Uberti King’s Improvement Patented Rifles

The 1875 Winchester catalog contains a letter from Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody (from Fort McPherson, Nebraska,) regarding the new Model 1873 rifle. “I have been using and have thoroughly tested your latest improved rifle. Allow me to say that I have tried and used nearly every kind of gun made in the United States, and for general hunting…I pronounce your improved Winchester the boss.” Cody continued, “While in the Black Hills this last summer I crippled a bear, and Mr. Bear made for me and I am certain had I not been armed with one of your repeating rifles I would now be in the happy hunting grounds. The bear was not thirty feet from me when he charged, but before he could reach me I (put) more lead (in him) than he could comfortably digest. Believe me, that you have the most complete rifle now made.”

The history and development of the Winchester Model 1873, arguably its most famous rifle, as well as the two significant rifles that preceded it, including the Model 1860 Henry and 1866 Winchester, is one of the most widely published chapters of early modern firearms. The above rifles were legendary repeaters that proved reliable and accurate. They served in many battles and skirmishes, but also found tremendous favor with hunters, cowboys, explorers, lawman, exhibition shooters or anyone that needed a reliable repeating rifle. Each variant has become highly collectible with pristine condition survivors commanding impressive prices. With the exception of late production Model 1873s, these guns were constructed of bronze/brass alloy, iron or mild steels and were designed for black powder, or in other words, they are not really suitable for smokeless powder loads. Furthermore, most modern shooters prefer smokeless ammunition and cartridges that offer greater performance such as the .357 Magnum, .45 Colt and others. Aldo Uberti (aka Uberti), began making replica firearms in 1959. As early as 1966 it began offering a rimfire reproduction of the Winchester Model 1866, but soon added variations of the Models 1873 and 1860, that are offered in both modern and traditional calibers. They are of excellent quality, offer pleasing eye appeal, accuracy and have become widely popular. Let’s take a closer look at each model.

1860 Henry

The original 1860 Henry was produced by the New Haven Arms Company and primarily offered in .44 Henry Rimfire that featured a 200-grain bullet (later 216 grains) pushed with around 26 grains of black powder for around 1,125 feet per second (fps). The rifle featured a toggle link action with patents that began with Walter Hunt and his Volition Repeating Rifle, and later under ownership of Horace Smith & Daniel Wesson (later forming Smith & Wesson) the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, but the 1860 was primarily designed by Benjamin Tyler Henry during the late 1850s. It featured an external hammer with three positions and a tubular magazine that held 16 rounds. A repeater with this capacity explains why after facing the Henry rifle in battle, Confederate Colonel John Mosby referred to it as “that damned Yankee rifle that can be loaded on Sunday and fired all week.” The Henry likewise became legendary in the West and even found its way into The Battle of Little Bighorn to severely defeat Custer’s U.S. Cavalry troops. It boasted of a carrier block (lifter) that positively lifted cartridges up from the magazine and securely held them in line with the chamber, while the breechblock (bolt) served to push cartridges directly into the chamber. This was (and remains so on reproductions) a very positive feeding mechanism.

After producing replicas of the Models 1866 and 1873, Uberti began producing the Model 1860 that is generally offered in .44-40 Winchester and .45 Colt. Soon after its introduction, I obtained one chambered in .44-40 (as the .45 Colt chambering was not yet offered) with a 24¼-inch barrel. That rifle was fired well in excess of 10,000 rounds and I gained considerable respect for the accuracy and reliability of the Uberti rifle.

For example, after developing handloads that were giving some pretty impressive groups with the factory-issued open sights at 50 yards, a couple of thousand rounds were assembled and one of my sons and I headed to the NRA Whittington Center in New Mexico. After a couple of days of shooting a variety of guns, we took note of a gentleman trying to hit steel silhouette targets at 500 yards using his scope sighted bolt-action rifle chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, but just could not get on target for an unknown reason. Just for fun, we retrieved the Uberti 1860, stood up the rear ladder sight, raised the elevator and took turns shooting while the other spotted. It didn’t take long to get dialed-in and we were hitting steel with respectable reliability using my hand-cast bullets. Soon Mr. .300 Winchester Magnum came over and wanted to know what the heck we were shooting! We handed him the rifle, explained its basic history and coached while he took a turn. He was soon hitting the 500-yard steel targets and having a ball. After firing more than 200 rounds he offered to trade rifles, but we declined!

