Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

.45 Colt - a moderate rifle load I used to run was 200 grain bullet, 5.0 grains TiteGroup good luck, GJ

I load a 175 grain cast slug for revolvers, with 4.2 grains Winchester Super Target. Makes about 650 FPS. Clean. 180 grain bullet would be same powder charge, almost same velocity. good luck, GJ

None of the Uberti toggle rifle short stroke kits are just drop in. There's enough variation in the Uberti guns to make each one a little different, and require hand fitting. It's not a job for a first-time hobbyist. In your situation (other than being remote from lots of smiths) - I'd advise using a good cowboy gunsmith. "Regular" gunsmiths often don't know enough about the guns and the game to get the gun tuned right after installing the kit. And in your case, with the very-low production numbers of .44 magnum 73s, it's hard to tell if ANY short stroke kit will ev

Any maximum velocity restrictions on the matches? No, not coming, just curious. And other shooters might need to know. good luck, GJ

The screws which are involved in disassembly for cleaning a toggle link gun are real nice to have in the hard versions. They get taken out and reinstalled so often, that factory-soft screws stay pristine only with a TON of extra care during routine maintenance. These would be: side plate screw lever screw lever and lifter spring screws trigger guard screws (2) tang screw butt plate screw (1, same screw used to attach lower tang to the stock as they attach butt plate to the stock) Most others are much less frequently removed.

And thus the need for a 1/4" bit hand impact driver. The Uberti factory installs fairly soft screws and uses high torques. That works well until the first disassembly has to be done. VTI carries complete sets of hardened screws. First thing I do when I get a new Italian made firearm and a new screw kit is disassemble completely, clean well, remove rust from mag tube (if it has one), deburr any rough spots, and THEN start to do any tuning work that I want to do. Then it's reassembled with proper lubrication and hard screws to moderate torques. Don't force a bit or screwdriver

First off, here's a nice video by Maker-Wright that explains how the action should be working, and how the slide lock specifically should work. Good stuff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZKVkru26a0 Cocking the hammer normally causes the action slide lock to lock the action from moving, so if he is having to do this to ALLOW the action to run, that slide lock bar is probably bent or in very bad shape. Bending the action slide lock bar can be caused by pulling back hard on the slide while shooting. As the video explains, this puts a lot of force directly on the end of the

You really need some gunsmith size flat bits. If you can afford 'em, get the Brownells regular set and the thin-bit set. You will buy once and use them for a LONG time. Otherwise, we have some lists of specific Brownells magna-tip bits for particular western guns. Here's one from Pale Wolf Brunelle some time ago: Ruger Single Action 150-4 * 180-3 * 180-4 210-4 * Rossi 92 150-4 * 180-3 * 180-5 210-4 * 270-4 300-5 340-5 * Duplicated in above two sets Colt/clone SAA 340-3 300-3 270-3 210-3 180-3 18

For a 366 Hornady/Pacific press? See Hornady parts dept - give 'em a call! May not be in stock, though, seeing how many folks have dusted off their shotshell presses recently. But up until a year ago, they have always had the parts I needed. good luck, GJ

My favorite preservative grease and waterproofing is Pecard's leather dressing. https://www.amazon.com/PECARD-Leather-Dressing-6-oz/dp/B0081SCR1S To remove the sweat and salts - whether they came from a horse or a shooter - Fiebings Saddle Soap and water. good luck, GJ

Now might be the time to (one time) clean primer pockets in your fired brass. I rarely do so, only if I FEEL a rough seating pull or find a high primer sticking out of the pocket. But with your wide spread failure to seat problem, you may have a lot of residue in the pockets. good luck, GJ

Look up George Digweed and his long range shotgun demonstrations. Yep, that's a long way. GJ

English shooters report they have no problems getting enough shotshells to shoot sporting clays across the pond. They are kinda wondering what we're complaining about. good luck, GJ

You should have drawn a scream along side the diamond, ala Edvard Munch

Both the .357 and .45 Colt levers should be interchangeable in factory guns having no mods, and both having the same style of stock (either both straight, or both pistol grip, sporting). The SAME part number (VTI part UB:240089) is used for any caliber of a straight-stock Uberti rifle. Your .357 lever appears to have been heavily modified post-factory, if that was originally a Uberti lever. I assume you are asking about the different positions of the the surface of the lifter arm contact on the lever boss? The .357 lever has had a LOT of metal taken off (to make a

