Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old West” Revolver,Uberti

Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old
West” Revolver
Imagine, if you will, holding in
your hand an original 1st
generation 1873 Colt Single
Action Army revolver; the “Gun
that won the West” only you
don’t know that yet because it
has not been termed as such. Picture if you will that you are
a cowboy with $20 in your pocket (a month’s wages) and you are
in need of one of the new “Peacemakers.” Chances are that you
would not be looking at a perfectly polished blued gun with
perfect color case-hardened steel frame, real ivory or staghorn grips; those are rich-man’s guns. Chances are that you
would be looking at an 1873 Colt that has been shot hard and
put up wet. If you have ever seen the movie, “The Good, the
Bad, and the Ugly” then you would be more like “Tuco” trying
to make an 1873 “Peacemaker” from a plethora of parts taken
from other “Peacemaker” revolvers. Ah, such is the poor man’s
lot in life!
Or, perhaps an old cedar steamer trunk was found in the attic
of a house that one of your ancestors lived in. As you open
the steamer trunk a smaller wooden box lies in the bottom of
the trunk beneath layers of old clothes from the 19th century.
You open the box and there is what seems to be a bundle of
oilskin rags. You cautiously peel away the layers of oilskin
and you begin to see metal that has been protected by the
oilskin over many years. As you pull the final layer of
oilskin away, there lies an 1873 Colt Single Action Army
revolver that belonged to some prior generation. The metal, no
longer protected by the polished bluing that once gleamed in
the sunlight, is there before you as if it’s very soul has
been uncovered in the dim lighting of the attic. The wood
grip; battered, worn, and shrunken with age reveals its beauty
in the warm light. You slowly pull the pistol (as they were
called then) from its wrapping and hold it in front of you;
admiring the smooth lines as you slowly roll the pistol in
your hand. Instinctively, you pull the hammer back and look
down the sights as your ancestor did before you. Holding the
hammer with your thumb, and with heart pumping a little
faster, you pull the trigger and slowly control the hammers
descent into the frame. A warm feeling is almost overwhelming
as you place the pistol back into its oil-skin wrapping and
place it back into the wooden box from whence it came. The
thought may have come to you that you have found a national
treasure and, in a sense, you are right.
Alright, enough of the romantic stuff already!
When I visited my LGS last week, there were several Uberti
revolvers for sale; a stainless-steel 7-1/2” barreled
Cattleman in .45 Colt, several “El Patron” revolvers
(including a few competition models), an 1871 Colt Navy opentop and 1872 Colt Army open-top (both in .38 special/.357
magnum offerings. If you have been following my Uberti
reproduction articles, then you would have read where I
desired an 1873 Single Action Army, 7-1/2-inch barreled allsteel model that was more true to the original 1873 SAA. The
“Calvary” model was the model accepted by the U.S. Army in
1873 and I was looking for one as close to the original as
possible.
I actually had the 1873 SAA, 7-1/2-inch barreled all-steel
version on order, but it was lost to me when the container
ship that carried mine, and many other Stoeger and Beretta
firearms, sank to the bottom of the sea in a hurricane last
year. Unfortunately, that particular revolver also sank from
the pages of Uberti firearms as an option. I hope that Davy
Jones is having fun with my revolver!
When I returned to the LGS the next week, the stainless-steel
7-1/2” barreled Cattleman in .45 Colt had been sold, but it
was what took its place in the counter that caught my eye, but
not at first. I have to say that the “El Patron” is a very
nicely made revolver, wide and somewhat lowered hammer spur,
Wolf springs throughout, and a very nice trigger. The El
Patron’s shiny blued barrel and frame with a color case
hardened cylinder and loading gate, coupled with some finelycheckered grips, makes the El Patron a fine pistol for
competition or showing it off to friends. Competition does not
interest me; whereas, owning an 1873 Colt SAA clone that does
closely resemble the actual revolver does interest me; the
closer the resemblance the better.