True to the originals, the 1860 Henry is void of a forearm; rather it has a slotted magazine tube that allows a magazine follower assembly to slide under spring pressure. A contoured barrel sleeve rotates to allow cartridges to be loaded directly into the magazine tube from the front end. This system actually works very well. However, the 1866 was developed with a closed magazine tube to prevent dirt and debris from entering and was simpler to manufacture, which explains why Winchester abandoned this particular model.

Today, Uberti offers the 1860 Henry in several variants with a brass frame and buttplate, but also offers a steel frame version (referred to as iron). For this feature, a standard Civilian Rifle with a 24¼-inch octagonal barrel, brass frame and chambered in .45 Colt was selected, which is a very handsome and unique rifle. It features European walnut and wood-to-metal fit is good and overall machining is very good. The trigger pull broke clean at 4 pounds, but with a little stoning, it was easily brought down to a crisp 3 pounds. To date, more than 1,000 rounds have been fired through this rifle and there have been no malfunctions of any sort.

As can be seen in the accompanying table, this rifle offers outstanding accuracy, with select handloads grouping into 1.15 inches at 50 yards.     

Model 1866 Yellowboy

After the Civil War, Oliver Winchester renamed the New Haven Arms Company to become Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Then, after some redesigning of the 1860 Henry, along with the help of Nelson King and his “improvement patent” that included a loading gate on the right side of the receiver, enclosed magazine tube and the addition of a forearm, the same basic toggle link action became the Winchester Model 1866 and the first rifle to bear Oliver’s name. The caliber remained the same .44 Henry Rimfire, but toward the end of 4th Model production, the 1866 was produced in .44 W.C.F. or .44-40. Due to its bronze/brass alloyed frame and yellow coloring, it quickly became nicknamed the “Yellowboy” and is still referenced by Uberti on reproductions. Winchester offered the 1866 in Rifle and Carbine configurations, and it soon earned an outstanding reputation of being rugged and useful on the frontier.

Uberti first offered the Model 66 as early as 1966, which was initially offered in .22 Long Rifle. The early guns suffered from feeding problems and were not generally of the same fit, finish and quality that we have come to expect from this fine company. Uberti wisely recognized the demand for a Model 1866 Yellowboy chambered for centerfire cartridges and of better quality, which began to appear in the early 1970s in .38 Special and .44-40.

I purchased my first Uberti 1866 Yellowboy (imported by Navy Arms) in 1976, which was a Trapper Carbine chambered in .44-40 with a 16-inch barrel. The wood figure was beautiful, and it came with an oil finish (which I wish it would still offer), making it a very handsome gun. I shot that levergun, along with a Colt Frontier Six Shooter of the same caliber, extensively and learned much about the cartridge and the accuracy of the Uberti. During this era, Uberti reproductions were largely unknown by shooters, but friends at school and visitors to our ranch were very impressed with this most handsome carbine.

The Uberti 1866 Yellowboy has become very popular among those who enjoy a quality lever-action rifle and is offered in many variations. It should be noted that due to the strength limitations of the brass receiver, it is only offered in lower-pressure cartridges, or those that feature comparatively low head thrust, such as the .38 Special, .38-40, .44-40, .44 Special and .45 Colt.

For this feature, a Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Sporting Rifle chambered in .44 Special featuring a 24¼-inch octagonal barrel was chosen, along with a Carbine version chambered in .45 Colt with a 19-inch barrel. Fit and finish of both guns is very good.

The .44 Special Rifle proved exceptionally accurate, with several 50-yard groups easily grouping under 1 inch with select handloads.

The .45 Colt Carbine did not fare as well, but was still accurate, with most groups running 1½ to 2½ inches. The only real complaint was that the rear sight that is not regulated for standard velocity 250- and 255-grain loads. However, with a minor modification, it was soon regulated to hit dead-on at 50 yards.     

