1873 Uberti or Winchester?

pre64hunter said:

I got a Winchester in 357. I just got it home and haven't wiped it off yet.
What a nice rifle! Beautiful stock, the pictures and oil finish don't do it justice. The trigger is great, a bit heavy, maybe 5-6 lbs. but crisp. The carbine ladder sight is as nice as the originals, maybe nicer. I have some original Lyman and Marble's tang sights in new condition that will fit it but it would be a shame to take the ladder sight off.
I'm still looking for a deluxe Uberti or high grade Winchester. Maybe I'll get a long barrel and save a tang sight for it.

Click to expand...

pre64hunter said:

I found a Cimarron Texas Brush Popper this morning and bought it. When it comes I'll be able to compare them. The Uberti is a beautiful gun but this Winchester is going to be hard to beat.

Click to expand...

Dino said:

I just bought the Texas Brush Popper as well. I look forward to your comparison!

Click to expand...

pre64hunter said:

I got the Texas Brush Popper today. Another beautiful rifle. Both the Winchester and Uberti/Cimerron 1873's are brand new, I just wiped them off and did a brief comparison, haven't shot them yet.
Both are equally nicely made. The Win has a tight fitting oil finish stock, nice wood that's a little bit proud to the metal. The Uberti has a pistol grip, nice sharp checkering. The fit is more level to the metal but not as tight to the tang area, about the thickness of a piece of paper gap between the metal and wood.
The Win's stroke is about an inch or so less than the Uberti. The Win's action is smooth and light, almost a loose feel when the follower drops, the Uberti is more snappy.
When you cycle the action with the hammer down the Uberti isn't as smooth because of the hammer spring. The hammer spring stacks, it gets harder as it nears the cocked position, you can feel it when cycling the action. Pioneer sells an after market hammer spring assembly that would correct the issue although it's not noticeable unless you're looking for issues. Both have a half cock safety, no extra external safety button.
The Uberti action has a tiny bit of feel, burrs that will probably smooth out quickly with a little break-in. Uberti doesn't have that ugly safety screw on top the dust cover dovetail or that button on the back of the firing pin like the Winchester. Both have equally nice triggers, a bit heavy but crisp with little or no creep.
The Cimerron has more authentic barrel markings like an original Winchester with the King's patent but says Cimerron instead of Winchester. The import marks are in more discreet locations as is the serial number too. The model number is tastefully done on the tang which is not tapped for a tang sight.
The Winchester has ugly markings and a sentence about being imported as well as a long coded conspicuous serial number. The tang is tapped for a tang sight, the model number is just stamped on the tang.
The Uberti seems to be heavy when you pick it up, the 18" half octagon barrel adds some weight even though it's 2" shorter with a nice flat crown. Great buckhorn sights for my old eyes. Easy to see and line up with the front, a dovetailed with a set screw and flat blade. The Win has a carbine ladder sight as nice as an original. It has a rounded crown. Both bores are mirror bright and polished with no tool marks.
The Uberti's action is also about an 1/8" longer and the gun weighs 7 or 8 oz. more than the 20" round barrel Win. Both are equally finished, nice deep black blue, polished nice, sharp corners and screws. The Cimerron's color case was about average on the lock plates but more vivid on the receiver and lever. Curiously the lever was mostly straight and didn't curve to fit the pistol grip. The Win's loading gate opened easier and smoother than the Uberti.
Either gun exhibits nice workmanship and high quality. Any flaws are more perceived and minor than a real issue. To have to decide on one or the other, you'd have to start looking at customer service, cost or availability... or flip a coin. Cheers!

Click to expand...

Dino said:

Congrats and thank you for the review!
My Cimarron action feels a bit rough but may be okay after it’s broken in a bit. I’d love to add a short stroke kit and have it “slicked up” but I’m not sure who to take/send it to. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

pre64hunter said:

http://www.codyscowboyshop.com/#action
http://www.pioneergunworks.com/
First I would just try smoothing the parts up. I do this with all new guns as not to get the bolt and parts all scratched up. Be ever so careful as not to bugger the screws or parts with ill-fitting screw drivers. Have the proper tools.
I would probably get the Pioneer super short kit and do it myself if I wanted to further enhance the speed. I would call Cody first and see what he has to offer.
Ask yourself do you really need the speed? Are you a bang, bang, bang junky, is it worth the money and ammo? I feel any gun should function smooth and be accurate as well as a pleasing appearance and workmanship. I stay away from "upgrades" and custom work that may add to malfunctions. I'm leery of light springs that could cause misfires although lawyer proof factory parts need dealt with.
Re-read some of the posts here. These guys have some experience, and all seemed to know what they were talking about from experience, not from the armchair.

Click to expand...

KyleRogue said:

Fabulous set of 1873's OP! Congrats. You will have lots of fun at the range with them (if you can find ammo). The Miroku is not picky about short OAL, so 38spl works fine. Sometimes I have problems with Fiocchi 357CA because they are so long (1.62 inches) that 10 rounds fit so tight in the magazine it can jam the carrier.

I got the Miroku "short" rifle - 20 inch barrel, but not a carbine. It's four years old now. Make sure you have gun grease where the finger lever and carrier springs glide on the lever and carrier arms. Also grease the toggle grooves if they don't have grease already. These are the most critical wear points.

My original 1873 is a SRC. It looks good on the outside, for 139 years old, but was a mess on the inside when I bought it. I needed to replace a lot of parts to get it working. The magazine tube is a replacement. I also bought a carbine rear site (not in this picture).

Attached pics:

Click to expand...