I had read about a version of the Uberti 1873 Cattleman that
had a unique finish as an option, but had yet to see one in
person. I asked to see the unique (I like unique and
different) 1873 SAA revolver. Upon handling the piece, my mind
raced back to what may have been when a poor, saddle-sore,
rode hard and put up wet cowboy was looking at with $20 in his
pocket and a yearning for a new revolver (new to him at
least). The bluing was nearly undetectable, the grip appearing
worn with age and use, but the action was superb. This piece,
had it been an original 1st generation Colt SAA, would have
said that someone cared about it at one time. What I was
looking at was a revolver that would be considered as close to
the original as any reproduction made by Uberti with many of
the same features found in the original 1st generation Colt
Single-Action Army revolver (with a modern twist, of course).
Let’s talk about the Uberti 1873 Cattleman II in the Old West
Style configuration. I was about to put my money down on a
reproduction revolver that looked as bad as that imaginary
cowboy in my mind. The “Antique Patina” finish looked right at
home on this “six gun.”
THE BASICS:
Caliber: .45 Colt
Barrel Length: 5-1/2″
Total Length: 11.0″ (bbl 5-1/2″)
Weight: 2.3 lbs.(bbl 5-1/2″)
Cylinder: 6 shot, fluted
Grip: One-piece “weathered” walnut
Finishes: Antiqued
FIT an’ FINISH:
The
metal-to-metal
fit
is
superb. The ‘flash gap’ (between
the cylinder and forcing cone)
is less than 0.004 inches and
there is absolutely no free play
in the cylinder when the hammer
is in the cocked position. This
is
one
tightly-built
reproduction of a not-so-tightly
built original.
The loading gate rolls smoothly in
and out of place on the frame and
the hammer rolls like it was on
butter. Uberti did an excellent
job on this one.
Uberti uses a modern process that gives a revolver a patina
reminiscent of well-worn bluing and is what they call “Antique
Patina.” It is apparent that this process is performed after
the revolver is assembled, as remnants of bluing can be found
in cracks and crevasses that would not normally be affected by
holstering and normal wear. It is through a modern chemical
process that provides the look. Normally, this feature is a
special order because most reproduction collectors’ like
polished blue finishes and I admit that I am one of those.
But, the finish on the Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old West” is
more true to form with original 1st generation Colt SAA
revolvers that might be found in a merchandiser’s show case
somewhere in Cattle Gap, Texas in the late 1870s.
BARREL:
The 5-1/2” barrel is cold-hammer forged affair with a 1:6
right-hand twist and incorporates the front sight, ejection
rod housing, ejection rod, and ejection rod spring. The top of
the barrel is roll marked, STOEGER-ACCOKEEK MD-A.UNERTI-ITALY
while the left side is roll marked MODE 1873 CAL .45 COLT.
In some ways I wish that Uberti would roll mark under the
barrel (as Ruger is doing these days) to keep the top of the
barrel clean. At least there is no roll marked claim that the
firearm is dangerous and that the user’s manual must be read
before using.
SIGHTS:
The front sight is a high and thin-bladed affair with the rear
sight being a notch cut in the top-strap of the receiver (the
design of which was borrowed from the Remington’s New Army
revolver) and which is only visible with the hammer fully
cocked.
GRIP:
True to form, the one-piece hardwood
grip emulates the grip that would be
found on a well-used 1873 Colt SAA
revolver. Even the slight mismatches
in wood-to-steel fit are calculated
to resemble the original; slightly
worn and rough from use, blinding
rainstorms, desert dust, and long
cattle drive let alone those drunken
nights at the Swinging Door Saloon.
In other words, the grip is perfectly
matched to the gun. I expected to see
a couple of notches on the grip, but the grip on this revolver
has never been in a gun fighter’s hand.
The grip is actually dark brown and what appears to be walnut.
This is in contrast to the somewhat reddish color of most of
the grips from Uberti. The grips emulate years of being
gripped and handled in the worthy hands of a ‘Shootist’ of the
Old West.
The grip length is perfect for
my hand when I obtain the high
grip position, which to me is
with the cocked hammer just
resting against the fleshy part
between the thumb and trigger
finger part of my hand. This is
the best spot to manage the
recoil and muzzle flip. After
firing, the thumb catches the hammer groove and cocks the
hammer as the barrel is forced downward. This grip also get
the bore axis of the barrel almost inline with the hand and
arm when shooting from the ‘duelist’ position.