Model 1873

Few rifles boast of the notoriety and success of the Winchester Model 1873 that was produced from 1873 to 1923 with more than 720,000 units being sold. The toggle link action was similar to the Model 1866, but was further improved as it featured an iron frame (changed to steel in 1882) that was stronger and chambered for the new .44 W.C.F. (.44-40) cartridge that contained around 40 grains of black powder with a 200-grain bullet for around 1,245 to 1,300 fps that was a notable power increase over the .44 Henry Rimfire cartridge. It also featured easily removable side plates to facilitate maintenance, along with a dust cover to help keep the elements out. The list of notable cowboys, frontiersman, lawmen, outlaws and exhibition shooters who endorsed and used the Model 1873 is extensive.

It was offered in many configurations from Trapper Carbines to Muskets, but the standard Rifle with a 24-inch barrel and Carbine with 20-inch barrel were most popular. The factory offered it with virtually any practical special order option including engraving, exhibition grade walnut, ivory stocks, custom sights, special barrel lengths, etc. and even offered super accurate versions known as “One of One Thousand” and the rare “One of One Hundred.” Eventually, the 1873 was chambered in .38-40 and .32-20, all of which became popular in sixguns that allowed users the advantage of carrying one type of ammunition for rifle and sixgun. It was even offered in .22 rimfire, but those rifles are rare and collectible.

Uberti began offering its Model 1873 replica around 1973 with initial calibers including the .357 Magnum and .44-40, but was eventually chambered in .32-20, .38-40, .44 Special and .45 Colt. Most recently, it has been offered in .44 Magnum (with special heat-treated steel to withstand the increased case head thrust). The standard finish on Rifle versions includes a blued barrel, magazine tube and buttplate, and a case colored receiver and lever, while Carbines are fully blued. It has also been offered in many configurations and with special order options including engraving, fancy European walnut, special finishes and even an antique version (known as original finish), while barrels have been offered from 16 to 30 inches.

A Saddle Ring Carbine chambered in .45 Colt with a 19-inch barrel was selected, along with a Sporting Rifle with a 24¼-inch round barrel (rather than the more common octagonal configuration) chambered in .357 Magnum, which I think is especially handsome. As expected, the quality is high and each offers great eye appeal.

The .45 Colt Carbine performed perfectly, with select handloads grouping under 1½ inches at 50 yards. To better take advantage of the higher velocity .357 Magnum cartridge and its greater range potential, a tang-mounted aperture rear sight and post-style front was installed on the 1873 Rifle. After getting it more or less zeroed at 50 yards, the first five-shot group measured .70 inch using a handload containing 160-grain cast bullets from RCBS mould No. 38-158-SWC w/gc. Subsequent groups proved that this was not a fluke!

Final Thoughts

For several reasons, the above Uberti leverguns have become very popular. They are handsome, accurate, reliable, cycle smoothly and considering the quality and features are priced modestly. They have been a highly-popular choice among cowboy action competitors, not just because of their role in western history and handsome profile, but their levers feature a single pivoting screw and short throw, which minimizes hand travel and is an excellent feature for speed shooting. The direct chambering nature of the carrier block and breech bolt offers positive feeding and explains why so many exhibition shooters, including Buffalo Bill, preferred the 1873 to more modern designs.

If there are drawbacks to the design, it would include that the receivers are larger and weigh more when compared to newer, more compact designs such as the Winchester Model 1892 and Marlin Model 1894. On the other hand, receivers are sculptured like a work of art and are necessarily large to offer the direct-

cartridge-into-chamber feeding system. The stock designs have notably greater drop than more modern leverguns, which will take some getting used to, but is certainly manageable.

During the past 46 years, I have owned more than 20 1860, 1866 and 1873 rifles. With one exception, each has proven accurate. Some of the early rifles occasionally had sub-standard leaf springs; however, Mike Harvey at Cimarron (founded in 1984) worked extensively with Uberti to steadily improve the product line, which has included improved spring steels and quality. Trigger pulls generally break cleanly at between 3.5 to 4.5 pounds.

Beretta purchased Uberti, however, its firearms continue to be manufactured in Italy and are imported through companies such as Cimarron Firearms, Taylors & Company and Stoeger.