There are cowboy loads in .44 mag and .357 mag that are OK. When I bought my last uberti the manual, if I recall, talked about max recommended pressures and they were low at bp levels. No idea how folks shooting full bore mags are making out, but I will not personally do it or recommend it.
Edit: It's important to note, Uberti would not sell the 1873 in .44 if it were not safe to shoot factory (non +P) loads in the rifle. That much is clear in a modern litigious world. The question then becomes: how fast will you wear out a .44 MAG rifle to the point the headspace becomes unacceptable? In my view, the answer is "much faster than you would a .38 SPL or .45 Colt".
Besides, who would shoot full-bore .44 MAG loads in CAS volumes anyhow? That would be expensive, lower scores, and take the fun out of the event for the shooter. At least that's my view!
Another interesating factoid - early 92's and most original 73's were made with iron receivers. The modern guns use modern ordnance steels. This is why they can generally survive somewhat hotter loads.
Edit: It's important to note, Uberti would not sell the 1873 in .44 if it were not safe to shoot factory (non +P) loads in the rifle. That much is clear in a modern litigious world. The question then becomes: how fast will you wear out a .44 MAG rifle to the point the headspace becomes unacceptable? In my view, the answer is "much faster than you would a .38 SPL or .45 Colt".
Besides, who would shoot full-bore .44 MAG loads in CAS volumes anyhow? That would be expensive, lower scores, and take the fun out of the event for the shooter. At least that's my view!
Another interesating factoid - early 92's and most original 73's were made with iron receivers. The modern guns use modern ordnance steels. This is why they can generally survive somewhat hotter loads.
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