger to be pulled. In fact I fixed that myself, got the part from Dixie Gun Works -- it was designed for the original Winchester 1873 but worked like a charm in the repro.

 

[OldBrownDog]

For the price of a Uberti you could probably pick up one of the new Winchester 1873s in .357. Then you get the original name on it, for the same money....