Will a uberti 1873 open top revolver shoot itself apart?

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Sean17

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Hey again guys, I read that since there is no top strap on the uberti 1871 open top chambered in .45 colt it could shoot itself apart. Is that true or have they fixed it with newer production? And would that only happen with more powerful loads.
 
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Total balderdash.

There may be no top strap but with reasonable loads being shot there is no reason at all why these guns would shoot themselves apart. The original black powder cap and ball guns when loaded with 30 to 35 grains of black don't exactly whisper when they shoot. So a cartridge version with less than magnum or +P loads would be fine. Unlike the full frame guns the cylinder arbor in the open tops is rather bulky and strong.

Keep in mind though that these are guns best used with mild to medium smokeless loads or regular "full case" black powder loads. Keep the ammo similar in kick to what the original black powder loads produced and the guns will last longer than you will.

EDIT; I just saw your other thread. The original open top guns were and are fine with a steady diet of 30 grains of black behind a round ball. And let's keep in mind that the original open top guns were never chambered in .45Colt. .44-40 yes, but only shooting black powder. So if you loaded up some Buffalo Bore full SAMMI stout .45Colt rounds then you could expect the gun to begin beating itself to death after some number of boxes. But if shot with mild to medium cowboy action loads the guns will be well within the old black powder pressures and will live a healthy long life. And since no one really should be buying such guns for shooting full power .45Colt loads I doubt you'll run into troubles.

If you really ARE after some full bore shooting then skip to a Ruger Blackhawk.
 
Thanks for the response. I should have mentioned I'm looking at the .45 colt version and that's why I'm concerned. I just trying to get an idea of if i reload, following a reloading guide, can I load to maximum charge? Or do I have to keep it below in the reccomended amount?
 
The open tops are nice handling revolvers.They are not, however,exceptionally strong.Don't use full power ammo.It might handle a lifetimes worth of max loads.It might catastrophically disassemble at round 2 or 3. There is no need to overly stress it.If you want to shoot full bore or overbore 45's, Ruger is you're best bet.
 
To be rated for that cartridge the gun has to SAFELY shoot the ammo. So I doubt if it would turn into parts in any sort of catastrophic way. But if you were to insist on shooting full power ammo through it all the time I suspect it would shoot itself loose fairly quickly.

It doesn't mean you can only shoot mouse fart loads from it. But I'd stay with velocities for any given weight of bullet that remain a little down from the full power specs. Such loads are still pretty sporty to shoot. Sort of like a stronger .38Spl feel.
 
I shoot a Pietta and a Uberti with a birds head grip. I have big hands and the Uberti grip digs into my hand I load 250 gr with 4.5 gr Trail Boss It's a light load and works good in my Pedersoli Lighting You can shoot with no problem
 
Colt open-top were originally chambered in 44 rimfire - 200gr bullet over 25 to 30 gr of black powder.
For a replica chambered in 45 colt, you will have no problem with moderate load of 45 colt or 45 schofield. 45 schofield loaded with 25 gr of bp and a 200gr round nose bullet would be close to the orginal load :)
 
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