Uberti Model 73

[Meeteetse]

I have an opportunity to buy a NIB Taylor & Co. Uberti 73 in 45 Colt. I have been looking at lever guns in 45 Colt and I have always liked the 1873. It would make a nice companion to my Vaquero 45. This one is a special run and has a Trapper 16 1/4" round barrel and is blue all over. The wood looks good and has some figure but it is a little redder than I prefer but not bad.

I know some of you have some experience with Uberti guns and especially the 1873 and I would like to know your opinion. My son has a Rossi but it just doesn't feel right. I have a Browning B-92 in .357 so I have been looking at the new Winchester (Muroku) 92 in 45 Colt, but they are hard to find. This '73 is a great looking gun but I know nothing about the Uberti guns. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

[hightime]

I have a oct. 24'' and I like it. It's the best looking gun I have. I sent back the first one. I tried to get accuracy and find a load for a year. Then gave up. Benelli USA sent me a different rifle. That one wouldn't cycle, I sent it back and they fixed it. It funtions good now and shoots OK.

Owen

[Martini450]

I bought my Uberti 1873 in 44WCF back in 1997, and it's still one of my favorite rifles. Fit and finish are outstanding, and it's very accurate. After fifteen years and thousands of rounds, both factory and my own handloads, it has never failed to feed or fire. They are very well made rifles, and a ton of fun on the range.

[Griff]

I have a Uberti '73 in the 24" Sporting Rifle configuration. It was made in 1986, one of first 5 imported into the US in .45 Colt and I've owned it since 1987. I bought it from the original owner who bought it from EMF, the importer. I've used it in cowboy action matches for all this time. I LOVE it. It's now well broke in, and well, the dew isn't as fresh on this lily, but I mostly use BP as a propellant! I just finished a 12 stage match with it yesterday. We fired about 130 rounds from the rifle. Ammo in cowboy action matches doesn't have to particularly heavy as there's no great distance involved. I keep my ammo below SAAMI specs, but not dramatically so. I believe that the toggle link action is fine for ammo that meets SAAMI specs.

Folks with new ones seem to complain of gritty actions out of the box... and others say smooth as silk. Who to believe? Both I guess, like any manufactured product, QC can vary.

I also have a EMF imported Uberti 1860 Steel-framed Henry, made in 2007. It's a little tighter "tolerance" wise than the 1873, but ain't been shot near as much. It's very smooth cycling and every bit as fun to shoot at the 1873.

[olyinaz]

They are well made but can be a bit stiff out of the box. Mine is lovely fit and finish wise and shoots as well as I can, but it was assembled incorrectly from the factory and had to go back for service. It's fine now but that says something for Italian quality control. Screws are reported to be soft and easily buggered and I can believe it because every other Uberti I own fits that description.

The only "problem" I can think of regarding these fun rifles is the price. With the exchange rates gone to heck they've become pretty expensive. Too expensive if you ask me. So I guess it matters greatly what kind of a price you are being quoted on that rifle. Look at what they cost new on Gunbroker or elsewhere to help gauge your interest there.

The Rossi 92s are sturdy rifles by the way. If you like your B92 then you like the Model 1892 in general and there's no reason why a Rossi 92 can't be made just as slick (look to Steve's Guns for help there) but they rarely look as nice as the Italian rifles. The Winchester 1892s have a new rebounding hammer action with a tang safety that looks terrible to my eye. Many levergunners hate the rebounding hammer and some will tell you that misfires are guaranteed with that lawyered up action, but I've not had any with my rebounding hammer Model 94 in .357 magnum. The new Winchesters are very expensive also.

Lastly, if the rifle you're looking at does not have checkering, you can consider easily refinishing the stocks to something less red. Unless something has changed that I'm unaware of, Ubertis are easily stripped and refinished.

If it's a good price that alone makes it a must buy if you ask me! But I'm pretty quick to spend other folks' money.

Oly

[earlmck]

You're probably well aware of this, Meeteetse, but for other folks reading this thread it is worth mentioning that the 45 Colt has more variation in loads, pressure-wise, than any other cartridge in the universe. And your son's Rossi can digest loads that'd make the nice little 73 come halfway unglued. In fact, your Vacquero will take loads with ease that shouldn't be used in the Uberti.

That's the drawback to having several guns in 45 Colt: unless you are using cowboy-action level loads in all of them you need to make a serious effort to keep the ammo separated according to the pressure levels your gun is designed to handle. This little detail sits in my brainpan because I have an early 1900's Colt built for blackpowder level loads, and a Rossi built for 60Kpsi loads. Fortunately in my case the Rossi doesn't like to feed regular-length 45 Colt loads, so loads built to feed in it are too long to go in the revolver. And I don't shoot the revolver much, although I've got a granddaughter-in-law who wants to start using it for a horseback shooting game her group is doing, so I may end up making loads for it on a regular basis in the future.

Anyway, just sayin'.

[rbertalotto]

I have a 20" Uberti 1873 with a short stroke kit in 45LC and it is fantastic.

That 16" barrel will not hold 10 rounds in the magazine so it will not be usable in Cowboy Action Shooting if you ever wander down that trail or try and resell it to someone that might want it for that sport.

[Meeteetse]

Thanks for all the input. I used to shoot Cowboy Action but not for several years now, so the 9 round count is no bother. I guess I'm looking at the rifle because, as my wife likes to remind me, I'm an accumulator of nice guns. I don't collect safe queens and I do shoot everything. Over the last few years I have been matching SA guns with leverguns in the same caliber. No particular reason except it was a good reason to buy more guns and I thought it would be handy when camping or hunting to only worry about one caliber of ammo.

The ridiculous retail price of the gun on the Webb site is $1650 but my dealer is asking $1100. Still high but in the same ball park as the Winchester. The 73 does not have a push button safety or rebounding hammer, just a half-cock safety. The price is nearly twice what a Rossi costs but I think I like the 73.

As far as loads for the gun, I settled on a .45 Colt load years ago. I use a 250 gr. bullet at about 900+ fps, and it works for everything I want or need. Easy on recoil, easy on the gun and fun to shoot. I think it will be as fun to shoot in the 73 as it is in my Vaquero and my Blackhawks. If I need more or different horsepower I'll move up to my .44 mag or perhaps to my B-92 in .357.

Keep the comments coming and I will let you know what I decide to do.

[M. M. Wright]

My Uberti 73 was imported by Navy Arms and I traded for it used many years ago. It is the 24" deluxe sporting rifle, pistol grip and checkered. It is a 44-40 and I shoot mostly ffg and 200 grain bullets. Accuracy is great as is the smoothness but then it probably has upward of 5,000 rounds through it. After each 10 round stage I wipe the barrel with a damp patch and it will run indefinitely this way. I have taken whitetail with it too, same load that I have yet to chronograph. Yeah, they are high priced but very well made and the modern steels and heat treat make them at least the equal of Winchester in my opinion.

[hightime]

That seems like a high price. My 1873 Special Sporting Rifle is the highest priced '73 and I paid $1,160. Gander was $1,250.

Owen

[gamekeeper]

I had A Uberti 73 in .22LR the previous owner had knocked it about a bit but it was still reliable, accurate and very well made.