76 Practicality?

Bryan Austin · August 07, 2009, 03:53:42 PM

I have been wanting a 76 for some time now. I'm not sure what cal. to get when I get one. I want an Uberti

Pros vs cons and reloading availability?

Thansk

ndnchf · August 07, 2009, 04:47:33 PM

We since you asked...

If you are ready to step into the realm of the mighty '76 Winchester, practicality can take a back seat. These are big, powerful, heavy, obsolete repeating rifles. There are many other rifles that do just about everything better than a '76 (except for garnering style points). That being said, I have an Uberti '76 in .50 Express (.50-95). I got it because it warmed my heart. The caliber I chose was probably the least practical, but to me, the most exciting. My advice is go with whatever caliber trips your trigger

Reloading components are available for all of them. Some are easier to come by and less expensive than others. There are more bullets available for the .45 cal cartridges. But there are several choices for the .50 Express also. Once you get dies, brass and a mould or bullets, they are all easy to load, shoot very well using black powder (within their intended ranges) and have surprisingly light recoil due to their relatively light bullets.

I'm sure others will give you their opinions and much can be learned from reading the archives. You can't choose a bad caliber, they are all winners. Go with your heart

Bryan Austin · August 07, 2009, 05:07:22 PM

Thanks ndnchf

Well, in that case here is a little more thinking.

I will not buy anything until I buy the rifle (has to be a 76") so I guess no more comparing to other rifles. Whatever cal it is, I will then buy the reloading stuff for it.

Now I guess I need to decide which cal. to wait for!

Also I want an Uberti to go along with my Uberti revolvers and Uberti Winchester 73

Anyone need a 1984 Honda 450 Nighthawk?

Rowdy Fulcher · August 07, 2009, 06:40:13 PM

Savvy Jack
Welcome Pard , We are all lovers of the 76 rifle or carbine . The calibers are truly the shooters choice . You have the 40-60 , the 45-60 , the 45-75 , and the 50-95 . They are all good shooters ,and if loaded with black they will make loads of Smoke . I personally love the 45-60 , BUT the 45-75 is a excellent cartridge also . Good Luck

Grizzly Adams · August 07, 2009, 06:50:07 PM

Howdy, Jack. Welcome to the fire!

Check out the new 1876 SRC over at Cimarron Arms. Great balance and lots of style!

http://www.cimarron-firearms.com/RepeatingRifles/1876Carbine.htm

I personally prefer the 45-60 caliber, just because it is a bit easier to reload for in terms of components - at least that's been my experience in terms of which is most "practical." I also have a couple of originals in 45-75 and I enjoy shootiing them as well.

Whatever you decide on, you really can't go wrong!

You will love the 1876. It is, IMHO, the finest, and most elegant expression of the Victorian gun makers art.

Dirty Brass · August 08, 2009, 11:16:46 AM

I have to agree - the '76 is a great choice! I have an 1860, 1866, 1873, and two 1876's. The 76's are by far my favorite amongst them - more of a riflemans rifle the way I see it - not a dual purpose pistol caliber firearm. Don't get me wrong - thay all have their place - but the 76' is at the head of the line for me!

Roscoe Coles · August 08, 2009, 01:00:49 PM

Honestly, I'm not sure I think of my 76 and "practicality" in the same sentence. Like Dirty Brass I have an 1860, a 66, a bunch of 73s , an 86, some 1892s, as well as a Sharps and Spencer. The 1886 Winchester in 45-70 is the most practical gun. Having said this, owning a 76 is not about practicality. My Uberti 76 in 45-75 is my favorite rifle. Its just a giant old thing and a pleasure to shoot.

As far as calibers go, the 45-60 is the easiest to make (from 45-70) and it takes the fewest tools to do. The 45-75 can be made from .348 Win without that much trouble, but it requires more tools and takes fire forming. Having said this, the brass for all the calibers are available periodically from Jamison or pre-converted from Buffalo Arms.

However, the thing to do is pick the caliber that you want and then buy the stuff to go with it. NDNCHF bought the 50-95 because he wanted it, I bought the 45-75 because my hero Theodore Roosevelt shot it. By choosing the 76 you have left practicality behind, buy the caliber that you really want and just accept what you have to do to make it work.

Pony Racer · August 10, 2009, 11:56:58 AM

I went with an 1876 SRC in 45-60.

I also went with a Chaparal - but had the gunsmith I have known since 2001, who is very well schooled in western firearms and has quite the touch to make things work, go over it for me before I accepted it.

The Chappie 1876 SRCs have not seemed to have such bad workmanship as some of the other chappie 1876 rifles. I could not find a copy in 45-75, but CDNN (at least 3-4 weeks ago) had the 45-60 versions for around 800.00!!:) The action is a little tight and the trigger is heavy but that seems to be normal for about every gun I have bought within recent memory.

I have not fired it yet, but have found nothing to complain about other than rear sight - the screw head that holds the moving piece (part with "v" notch) when placed to allow rear sight to laydown is directly in the way of the standard sight picture.
I removed the piece for now - since most of my shooting will be at 100 yds or less. As people experiment with rear sights I am keeping my eye to them to see what I may like best.

I agree with everyone here that the 1876 is not very practical - but I am wrong guy for practicality. I shoot open tops and conversions as my standard pistols and for kicks am playing with French 1873 11mm pistols (thanks to Bernold at GAD custom cartridges) and Russian Nagants with 32 S&W longs.

I am convinced that once I get those French pistols right they would make awesome BP shooters!!! They balance and point very well.

