Uberti Model 66 Flatside 150th anniversary bbl length???

[Speedballalice]

I just picked one of these up as a gift from my fiance on Friday. I wanted one back when they were released (one was available locally)but passed because of them being in 45colt and not wanting to spend $1300+ on a gun that wasnt in the caliber I wanted. Well, time went by and i regretted passing it up.
My fiance and I were out shopping for fishing supplies Friday when I stumbled across a used one with the box at a shop I dont normally frequent. She caught me handling it and asked me about it. I told her how I passed one up a couple years ago and regretted it, how it was 1 of 350 and basically a needle in a haystack at this point. She offered to buy it as a wedding gift and needless to say after many "are you sures" from me it came home with us.
The gun has been fired but is in excellent shape with no blemishes and feeds both 45colt and Schofields equally well. I intend on shooting it regularly and am hoping it will handle my blackpowder rounds well without too much blowby.
I'm curious that this rifles promotional literature lists it with a 20" barrel. It does measure that from the breechface. I know all the normal uberti 66s are listed as having a 19" barrel. I'm curious if they are actually different or if the normal 66s are actually 20" total. Im thinking about possible buying a 44-40 barrel for this in the future and am curious if I will need to buy a matching mag tube or shorten mine?
In the meantime I will just enjoy shooting it as a 45colt and maybe I will like it.

[nativeshootist]

Well, measure the barrel first. Make sure that's its actually 20" or 19". If its actually 20" the mag tube might just be a bit longer to accommodate that barrel length. If it is 20" and you want to sell the barrel after you swap it. Dont be afraid to send me a PM. I'll also measure the barrel length on my carbine when I get home.

[Speedballalice]

The barrel measures 20" from the breechface like stated in the above post. I was hoping someone could measure the standard uberti 66 carbine barrel for a comparison.

[nativeshootist]

I can do that, just need to get home.

[Abilene]

I was pretty sure but just measured a couple Uberti carbines to be sure.  19" 

[Speedballalice]

Thanks to both of you for taking the time to look.
I was always curious why Uberti went with a 19" bbl on the 66 and 73 carbines. Did they originally reverse engineer one that had a cutdown 19" bbl? Also curious why they went with a 20" on the flatside and not start putting them on the standard 66 and 73 carbines after that? No biggie I guess, it's only and inch.

[Tascosa Joe]

I think they might have been trying to keep the unscrupulous from defarbing and passing one as an original.

[nativeshootist]

So I measured my carbine. From the breach to the muzzle it is 19"

[Speedballalice]

Thank you for checking.
I'm off this week. Hoping to get it to the range and get some BP schofield and 45 colt rounds through it. Hopefully with very little blowby. Going to take the chronograph also.

[nativeshootist]

With 45 Schofield, blow by is a little more but never effected me much

[Abilene]

Maybe they made the 20" barrel to make it different.  The engraving as well.  That is an interesting design, haven't seen it before.

[Coffinmaker]

Speedballalice 

I'm curious.  Is your Knew-Two-Ewe '66 a Miroku Winchester (Japanese) or a Uberti??  I am confused as your rifle appears to be a carbine but has a Rifle Butt Stock.  Odd that.

There is a simple if time consuming to eliminate Blow-By.

[Speedballalice]

Speedballalice 

I'm curious.  Is your Knew-Two-Ewe '66 a Miroku Winchester (Japanese) or a Uberti??  I am confused as your rifle appears to be a carbine but has a Rifle Butt Stock.  Odd that.

There is a simple if time consuming to eliminate Blow-By.

It is a Uberti 66. It was manufactured in 2016 and limited to only 350 units. It mas made to replicate the very early manufactured Winchester 1866 carbines. This includes the "Henry drop" in the frame at the hammer area, the lack of "flares" at the front of the frame to meet the forearm, thinner front forearm and a rifle stock like used on a lot of early 1866 carbines. The rifle is also hand engraved and signed.

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/61/1022/winchester-1866-flatside-carbine-first-model

[Coffinmaker]

  Entirely too Kewel   

I happen to be an aficionado of Brass Rifles.  Two '66s and 4 Henrys.  All Uberti.  All set up for the CAS game.  I like them much better than the '73s.

So I went looking for information.  The early Winchester Carbines did indeed have 20 inch barrels.  Later, the barrel length was changed to 19 inches.  No clue as to why.  Don't really care. 

I personally wouldn't alter your rifle.  There are just too may options with a rifle chambered for 45 Colt.  With a 44-40, you will only ever have a 44-40.  With a little effort, a .45 Rifle will shoot just as clean as a 44-40 or a 38-40.  Blow-By can be completely eliminated.  That rifle can be a huge amount of FUN!!!

[Tascosa Joe]

I have one of these carbines.  I followed Coffin's advice and annealed several hundred rounds of .45 Schofield brass.  I shot a match with it last Saturday, no blow by at all.