If I get a low grip on the gun, my little finger hangs off of
the grip, but it can be useful there as well to help mitigate
muzzle rise.
ACTION:
While the Uberti 1873 Cattleman II in the Old West Style does
not have Wolf springs like the “El Patron” model, the action
is superb. Like the original. There are four clicks to be
heard; “C-O-L-T” and are as distinctive as the name itself.
Trigger pull weight is right at 4-pounds of pull with no takeup, a very crisp and definitive break, and absolutely no overtravel. I wish that I had some 1911 pistols with a trigger
this good.
The hammer is thin and high with a nice valley in which to
catch the crook of the thumb when the hammer is being cocked.
To assist the thumb in cocking the hammer is a finely serrated
hammer spur.
True to the original Colt SAA, the hammer must be at half-cock
to load/unload the cylinder via the loading/unloading gate.
True to fashion, these revolvers dictate a load one-skip oneload four loading to prevent the firing pin from contacting a
live cartridge. However, Uberti has built in a few safeties
that help to mitigate NDs (see, SAFETIES). The hammer is then
pulled to the full-cock position and either lowered to the
“rest” position with the thumb or lowered quickly by pulling
the trigger to fire the gun.
FRAME:
The frame is of cold hard-forged steel and has, of course, the
‘Old West” treatment to give the ‘Old West’ look.
The patent information, (PAT SEPT. 12 1871 and PAT JULY 2
1872) is stamped into the left side of the frame. Just forward
of the trigger guard is the unit’s serial number.
The frame features a button-style ejection rod that assists
the shooter in ridding the revolver of fired casings, and it
does so quite well. With some of the shorter-barreled
revolvers, the ejector rod is not long enough to completely
clear the fired cases from the revolver and the fired cases
would have to be plucked from the chamber with a fingernail.
The frame also houses the
cylinder base pin, which on the
‘Old West” model is removed and
installed by loosening a base
pin screw that is on the front
of the receiver and below the
cylinder base pin. (Note that
the use of the base pin screw is
more true to the original Colt
SAA revolver and in 1896, at
serial number 164,100, a springloaded base pin latch replaced
the cylinder pin retaining screw. A spring-loaded base pin
latch is commonly found on Uberti’s New Model series of
revolvers.) Apparently, Uberti is aware of the fact that one
could lose the base pin screw and provided a second one. A dab
of blue or purple thread locker should be enough to keep it in
place, but it still needs to be checked periodically when
firing the revolver, and I am sure that some of those who
carried the original 1873 Colt Single Action Army lost a few
in their time.
The cylinder base pin also serves as a safety (see SAFETIES).
CYLINDER:
The cylinder on this particular
model holds six .45 caliber Long
Colt cartridges. It is fluted, as
was the original. While the
cylinder is made of modern
materials, it is recommended that
“cowboy” loads be fired to
increase longevity and also
safety.
A cylinder base pin secures the cylinder to the frame and
allows it to turn free when the hammer is at the half-cock
position. Each chamber of the cylinder loads and unloads
through the loading gate. Although Uberti has incorporated a
new safety in the Cattleman II series of revolver, it is still
advised to load only five in the chambers of the cylinder
while resting the hammer on an empty chamber.
SAFETIES:
My hat is off to Uberti for incorporating safeties that are
not visible and would otherwise detract from the gun’s
appearance.
Although Uberti has incorporated a new safety in the Cattleman
II series of revolver, it is still advised to load only five
in the chambers of the cylinder while resting the hammer on an
empty chamber. (I understand that Uberti also has a line of
revolvers that incorporate a hammer block safety for those who
don;t mind such a thing.)
Firing Pin Safety:
The Uberti Cattleman II with retractable firing pin is a
breakthrough for those seeking enhanced safety with regard to
original Old West revolvers without sacrificing the visual
authenticity of a 1st-generation Colt.
As any cowboy knows, the safest way to carry a single-action
is with the hammer resting on an unloaded chamber. This is
true even for the Uberti retractable firing pin design. But in
the case of the Uberti design, the risk of accidental
discharge is reduced: the firing pin is not locked into the
firing position unless the trigger is pulled.