Hard to beat Long Hunter. His shop can provide a Uberti 73 as well as get it competition ready. Thus, it only ships once. http://www.longhunt.com/ Jim and Jared are top shelf smiths. GJ

Sure, and you stayed awake in HS chemistry classes, too. It's chemically reactive oxygen cations in H2O2 that make it DIFFERENT from water. Your claim would make sodium chlorite (a strong oxidizer and very toxic) the same as table salt, with a little extra oxygen. Please don't spread such mis-info about hazardous chemicals. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizer, even dilute. That is why it bubbles out and sterilizes wounds. It would certainly be necessary to prepare peroxide bottles by washing and rinsing and drying before use. But, as several of us mentione

Army and Navy Powder storage "cans" that I have handled when working in a DOD funded explosives research facility were heavy gauge galvanized steel and had a very tight rubber gasketed lid to prevent leakages both into and out of the container. The plastic lids that go on coffee cans won't last even a few months when I store polished brass in them. SAAMI is the sporting firearms industry standards committee. As such, it provides the collective recommendations from the companies which manufacture all the smokeless powder commonly used. They provide th

If this is REALLY about getting an inner, factory marked box, I would not dream of asking Uberti or a major distributor to supply an inner box that has Uberti markings. First, it implies to a potential gun buyer that the original factory box has been preserved in perfect condition. And hoping to add value on a firearm sale by having what might look like an "original box." By supplying a replacement box that was not original to the firearm. Second, I strongly doubt Uberti ships extra empty gun boxes to distributors anyway. Maybe it would be possible to get such a box from a dis

Well, if you can repurpose a box, do it. If you can't, new commercial boxes will work for someone who needs a few rather than a few thousand (made to order). Anyone can look at the prices and see if this works for them. They are much more secure than shipping in a ragged thin 3-times used box held together with a roll of tape. Which I have received several times, and often with at least some damage. good luck, GJ

If you can't find them locally, ULine will ship you suitable double-wall brown shipping boxes of just about any size. End up being about $4 apiece. That's where I get mine when I run out of extras. Uline - here's one size of box that I have ordered, but they have a HUGE catalog.... https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-16709/Corrugated-Boxes-Heavy-Duty/10-x-8-x-6-275-lb-Heavy-Duty-Corrugated-Boxes or: https://www.uline.com/BL_433/Rifle-Boxes?keywords=firearm+boxes These come in minimum quantity of 15. But they are great. good luck, GJ

I'd hunt down any commercial loaders in your area. Bug them for their empty powder containers of any size. The plastic of powder containers is specially designed NOT to interact with residual ethers, esters, -(acet)ones, and alcohol type solvents used in manufacturing powder. For example, leaving Winchester Super Handicap powder in contact with the rigid plastic RCBS uses in powder measures results in the powder dissolving into the container walls and changing composition to be who-knows-what. You take a pretty big risk of ruining the powder using just any plastic ja

A frequent poster here and stockmaker - Ace of Hearts. No, with a great deal of sorrow - too late to seek his assistance. Couple of fantastic gun restoration companies - Turnbull or Run-n-Iron. But local stock wood craftsmen probably will be cheaper and faster. Your local guy might be someone at Alhman's in Morristown, MN, like Bob Kolling. Ask around your local matches - good stock makers/fixers sometimes do little advertising. good luck, GJ

If you keep that 12 gauge for your son to use, get the stock repaired to pull that crack together and get a professional-quality bedding job done to get a 100% fit between wood and steel at the scallops and tangs. Glass bedding is cheaper and if done professionally, probably just as strong as wood to metal, or more so. The most common problem that SKBs have is splitting buttstocks - sometimes due to loose mounting bolt, sometimes due to sloppy fitting between wood and steel. Modding it to be a great cowboy gun will raise the value to action shooters, and lower the value to other

I usually grab one of my brass bars that I got from the local hardware store (3/8" or 1/2" usually work well). Rarely need one longer than about 6 inches. Very cheap, and I don't care what it looks like or where it was manufactured. If I bend it, "oh well, scrap box for you, buddy." Hundred dollar sight pushers? Haven't needed one yet. good luck, GJ