Pressure question on 1873 lever action

[Calplinker]

Been wanting to get a lever gun and have my heart set on an 1873 action.

Found a very sweet 1873 Uberti Special Sporting chambered in .45 colt. Only concern I have is that if I want to use it for hunting, I'm more limited on ammo choices as Buffalo Bore and others don't recommend their +P rounds out of 1873 actions due to the toggle design of the action.

Here's where I'm a bit confused. Uberti and others also offer their 1873 action chambered in .44 magnum.

.44 magnum SAAMI chamber pressures go as high as 36,000 psi.
.45 colt stop at 14,000 psi.

If the exact same action will handle .44 magnum pressures, why the concern about a +P .45 colt where the chamber pressure is only around 24,000-28,000??

[ironhorse1]

The Uberti is a new gun made with modern steels.

I'm sure that if the Uberti can handle .357 and .44 magnum ammunition it can also handle the .45 Colt loads which do not exceed pressures of the .44 magnum.

Buffalo Bore probably does not want their ammo used in original

1873's as the metallurgy of the time was not up to today's standards.

Unless you reload feeding the .45 Colt will be pricey.

irh

[Calplinker]

Thanks for the response. Yes, I do reload.

Also found a thread on another forum where someone indicates they spoke with Uberti customer service who indicated that they harden the receiver and internals on the 44 mag version to handle the added pressure.

I'll get in touch with them to see if they recommend the occasional +P loads out of a 45 colt 1873 and what pressures they recomment to not exceed.

Worst case is I'll just get an 1892 version as these can easily handle it.

[Dutch Henry]

.45 colt for hunting? Probably OK if you're shooting rabbits and other small game. The .45 Colt isn't really the best choice for larger game (deer, black bear) due to it's limited power and range. It may also be illegal for that use in some states.

The .44 Magnum would be a better choice, has a better trajectory and you can load it up or down, depending on your needs. Also ammo and reloading costs are about the same.

[Calplinker]

45 colt

.45 colt for hunting? Probably OK if you're shooting rabbits and other small game. The .45 Colt isn't really the best choice for larger game (deer, black bear) due to it's limited power and range. It may also be illegal for that use in some states.

The .44 Magnum would be a better choice, has a better trajectory and you can load it up or down, depending on your needs. Also ammo and reloading costs are about the same.

Actually, that's a pretty common misconception and one not born out by ballistics. Buffalo Bore, CorBon and others sell +P 45 colt loads that are very stout.

How does a 260 grain bullet travelling at 1890 fps sound?

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=335

In fact, this is virtually identical to their same round chambered for .44 magnum, which is a 240 grain bullet travelling at 1935 fps. Both of these are out of 20 inch barrels, so its an apples to apples comparison.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=232

CorBon has similiar numbers as do other manufacturers.

Just spoke with a Uberti product rep who stated Uberti does not recommend shooting +P out of their 1873 model rifles. Standard loads only as this is what they were designed for.

For +P 45 colt, it's gonna have to be an 1892, which incidentally is exactly what Buffalo Bore and CorBon recommend due to the dual locking lugs.

Shot a Rossi 1892 chambered in .454 Casull. That was quite a kick. With chamber pressures approaching 60,000 psi, you'd sort of expect that.

[smle-man]

I'm surprised Uberti is chambering an 1873 in .44 magnum, modern steel or not. I've seen modern copies in .357 and .44-40 but never .44 magnum.

Well, I just looked and I see that they do! Seems like too much cartridge for this action.

[Calplinker]

Pressures

I'm surprised Uberti is chambering an 1873 in .44 magnum, modern steel or not. I've seen modern copies in .357 and .44-40 but never .44 magnum.

Well, I just looked and I see that they do! Seems like too much cartridge for this action.

Been looking in to this quite a lot as I REALLY wanted an Uberti Special Sporting in .45LC with 20" barrel, checkering, figured walnut, etc.

The reality is these just aren't designed for the high pressure +P rounds being made for .45LC as many are WAY over the SAAMI spec of 14,000 psi.

Even though 44 mag has a max spec of 44,000 psi, Uberti took extra care and hardened the receiver and internal components of this particular caliber. I wish they'd do the same with the .45LC, but it's not to be. May still get one, but just stick with Cowboy, low pressure loads. Come to think of it, they must have done the same with the .357 as that has a max spec of 42,000 psi.

In the meantime, I bought a Taylor/Cimarron 1892 in .45. These will most definitely handle stout .45 colt rounds that even outperform .44 mag.