Deadeye Don · August 10, 2009, 02:23:15 PM

If you run out of ammo, the 1876 will make a much better club than a 66 or 73.

It is a fine rifle, but I would not want to have to carry it far.

badlands · August 11, 2009, 11:06:01 AM

Tell the mule deer and white tails and two russian boar i've taken with a 76 that it's not very practical, one shot, clean kill........seems pretty darn practical to me.
Badlands

Roscoe Coles · August 11, 2009, 11:31:59 AM

Hey Badlands:
Nobody said a 76 wouldn't kill stuff. But when you buy a 10 pound rifle with ammo that costs $82 a box when you can find it you are moving beyond practical. I never had to fireform anything until I got my 76, I had to buy all the expansion tools in addition to a special mould. If all I wanted to do was kill some critters I would have just pulled the 30-06 out of the safe. There are a lot of guns more practical than the 76, but I still love mine and truth be told, about the only time I take the 06 out of the safe is to get to the 76.

larryo_1 · August 11, 2009, 08:06:47 PM

Roscoe:
Amen! I too like my '76 even tho it is a tad bit heavy but then again so is my 12 pound 375 H&H that I built and I love 'em both! That '76 is a "Saddle Rifle" not a "drag through the brush"rifle. You know--lay it over the forks and ride! I also got an '86 in 45-90 that I have used hunting for years but let me tell you--by the end of the day my knuckles drag in the dirt. It, too, I feel is better off a horse but again that is me talking.

Joe Lansing · August 11, 2009, 09:10:37 PM

I'm very happy with my Chappy '76. After debugging and customizing it, I couldn't ask for a more pleasing rifle. I customized it by cutting the barrel to 24", turning it to half round, and making it a half magazine(inspired by Teddy's '76).This made it lighter than the carbine model. I also had my initials engraved on the side plate in period style.
I chose 45-60. I have always loved 45-70, and to me a 45-60 is simply put, a 45-70 Short. Its ease of fabrication also allows me to provide myself with the quantities of ammo I would like to shoot, and is adequate enough to hunt anything in my corner of the world.

J.L.

Rancid Roy · November 13, 2009, 06:02:19 PM

Practical? If we were being practical we would be on the plastic stock, stainless barrel, bolt-action rifle chat line...!

I bought the 28 inch barreled Uberti 1876 in .45/75 because that was THE most famous caliber [in my mind] and the most PRACTICAL in it's day. Plus the history of that rifle and that cartridge.

Indeed the easiest to set up for and load is probably the .45/60, as Grizzly knows and says [and he knows what he speaks about].

BUT I have been thinking that if I had the "ching" [and the time to load for them] I'd love a carbine in .45/75 and a short rifle in .50/95. Maybe even a custom short magazine rifle in .40/60.

I really think the .50/95 would be fun to load and shoot.

However I will probably stay with my one 28 inch barreled Uberti. It is not greatly accurate with BP and cast bullets [4 inches at 3 shots at 100 yards]. But that load and accuracy will kill large game out to 200 yards and that's far enough.

Have fun with your research and get busy these rifles are pure fun!!

Regards, Rancid Roy.

Forty Rod · November 13, 2009, 06:51:27 PM

About as practical as a barbed wire jock strap, but what a hoot to shoot.

Next size up comes with wheels.

Won't shoot it much because of cost, weight, and limited places, but it's a keeper. You'll always hate yourself if you don't get one.

Bryan Austin · November 13, 2009, 07:28:24 PM

I still want one. I hope to be able to get one by next summer!

Mossyrock · November 14, 2009, 09:31:39 AM

Practical? Kinda sorta..... Size efficient? Not so much. I can load my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt with 320gr bullets and meet or surpass the ballistics of the 45-60...and can do the same with my Rossi 92. Having said that, the '76 is WAY more fun to shoot! The only real downside to the '76 is portability....which it doesn't have much of. Besides, if all else fails, the '76 wins on class and style points alone! I still can't figure out why I need a 50-95. I already have a 56-50 Spencer and a 50-70 Roller...but I REALLY want one. Practical? Who said it HAD to be practical? If I wanted practical, I'd pull out the FN FAL and the Glock....(Neither of which have seen the light of day in over two years!)

Hobie · November 17, 2009, 07:21:26 AM

It was practical in 1876.

Seriously, most all the aspects of ownership have been mentioned in one post or another. The guns cost a bit compared to others, the ammo costs a lot. Over time I have probably put as much into the ammo as I have in my SRC. It uses lead and powder in prodigious amounts compared to many modern rifles. Finding or creating brass that works can be a frustrating experience.

If a project is what you want you'll have it. It is a very satisfying project.

Black River Johnny · November 18, 2009, 06:06:40 AM

I have a Uberti Cimarron. I love it. I went with 45-75 - Just because that is what I wanted. Then I found out that there was not much brass and loaded shells were expensive. So I went the way of making the brass from the .348 win. To me it is a very simple but a little time comsuming process. I have no regrets. I am deer hunting with it again this year and I am going to take it to south Texas in March and shoot a couple of hogs.

Colonel Buckshot · November 21, 2009, 08:52:49 AM

The action is really designed to use a bottle neck that will seal the chamber. The 45-75 and the 45-60 are probably the two most useful rounds in the gun. Teddy Roosevelt had the 45-75 and it is the bottle neck cartridge type the rifle was designed for. The 45-60 would be easier to make and get a hold of as far as cutting down 45-70.