This enhanced safety feature is available without a visible
transfer bar safety, which those who insist on visual
authenticity might not want. In other words, from the outside
this revolver’s looks and operation are identical to those of
an original.
See the animation below for a full explanation.
Base Pin Safety:
To ‘safe” the revolver:
1. First, loosen the cylinder base pin screw in the frame.
2. Place the hammer in the safety notch position by moving
the hammer rearward until you hear the first click. When
in the proper position, the hammer will rest ¼-inch from
the frame.
3. Push the cylinder base pin into the frame as far as it
will go. The stop ring on the cylinder base pin will be
against the front of the frame. The other end of the
cylinder base pin will rest against the front of the
hammer.
4. Tighten the cylinder base pin screw.
Note: Do not rely solely on this safety; this is a voluntary
safety and not an automatic safety.
To ‘fire’ the revolver:
1. First, loosen the cylinder base pin screw in the frame.
2. Place the hammer in the safety notch position by moving
the hammer rearward until you hear the first click. When
in the proper position, the hammer will rest ¼-inch from
the frame.
3. Pull the cylinder base pin from the frame until both
detents in the cylinder base pin are visible.
4. Insert the base pin to the first detent.
5. Tighten the cylinder base pin screw. The revolver is now
ready for normal operation.
In addition, there is also a “rest” position for the hammer.
The “rest” position is one click rearward on the hammer. This
position is used to insert the cylinder base pin to its safe
position; the two work in tandem so to speak. The “rest”
hammer position should only be used in conjunction with the
cylinder base pin and not relied upon as a safety under its
own merits.
THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL:
The Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old West” weighs in at 36.8
ounces (2.3 pounds) unloaded. By comparison, the Ruger Vaquero
(blued) weighs in at 40 ounces (2.5 pounds) unloaded. Also by
comparison, the original 1873 Colt Single-Action Army weighed
36.97 ounces (2.31 pounds) unloaded. The Uberti 1873 Cattleman
II “Old West” is slightly lighter than the original 1873 Colt
SAA but not so much to be noticeable.
RANGE TIME:
Although the Uberti reproductions are tested at 3
times the gun’s operating pressure, I see no need to
test that limit and confine my shooting to “cowboy”
loads. This session’s loading was 250-grain RNFP
running at about 725fps and was purchased through
Georgia Arms.
A simple silhouette target was run 10 yards downrange and I
loaded up the first five rounds like a good cowboy should;
load one, skip one, load four. Single-action revolvers were
meant to fire one-handed and that was my intent as I took up a
“Duelist” stance. That thin front sight seemed even thinner as
I tried to put it in the rear notch, but nonetheless the first
shot went downrange on the target. I expected a little high
and left and I wasn’t disappointed. I adjusted the trigger
finger slightly and commenced to place the remaining four
shots the best that I could.
Fast forwarding to fifty rounds later, I was able to take out
the center of the target and place the majority of my shots in
the 9-ring. I was quite satisfied with the Uberti 1873
Cattleman II “Old West” model revolver and, as usual, I find
these Uberti reproductions far more accurate than I am with my
hand getting shakier and my eyes getting older. While I did
try the two-hand, off-hand hammer cock I found that I was more
comfortable firing this gun off-hand and one-handed; it just
seemed to be the right thing to do.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Collecting and shooting replicas
of single-action revolvers used
in that period of American
history when the land was being
settled and tamed, and even
during some unsettling times, is
both rewarding and relaxing.
While I appreciate Sturm Ruger, Ruger and Company’s attempt at
keeping the single-action revolver alive, as well as Colt
continuing production of the SAA revolver, I appreciate
Uberti’s value and also commitment in keeping the Old West
alive through its reproduction efforts. The feel of a Ruger
Blackhawk or Vaquero is just not the same as with Uberti
reproductions and while I understand that the Ruger SA
revolvers can handle some pretty hot loads, there is
absolutely nothing wrong with putting some ‘Sunday’ loads down
range in a relaxing manner.
