Uberti's Winchester '73
(.44-40 aka .44 WCF)
It may have been the shotgun that tamed the West, it may have
been the Colt 1873 SAA that Hollywood would have us believe
was wielded by every lawman or outlaw West of the Mississippi,
but there is arguably no firearm more iconic of the Old West
than the Winchester lever action rifle. Who can forget John
Wayne swing-cocking his Winchester in Stagecoach, or
Chuck Conners spitting lead as fast as his hands could move in
the title sequence for The Rifleman, then there was
Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
and that classic rope-cutting shot in the closing scene made
from 100+ yards away. Can
any great western film be complete without the hero or villain
carrying a Winchester slung over their horse's saddle in a leather
scabbard, ready to take that long distance shot?
By far, the most iconic was the Winchester 1873 pattern.
As a successor to the Henry repeater and the later 1866
"Yellow Boy", the rifles that started it all,
the action was not all that different. The key point,
mechanically, was the change from rimfire to centerfire
ammunition, resulting in a
somewhat more powerful and deffinitely more reliable
weapon. The Henry was loaded by compressing the magazine spring
and accessing the front portion of the tube. This was changed on
the 1866 Winchester with the addition of a side loading gate
to facilitate easier reloading. Indeed, the Henry simply could not
even be reloaded by a rider in the saddle. The 1866 also added a
handguard, absent in the Henry, allowing for a more stable
grip without the risk of putting a hand on a hot barrel.
A problem there was that the mechanism could not be easily accessed
for cleaning. The distinctive feature of the 1873 pattern is
the detachable side plate and case hardened frame..
Such was its status that it was chosen as the central figure
of what is probably Jimmy Stewart's most well known western
film, Winchester '73. From a shooting contest, to
an indian trader, through an indian attack on a cavalry unit,
and finaly to a mortal duel between two brothers, this rifle
saw most of what any good dime novel portrayed as the Great
American Frontier.
It is only natural, therefore, that this rifle is also among
the most popular in use by Cowboy Action Shooters. Many a gun
slinger has ended with first prize through placing their trust
in this American classic. Most shooters could probably not
afford the genuine article, nor would they be willing to shoot
it in competition if they could because of the age of the
steel and the fact that it was originally designed for black
powder and should not be fired with modern loads. Not to worry
though, since today, multiple makers have turned out some
quite authentic and surprisingly well made replicas. In fact,
it is ultimately due the popularity of CAS that we have
reproductions of this rifle at all.
Uberti's Sporting Rifle
One of the more popular makers is Uberti. Their catalogue
currently has four models of this rifle with fifteen different
configurations listed. Chamberings include .44-40, .45 Colt,
and .357 magnum with barrels ranging from 19 inches up to 24
and a quarter. Stocked with the traditional straight-grained
American Walnut with a deep red hue, the appearance of this
rifle is about as grand as it gets and the color case hardened
frame blends oh so well with that absolutely beautiful
stock. To pick up this rifle is to truely connect with a
distinctively American piece of history.
The Special Sporting rifle, which is the one I elected to
purchase, also comes with bold checkering on the grip and
forestock.
This checkering is not just an after thought but is
very well defined and absolutely precise.
Having this accoutrement adds not insignificantly to the
purchase price but after seeing it, there is no doubt in my
mind that it was worth every penny.
Built as a functional rifle and not merely a decorative piece,
the Uberti Winchester is intended to be fully capable of
anything the original could do and more. With advances in
metellurgy and manufacturing processes, this rifle is actually
stronger and more precise than the original production and
designed to handle full house loads without any
problems. (Bearing in mind the limits of the toggle link
action, of course.)
Type: |
Lever-Action Rifle |
Caliber: |
.44-40 |
Capacity: |
13 |
Barrel Length: |
24 1/4 in. |
Overall Length: |
43.3 in. |
Weight: |
8.2 lbs. |
Sights: |
Blade front, Adjustable semi-buckhorn rear |
Stock: |
A-grade Walnut |
Finish: |
Blue with color case hardening |
MSRP: |
$1379 |
As a collector, my leanings are much more towards historical
arms than the latest advances. To me, seeing how we got here
is just as important as seeing where we're going. Therefore,
when I was granted a bit of a windfall in mid 2007, a suitable
amount of cash was set aside and a trip across town
to Legendary Guns
of Phoenix was planned to inspect their wares. For those of
you in Arizona, and especially the Phoenix metropolitan area,
if you haven't paid a visit to this shop, I highly recommend
it.
After drooling over the display cases, containing many
authentic weapons from the latter half of the 19th century, it
was time to ask about the rifle I was after. While they did
not have one in stock, my timing was such that their Cimarron
representative was on site paying them a visit. Talk about
service! A few minutes of conversation and an order was placed
for what was then termed a "Deluxe Sporting Rifle" chambered in
the original .44 WCF, being true to history.
When I received this rifle and took it out of the box, I was
quite awe struck. Even today, I still consider it to be one of
the most beautiful arms I've ever been privileged to
handle. The first time I levered that action was a most
memorable experience. What a way to connect with the history
of the Old West. Briefly caught up in the moment, in my
minds eye, I half expected to see Pat Garret, Bill Cody, or
Annie Oakly step around the corner. Halucinations aside, it
was a very moving experience for me.
One thing I was somewhat disappointed about was that, not
knowing much at the time about the assembly and mechanical
operation, I had to do a bit or research to find complete
documentation on disassembly and maintenance of the toggle
link action. I think Uberti could do with including something
more detailed than the one page brief they sent with the rifle
of which half was the standard safety information.
Kapow! Zwing!
It seems that every western rag has someone shooting a rifle
with that signature sound followed immediately by the ever
present sound of a ricochette. Cornie as all get out but it
helped sell tickets. Fortunately, we're a touch smarter when
it comes to the real thing. We all know that if we hear a
ricochette that we should be looking for a better backstop and
hoping that we're not too close. And yes, on various trips out
into the Arizona desert, I have heard that sound from this
rifle.
10 rounds of Winchester 225gr LFN at 50 yards.
Shooting this rifle for the first time was just as memorable
as holding it for the first time with one exception: CAS loads
are generally so light as to almost be a waste of bullets. While the
rounds are powerful enough, it doesn't give one a true sense
of what the rifle can do and, since there are few commercial
loads of .44-40 intended for any other purpose, almost all are loaded
to these same specifications. To find out what the rifle can
really do pretty much requires handloading cartridges. But since I do not
presently have reloading gear, that bit will have to
wait. Consequently, anything beyond 50 yards isn't going to
truely show what this rifle can do.
There is one other problem that I need to have corrected and
that is the trigger. For reasons I cannot comprehend, this
rifle has a massive 12.5 pound pull. Rifle triggers need to be
stiff, but not that stiff. A trip to the gunsmith is
due here at some point to have that adjusted to somewhere in
the neighborhood of 7 to 7.5 pounds. Nevertheless, it was
still nice to see groups consistantly at about five inches at
50 yards. Once I get that trigger adjusted, I can probably get
that in under three. There are those who will do much better
than this but it's still not bad for iron sights and a hard
trigger.
Final Thoughts
Uberti has created a faithful replica of the original 1873
pattern Winchester repeating rifle. The quality and
performance of their arms has given them a widely favorable
reputation among afficionados of western arms. With Baretta's
parent company also taking a stake in Uberti, it further
demonstrates both company's commitment to creating quality
reproductions from the past with a clear eye to the future.
With the increasing cost and scarcity of authentic arms from
this period of history, it is good to know that the replica
makers are alive and well and do not appear to be going
anywhere for the foreseable future.
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