stubbicatt
New member
Well, after owning it for nearly a month now, I took my new Taylor's Uberti 1873 in 357 magnum to the forest service this morning for a test fire. --Sorry no photos, but it was raining so hard that I just wasn't able to take any at the range this morning.
When I purchased it, I also purchased a box of American Eagle cartridges for it. I continued to read as much as I could about the rifle after receiving it, and learned that it has a tight for caliber bore, .356" in the grooves, IIRC. I placed a call to Taylors, where one of the cheerful ladies told me it would be better to shoot cast bullets, sized .358, than jacketed bullets. So, I loaded up some cartridges on new Starline brass, consisting of 13.2 grains of 2400 and a 160 grain Lyman RNFP "cowboy" bullet, and home made bullet lube, CCI small pistol primers. A nice firm crimp.
The purpose for the excursion today was to function check and test fire, and examine the bore for lead fouling. There was none, and the bore cleaned up easily. I only fired 20 shots, or thereabouts, but I was surprised how accurate the rifle seemed to be, how hard it hit, and how minimal the perceived recoil was!
I say it *seemed to be* accurate as I was only firing at perhaps 30 yards at bits of trash left on the range, from standing, in a downpour of rain, and have difficulty seeing the sights. Nonetheless when it connected with whatever range detritus it was pointed at, the results on target were pretty spectacular.
Modifications: I modified the rifle slightly. The trigger pull out of the box was quite stout, at an estimated 10 pounds or so, maybe more. After online research I purchased a spring kit which consisted of a reduced power mainspring, coil type lifter springs, and a much lighter lever-trigger block safety spring. Spring kit available here. I chose to reinstall the original lever-trigger block safety spring, as in my estimation the replacement did not provide enough resistance for my taste. The reduced power mainspring brought the trigger pull down appreciably, and still set off the CCI primers without failing even once.
Impressions: I really like this rifle. It is very ergonomic, easy to use, and just a whole lot of fun. I reckon I have about 6 or 7 cents in consumables in each cartridge, which makes plinking a whole lot of fun at little expense. I was able to recover every spent cartridge, as they all fell at my feet, unlike the situation with a semi auto. I know it is only a replica of an iconic 19th century firearm, but there is a pride of ownership and an aesthetic appeal that is also nice.
I think the upgraded spring kit is a very good idea. There is no doubt it lightened the trigger pull substantially. I am not so sure about the elevator springs, but have read elsewhere that over time the stock springs wear away at the internals, which the replacements are not supposed to do, so I consider replacement of the elevator springs a prophylactic measure.
The sights seemed to be perfect for windage, and very close for elevation, right out of the box without any adjustment.
Future upgrades: No fault of Uberti or Taylor's, but my "Mod. 1, Mk. *" eyeballs are not what they used to be. I am now considering either a tang sight, as I have found it is easier to see the front sight with an aperture, or one of these Wm. Malcolm 3x scopes, which are supposed to be a period-type optic. I am shying away from the Malcolm scope due to unfavorable reports about the scope bases being made from a soft, cheese-like, material, and not holding up so very well. Too the images I have found of a Wm. Malcolm scope mounted on a 1873 depict the optic mounted well to the port side of the centerline of the rifle. I wish I could see one mounted up in the flesh to help in making this decision.
For certain I must make some changes to the sights.
Conclusion: I am quite happy with this rifle, and anticipate many many rounds of fun at low cost in the future.
When I purchased it, I also purchased a box of American Eagle cartridges for it. I continued to read as much as I could about the rifle after receiving it, and learned that it has a tight for caliber bore, .356" in the grooves, IIRC. I placed a call to Taylors, where one of the cheerful ladies told me it would be better to shoot cast bullets, sized .358, than jacketed bullets. So, I loaded up some cartridges on new Starline brass, consisting of 13.2 grains of 2400 and a 160 grain Lyman RNFP "cowboy" bullet, and home made bullet lube, CCI small pistol primers. A nice firm crimp.
The purpose for the excursion today was to function check and test fire, and examine the bore for lead fouling. There was none, and the bore cleaned up easily. I only fired 20 shots, or thereabouts, but I was surprised how accurate the rifle seemed to be, how hard it hit, and how minimal the perceived recoil was!
I say it *seemed to be* accurate as I was only firing at perhaps 30 yards at bits of trash left on the range, from standing, in a downpour of rain, and have difficulty seeing the sights. Nonetheless when it connected with whatever range detritus it was pointed at, the results on target were pretty spectacular.
Modifications: I modified the rifle slightly. The trigger pull out of the box was quite stout, at an estimated 10 pounds or so, maybe more. After online research I purchased a spring kit which consisted of a reduced power mainspring, coil type lifter springs, and a much lighter lever-trigger block safety spring. Spring kit available here. I chose to reinstall the original lever-trigger block safety spring, as in my estimation the replacement did not provide enough resistance for my taste. The reduced power mainspring brought the trigger pull down appreciably, and still set off the CCI primers without failing even once.
Impressions: I really like this rifle. It is very ergonomic, easy to use, and just a whole lot of fun. I reckon I have about 6 or 7 cents in consumables in each cartridge, which makes plinking a whole lot of fun at little expense. I was able to recover every spent cartridge, as they all fell at my feet, unlike the situation with a semi auto. I know it is only a replica of an iconic 19th century firearm, but there is a pride of ownership and an aesthetic appeal that is also nice.
I think the upgraded spring kit is a very good idea. There is no doubt it lightened the trigger pull substantially. I am not so sure about the elevator springs, but have read elsewhere that over time the stock springs wear away at the internals, which the replacements are not supposed to do, so I consider replacement of the elevator springs a prophylactic measure.
The sights seemed to be perfect for windage, and very close for elevation, right out of the box without any adjustment.
Future upgrades: No fault of Uberti or Taylor's, but my "Mod. 1, Mk. *" eyeballs are not what they used to be. I am now considering either a tang sight, as I have found it is easier to see the front sight with an aperture, or one of these Wm. Malcolm 3x scopes, which are supposed to be a period-type optic. I am shying away from the Malcolm scope due to unfavorable reports about the scope bases being made from a soft, cheese-like, material, and not holding up so very well. Too the images I have found of a Wm. Malcolm scope mounted on a 1873 depict the optic mounted well to the port side of the centerline of the rifle. I wish I could see one mounted up in the flesh to help in making this decision.
For certain I must make some changes to the sights.
Conclusion: I am quite happy with this rifle, and anticipate many many rounds of fun at low cost in the future.