While I plan to add a couple more Uberti single-action
revolvers to the collection (Colt Bisley – introduced in 1894,
Smith & Wesson New Model 3 – 1877 (although they were made
from 1870 – 1915), the Remington 1890 New Army – the last
Remington revolver made and sold until 1896, and the 1873
Cattleman II in the original 7.5″ barrel length), having what
I now have in the collection gives me the satisfaction of
being able to shoot reproductions of these firearms and is
alright by me and my pocketbook, as an original would be well
beyond my means (All original, good condition, U.S. Cavalry
and Artillery Single Action Armies (those produced between
1873 and 1891) are among the most valuable to collectors and
can bring upwards of $10,000)
The Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old West” model revolver is as
true to the original 1st generation Colt SAA as I believe that
I can get. The finish of the Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old
West”, while not exact to the true finish of an actual
firearm, which takes years to take on the patina and richness
of bluing worn through many hands and holsters, is close
enough for me. The Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old West” is a
fine piece of ‘Old West” representation with improved
durability and reliability over the original 1873 Colt Single
Action Army.
The overall feel of the Uberti 1873 Cattleman II “Old West” is
very balanced. Although I like the 7.5-inch “Calvary” model,
the 5.5-inch barrel (which would be considered the “Artillerylength” model) feels as good in my hand as does the 1911-based
pistol that I carry every day. Both, it seems, are .45
calibers – will you fancy that!
RESOURCES:
1873
Cattleman
II
Revolvers:
http://www.uberti.com/1873-cattleman-ii-revolver
OTHER UBERTI REVIEWS:
Be sure to check out my other reviews of Uberti products…
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver (New Model 341350) –
Review:
http://guntoters.com/blog/2015/12/10/uberti-1872-army-op
en-top-revolver-new-model-341350-review/
1875
Remington
‘Outlaw’
by
A.
Uberti:
http://guntoters.com/blog/2015/09/21/1875-remington-outl
aw-by-a-uberti/
1858 Remington New Army Conversion by A. Uberti:
http://guntoters.com/blog/2015/08/29/1858-remington-newarmy-conversion-by-a-uberti/
1871 Navy Colt Conversion (Early Version) by A. Uberti:
http://guntoters.com/blog/2015/09/01/1871-navy-colt-conv
ersion-early-version-by-a-uberti/
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top
Revolver (New Model 341350) –
Review
In 1871 Colt’s had patented at least two rear-loading
revolvers using metallic cartridges: the Colt House Revolver
and the Open Top. The House revolver went into production the
same year in 1871 but the Open Top didn’t start production
until 1872. These were true “cartridge” revolvers unlike those
that had been converted from black powder to cartridge
cylinders, such as the 1851, 1860, and 1871 Colt revolvers.
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top
Revolver
The 1872 Army Open-Top revolver was submitted to the U.S Army
for acceptance as a new revolver but was rejected; The Army
asked for a more powerful caliber with a stronger frame. Two
colt engineers, Charles Richards and William Mason were
instrumental in developing cartridge-converted revolvers up
until 1871 when the first true “cartridge’ revolver was
developed. Colt went back to the drawing board. Mason
redesigned the frame to incorporate a top-strap, similar to
the Remington revolvers, and placed the rear sight on the rear
of the frame; he consulted with Richards on some other
improvements. This new gun was chambered for the newest
caliber known as the .45 Colt and the 1873 Colt Single-Action
Army revolver was born, accepted by the U.S. Army and became
what we know of today as the “Peacekeeper” and still remains
so. Even with the rejection by the U.S. Army, approximately
7,000 1872 Colt Open-Top revolvers were manufactured from 1872
to 1873 and were carried by many.
The 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver was, in my mind, the turning
point that would make Colt the leading manufacturer of
revolvers for years to come. And, for this reason, I wanted
one.
The .44 Henry Rimfire
Cartridge
–
The
Original Cartridge
for the 1872 Army
Open-Top Revolver
Unlike my Uberti reproduction of the 1871 Colt Navy, with its
brass trigger guard and grip-frame, the Uberti 1872 Army OpenTop Revolver is an all steel-framed revolver sporting the
“Calvary” barrel length of 7 ½ inches just like the original.
