Uberti 1873 caliber questions...

[2bigfeet]

Hi folks,

My first post is in regards to 1873 calibers. I'm very interested in purchasing the Uberti Special Sporter (pistol grip, half octagon, half magazine). My problem is I have arthritis in my back and neck so bad my vertbra are fused. I can't tilt my head down into a rifle stock. The 1873's steep stock angle makes it possible for me to shoulder & site the rifle without much difficulty. On to the question: I see it is offered in 357mag, 44/40 and 45colt. Is there much of a difference in the amount of felt recoil between these? Can I shoot 38 special in it? If so, would this be noticably lighter in recoil compared to the other offerings? I will not be reloading. Because of the arthritis I'm down to shooting mostly lighter hand guns and 22's. Always wanted an 1873 and the resources are there now so... if I can shoot a light caliber version of it... and admire it on the wall I'll be happy. What do you think?

Thanks for any help.

[Singing Bear]

Felt recoil in any of the CAS calibers will be light in a 73, but the lightest will obviously be the 38 Spec. especially loaded with BP.  If the rifle is chambered for 357 mag and is of recent manufacture, it should be able to cycle standard lenth 38's.  If not, you can always check VTI for a 66 loading block for the 38 Spec. mod. 66.  The block should fit with some minor fitting.  The one I ordered dropped right in, although it could used some dressing up on the sides with some fine sandpaper and a piece of glass.  It's just a tad on the snug side, but functions fine.

[2bigfeet]

Thanks very much for the help and suggestions.

[Tensleep]

If you are buying ammo then 38 will certainly be the most economical.

I shoot only 38s in my Uberti 1873 Winchester.

[2bigfeet]

If you are buying ammo then 38 will certainly be the most economical.

I shoot only 38s in my Uberti 1873 Winchester.

Are you shooting 38's through the model chambered for the 357mag... did you have to make any mods?

[Kidd Krystin]

I shoot .38 Special in my Uberti 1873 short rifle and don't have problems with it.  Well, sometimes accuracy is a problem but that's because the darned thing shoots exactly where it is aimed which isn't always where I want the bullet to go.

[Delmonico]

If you check SAAMI specs, the 357 case is 1/10 inch longer than the 38 Special, however the OAL is the same, so the 38 should run through with not problems in an mechanial operated firearm.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

The '73 is a relatively heavy rifle to begin with. As such, perceived recoil is largely absorbed (or delayed) by the mass of the gun. So no matter what cartridge it is chambered for, it doesn't recoil much. Of course, shooting lightly loaded 38 Special ammo, the recoil will be negligable with such a relatively heavy rifle.

A couple of points worth considering: For CAS competition, it is generally adviseable to have a rifle with a magazine capacity of at least 10 rounds in the magazine. I'm not sure if a half-magazine will hold that many. If you just want the rifle and are not interested in shooting it in CAS, that should not make a difference.

The '73 chambered for 357 will be slightly heavier than a similar one chambered for 44 or 45. The outside dimensions will be the same, but the hole will be smaller in the 357 gun, so there will be more metal there. If weight is a consideration.

With all due respect, I'm not sure about Delmonico's statement about the SAMMI OAL of both the 357 Mag and 38 Sp being the same. That just doesn't sound right. But I don't have any of my loading books handy right now, so I can't check. But I've seen plenty of 38 Sp rounds that are shorter than 357 rounds. The bottom line is, the '73 can be a bit Over All Length sensitive, because of its design. The older ones were more sensitive to length. I have a '73 built in the 1980s and it will not feed ammo any shorter than SAMMI MAX length. However Uberti seems to have adressed this problem recently and the recent toggle link guns seem to be less OAL sensitive. So more guys are able to shoot them with 38 Sp ammo without any difficulty.

[2bigfeet]

Lots of good responses. Thanks for the help folks. It won't be for competing in CAS. More like scratching an itch I've had for a long time. This will give me some things to think about, but right now I'm leaning towards the 357mag to shoot 38's in. The heavier barrel might be offset by the half magazine somewhat. My main concern is having the lightest recoil.

Thanks again.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

One other thing to consider. If you have physical problems with mounting a rifle, consider that the deep crescent butt plate of most Old West lever rifles was designed to be mounted around the shoulder joint of the arm, not against the meaty part of the shoulder like we do today. Many shooters buy a crescent buttplated rifle, and then complain about the 'points' of the crescent digging into their shoulder with recoil. In the 19th Century, shooting techniques were not exactly the same as we use today. The crescent shaped buttplates were meant to be mounted a little bit farther outboard than we do today, with the crescent 'encircling' the shoulder joint. This made the rifle very secure and it did not slide up or down on the shoulder. Sometimes this necessitated a slightly different stance than we are used to today. Standing not so much straight on to the target, but standing more at a right angle to the target, and also raising the right elbow (for righties) would usually bring the rifle right up to the face without bending over to see the sights. This is the way crescent butt plated rifles were meant to be shouldered. Be sure to try one before you spend your money. Any crescent buttplate will do. You want to be extra sure you can mount the gun comfortably. If you need to place the butt on the meaty part of the shoulder, you may find the points of the buttplate digging uncomfortably into your chest. You may not. You can always cover the points with a pad, but that is how they were designed to be shot.

Carbines, with their flatter buttplate style, are more suited to mounting the way we do today, with the butt against the meaty part of the shoulder, if you find that more comfortable.

I checked cartridge OAL in my loading manuals. Max cartridge OAL for 38 Special is 1.550. Max case length is 1.155. Max cartridge OAL for 357 Magnum is 1.590. Max case length is 1.290. Three different loading manuals had the same dimensions. I did not find any minimums for cartridge OAL.

I have 38 Sp cartridges ranging from 1.440-1.543 at home. I have commercially loaded 357 Mag rounds ranging from 1.560-1.580.

[Montana Slim]

1873's I've encountered were pretty sensitive to cartridge OAL, so I suggest using only .38's loaded to .357 OAL to function in the .357 mag chambered 1873. Note there are .38 special chambered 1866 rifle/carbine available. Some gunsmiths can/will modify the action to feed the shorter catridge. A "short" rifle probably will "hang" best, but don't hesitate to try a few different models before you buy.

Slim