[Speedballalice]

I will be shooting it in it's current chambering and I may grow to like it. I have two Henry's in 44-40, blued frame and brass frame, and have worked up some decent BP and smokeless loads. That is why I was considering the rebarrel. I also reload BP in 45 colt, schofield and 44 russian in my pistols so I'm set up for reloading for whatever. My BP Schofield loads are set up to run in a Uberti schofield with 2f OE powder a NEI hand cast hollow base bullet with big lube grooves and my own lube. I can get 50rds through the Schofield without binding. I'm hoping these will work well in my new rifle but I may have run the bullet further out and put more powder in to get the velocity I want.
I know the 44-40 loads I have worked up will more than likely work well as they are. That is where I'm coming from.
Either way I like the rifle and I'm going to have some fun with it for sure and I will try the 45 chambering first and experiment.

[Coffinmaker]

   TA DA   

I fought the Annealing idea for a really long time.  Then my prized 1866 TRAPPER in 44 Special refused to run with BP or Subs.  With 44 Russian it would fowl out the chamber in 6 rounds and jam tight. 

Then OD#3 cam strolling through one of our discussions and beat me about the head and shoulders about annealing straight wall cases.  I fought that too.  Then one day I up and decided to try annealing to save my 44 TRAPPER.  I must admit, I was amazed.  The rifle went from a job-0-matic that would not run, to spitting brass like wet grain through a goose.

It has been known for years that NONE of the straight wall pistol cases will obturate (expand) enough to seal the chamber.  Especially in Uberti rifles and Rossi.  The generally advised rule of thumb was max loads with BIG heavy bullets and a HEAVY crimp.  NOT.  That solution only reduces blow-by marginally.  After OD#3 made a believer out of me, I tried annealing with ALL of my big bore straight wall cases.  .44 Special, 44 Russian, 45 Colt, 45 Schofield and Cowboy 45 Special.  I DO NOT have blow-by.  At this time, ALL of my large bore Uberti rifles have at least 5 matches on them, with only needing to swab out the bore.  After a match, all I have to do chamber a fired case, swab out the bore, eject the case, dry patch, oily patch and done.

I run light loads, light bullets, no problems.  Oh, and I am a proponent of APP.  I also have a CAS partner who cannot get his 38 Special 1866 to run BP.  I showed him how to anneal.  I await the results.

My only regret at this time, is YOUR rifle isn't MY rifle.  Did Uberti include the Butt Trap for the cleaning rod??  Atz a really really nice Rifle.  It can also be tuned up to run Really Really FAST.

PS:  I DO NOT recommend annealing for pistol cartridges.  Makes 'em real hard to eject.

[Speedballalice]

I'm hopefully going to get to shoot it tomorrow. I have some 45colt loads with red dot and schofield loads with Olde Eynesford 2f. I will start there and see where the road takes me. I havent been resizing my BP schofield cases the last few times I've reloaded them and I'm hoping this will help with the sealing in the 66. It is just a wild stab in the dark. I quit fully sizing the brass when it dawned on me the original tools didnt size the brass. I figured why overstressed my brass that use BP when I can just seat the bullet on top of the powder and crimp. So far it has work well and the rounds chamber in all of my 45 colt firearms. I'm hoping these will seal better do to having to expand less to seal, we will see. I'm also hoping the Olde Eynesford powder will help. It works well in my Schofield, a gun that couldn't get past 15 rounds without choking on GOEX 2f.
If not I will consider the annealing process. I have researched it before but decided to pass at that time due to the extra work. What process are you using? Is there a link somewhere to a video that comes close? The one I watched showed putting cases in water partially submerged and using a propane torch. I hand hast my bullets, make my own lube etc. And just didnt want to add another step at that time.
The flat side 66 that I have has an engraved buttplate with no provisions for cleaning kit.
Also, it has no saddle ring which kind of bums me out but not a dealbreaker.

[Coffinmaker]

I cannot recommend the Water in the Pan method.  Very uneven.  What I do is Skull Numb Boring.  I have a socket, with a bolt thru it, with a nut to hold it, then I chuck it up in my cordless drill.  I have a camping short fat propane bottle that sits in a camping heater stand with a torch head.  Fire it up and hold the bullet in the flame for 5 to 6 seconds then dump in a bucket of water.  The bucket of water doesn't do anything except cool the cases quickly.  Quenching has no effect.  It's a good thing I don't have to do it real often.  I annealed a lot of cases so I wouldn't need to do it every time.

I do resize my brass.  Never thought not to.  Interesting concept.  Understandable too.  I will be quite interested in your results with BP and un-resized brass in your rifle.  Would be nice if your rifle had the Cleaning Rod Trap and the Saddle Ring.  Still a great rifle.

[nativeshootist]

That engraving is beautiful. You enjoy your rifle, I wish all carbines had 20" barrels but that's just me.