Uberti 1873 pistol 357 strength question

B

brandon6976

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
74   0   1
Location
Toronto area
Hello all, I have a pair of 1873 revolvers from Uberti in 357. I've always shot cowboy 38 loads out of them. I know a lot of people typically suggest not shooting full 357 mag loads out of the 1873 rifle due to the "weak" toggle-link action (i've heard arguments for both pro and cons). However I'm curious if anyone ever shoots full 357 mag loads out of the 1873 pistol?

I've never done it as I baby the revolver but I'm curious what peoples opinion is and if it's safe to shoot some 357's every now and then for fun.
 
thanks, it is a 357 rated (not 38) pistol. I don't plan any +P or anything crazy like buffalo bore. To be honest usually if I bring friends or non gunnies to the range everyone of course wants to shoot 1 or 2 rounds of 357 so they say they could. everyone loves the big boom and such :)

I don't really shoot much in the 357 power rating for normal range visits. I was asking as I understand the toggle-link could be perceived to be weak but a single action revolver when I look at the surface I would imagine should be ok (but wanted to ask to see if there was any specific's that would suggest I'm missing something).
 
When you talk toggle link, are you sure you weren't reading about the 1873 rifle which uses a toggle system and is only for pistol calibers?
 
dogzilla said:
When you talk toggle link, are you sure you weren't reading about the 1873 rifle which uses a toggle system and is only for pistol calibers?
Click to expand...

yes, sorry if I wasn't clear. I was saying that I know people are suggesting that the 1873 rifle has a weak action that is mostly attributed to the toggle system. So from what I've seen people who shoot 45 colt and 38 special claim it's fine and not high pressure enough. there is from what I've seen some debate as to how much 357 mag the rifle can take. Some people of course suggest they shoot it all the time without issue, others suggest they've had issues and the toggle system has broken due to the higher pressure of the 357 mag.

What my question is that I've seen some people *suggest* that Uberti obviously makes these revolvers primarily for people who want to shoot cowboy, knowing that it's usually weak loads and therefore it's not "really" designed for any prolonged use of 357 mag (basically suggesting even the pistols though rated for 357 could have problems as the guns aren't overly well built and more for weak cowboy loads).
 
I have a number of 357 revolvers from different makers (Colt, S&W, Taurus, Pieta...) Some of them have never fired a full power load, and the others, at most, 5% of the ammo is full power.

Shoot your gun with full power and see how it shoots. A steady diet will just wear it out faster. And the cost of the ammo to do it will far exceed the cost of a replacement gun.

If it is stamped 357, it is safe to shoot. The only issue is longevity. Like K frame vs. Ruger.
 
I've shot some magnums from my Pietta revolvers. Probably something like 30 to 40 from each in total over the years I've had them. I've got two because I play in Cowboy Action.

As mentioned above the guns are proofed and will easily handle the pressures. But I feel, correctly or otherwise, that if I were to shoot a steady diet of them that it's quite possible that the guns would shoot themselves loose in fairly short order. Things like the hand and notches on the back of the cylinder and the notches for the bolt would likely wear or become sloppy from peening from the extra energy and thus the lockup at full #### might suffer.

But a few on rare occasions such as you're suggesting and keeping the total number of them in mind certainly won't break the gun unless there's a fault that would have shown up already. And if it was that close to breaking something then you may as well get it over with... And besides, you KNOW you want to.... :D

If it helps at all keep in mind that full 158gn loads are somewhat more gentle to the gun than some super light bullet that rips out of the gun at some super high velocity. Your hand may argue that but it's a fact that it's the bullet speed that is hard on the gun itself. Look at the S&W K frame magnums and how it was the super fast 105gn bullets that is the agreed on cause of split forcing cones.

Also if you shoot primarily 38Spl casings then be sure to clean out the crud ring well before you shoot any magnum loads. A little from a session before shooting the magnums isn't an issue. But if you already have a fairly thick ring of buildup such that the magnums become pinched as you load them then that's way too much.

If you are loading your own ammo take note that you can load your own Magnum loads for a fraction of factory magnum loads. And the added cost is like two cents worth of powder and a little more per bullet as you'll want to get some jacketed bullets for the magnum loads. You can shoot proper hard cast bullets but it's not always easy to find the correct alloy bullets correctly hard cast. Easier to stick to jacketed or at least plated like Berry's or Cam-Pro.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom