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1873


Hoss

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Considering an Uberti 1873 winchester in 357. Will they handle 38sp or do they rerquire the longer case of the 357? I don't reload my own, so ammo cost is a factor!

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They will work just fine with 38s (thousands of SASS shooters shoot 38s out of them every weekend) but they can be finicky as to cartridge length. I haven't had any problem firing 158 grain factory 38s specials out of mine, but because I reload I haven't done it that often.

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They will work just fine with 38s (thousands of SASS shooters shoot 38s out of them every weekend) but they can be finicky as to cartridge length. I haven't had any problem firing 158 grain factory 38s specials out of mine, but because I reload I haven't done it that often.

Have you actually seen Uberti 357 rifles that will not shoot certain 38 special lengths? Marlins sometimes like longer lengths, but having shot several different 73s, have not seen an OAL issue????

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Older guns were much more finicky. They didn't use to put that bevel on the front of the cartridge lifter. With a too short round you would get a cartridge on the lifter plus about 1/4 of the next one. With the bevel it helps to push that second cartridge back into the mag tube as the lfiter rises, to a point. You still can't run wadcutters in 38 cases. :rolleyes:

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I have shot 1.475 to 1.515 in my 73 and never had any feed problem at all with the feed.I load all my loads now at 1.505 because my 92 like that OAL.

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I run 1.500 with 125's and 147's in my 3 different '73's. No problems

I settled on that length when I was running Marlins cuz that was what they liked and I was to lazy to change the seater die. :)

 

Regards

 

:FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

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I added the bevel too my Uberti since the original 1873 had it, even for cartridges that rarely vary in C.O.L..

My.38s hang up if the COL runs under 1.460". My little gun has a 18.5" barrel so it does not see many .357s.

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It doesn't matter which case you use as long as the overall length of the cartridge is 1.50" ~ 1.55". You have to remember that that is the original length of the cartridge that was the 1866/1873 was designed for. It doesn't matter if it's a .32-20, .38Spl, .357, .38-40, .44-40, or .45 Colt (or .45 Schofield Magnum for those who prefer to use the term .45 Long Colt ;) ). ALL of them use the same OAL in a Henry/'66/'73 rifle. Obviously, if you load them too long, they might lock up the carrier, plus run the risk of snapping off the step on the bolt face if your Henry/'66/'73 isn't timed correctly. But if you load them too short, while they will fit and cycle, you have the next round in the magazine tube trying to get onto the ramp of the carrier also, Now you have to use extra energy in cycling the lever to get the ramp of the carrier to push that next round back into the magazine tube and get it out of the way while lifting the round that will be going into the chamber. So if you load them too short, you are pushing those nine rounds back up into the magazine tube on that first shot. That takes energy away from you that you could be using to move the lever faster. Yes, your Marlin or '92 might like a different length but that is not what the initial question was about. It was about a '73 cartridge length.

 

Boothill

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I know from experience that if I drop below 1.40 I will have issues with C.O.L. I load above 1.43 and don't have any issues. I shoot 125 grain truncated flat tip bullets from Missouri Bullet Co (Missouri Bullet #2) and the crimp is right in the crimp grove just like it was designed. If I load 125 grain round nosed flat point bullets (Missouri bullet #17) I have to set the crimp below the crimp grove which makes for a funky looking bullet.

 

My rifle has a short stroke.

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I like .357 cases because the action is slightly smoother, a little easier on the aluminum carrier, and I don't get to clean out the carbon ring left in the chamber.

 

Using the same 125 gr. TC bullets as Bart Solo and crimp in the groove, I'm getting between 1.57-1.58 C.O.L if I remember correctly.

However, my rifle also cycles well with .38 Spc. using the same bullets without the benefits listed above.

 

I don't know if .357 mag is too common with cowboy velocity/bullets in factory loaded form.

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I like .357 cases because the action is slightly smoother, a little easier on the aluminum carrier, and I don't get to clean out the carbon ring left in the chamber.

 

Using the same 125 gr. TC bullets as Bart Solo and crimp in the groove, I'm getting between 1.57-1.58 C.O.L if I remember correctly.

However, my rifle also cycles well with .38 Spc. using the same bullets without the benefits listed above.

 

I don't know if .357 mag is too common with cowboy velocity/bullets in factory loaded form.

 

 

A friend of mine, Jayhawk Jerry, uses 357 brass in his 1873 for exactly the same reasons--the bullets just cycle a little better. He says he spent about a year messing with bullets to find the one that he thinks works best. His rifle is really fast. If memory serves his bullets are just about the same length as yours.

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