The chambering of the Uberti reproduction is; however, in .45
Colt in keeping with the rest of my collection. Needless to
say those .44 Henry rim-fire cartridges (the original
chambering) are no longer available
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver –
Blued and Color Case- Hardened Steel
The cylinder, as well as everything forward of it and the
trigger guard and grip-frame, is nicely blued steel while the
receiver and side loading gate is color-hardened steel that
lends a nice contrast to the rest of the revolver. As part of
the conversion to cartridges from percussion revolvers, the
1872 Army Open-Top Revolver has a spring-loaded ejector rod
that assists in ridding the revolver of spent cartridges.
Similar to the ejector rod used on later 1873 Colt
“Peacemaker” revolvers, the ejector rod is on the right side
of the barrel (secured by a heavy screw in the frame) and has
a small lever that must be first rotated upward and then
rearward to expel the spent cartridge. A loading gate keeps
the rounds within the cylinder and a simple push of the gate
outward releases the loading gate.
The cylinder in this particular model holds 6 rounds of .45
Long Colt, although other models are available in .38 special.
Like all cartridge conversion reproductions by Uberti, the
revolvers can fire modern smokeless powder or cartridges with
black powder. High pressure loads are not recommended and any
“SASS” approved “Cowboy” ammunition should provide years of
enjoyment and service from these revolvers.
The “Flash Gap”, the distance between the forcing cone and the
face of the cylinder is less than .004-inches (the thinnest
feeler gauge that I have). The forcing cone end of the barrel
slopes nicely into the cylinder area, which is true to the
original design of these revolvers. Unlike revolvers with top
straps, where hot gases are forced into the top strap when a
cartridge fires, the open-top revolver allows hot gases to
escape upward with nothing to stop them. Spacer blocks between
cylinder and frame were common as were two-part cylinders
where the cylinder had to be removed from the revolver for
loading and reloading. The Richards/Mason conversion removed
all of that stuff and what resulted was a cartridge revolver
that loaded and unloaded via a side gate that is also part of
the recoil shield.
The cylinder does not have recessed chambers; there is a gap
between the rear of the cylinder and the frame. This gap
allows the shooter to instantly see if the firearm is loaded.
The cylinder locks up tight and there is absolutely no play
front-to-rear or side-to-side. This revolver is fitted tightly
and that attest to the quality of Uberti reproductions.
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top
Revolver – Note the Scroll
Work on Cylinder
1872 Uberti Army
Open-Top Revolver –
Open Loading Gate
Showing
Massive
Chambers for the .45
LC Cartridge
The cylinder has scrollwork just like the original (a naval
battle) has and is not fluted, which adds strength to the
cylinder. Chamber thickness is about .047 inch, so no, this is
not a Ruger and ammunition should be selected to compliment
the firearm and not destroy it. For 230-grain .45 LC
ammunition, I like to stay around the 850 fps velocity if not
under, which is a comfortable load to shoot. If I want to run
hot loads, I’ll go to the Ruger Blackhawk.
Unlike the original 1872 Colt Open-Top revolver, the hammer in
the Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver incorporates a safety
block that operates by the turn of a screw, which keeps the
firing pin from protruding into the frame. The screw can only
be seen when the hammer is in the half-cock or fully cocked
positions. Although the block safety does move away from the
original design, I have come to not notice it all.
The firing pin is part of the hammer and plunges through a
corresponding hole in the frame to strike the cartridge. This
is definitely not a revolver to carry with six rounds. If the
hammer is struck or dropped over a live round, something not
so nice will happen when the cartridge fires. As with all
revolvers of this nature; move the hammer to the half-cock
position, load one, skip one, load four, pull the hammer to
the full cock position, and then use the thumb to control the
descent of the hammer while the trigger is pulled and comes to
rest on an empty chamber.
A-Zoom Snap Caps In the
1871 Colt – Excellent
In Any Firearm For DryFire Practice
It is not advised to dry-fire this revolver and use of snap
caps is highly recommended. I use those by A-Zoom for dryfiring the revolver. You can see those chambered in the
firearm in the accompanying image.
There is absolutely no take-up in the trigger and (on this
particular model) the trigger breaks crisply at a hair less
than three pounds with just a hint of over-travel. As the
trigger in the Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver wears in, I
am sure that it will smooth out and become lighter still.
1872 Uberti Army Open-Top Revolver Showing Assembly Wedge and
Patent Numbers
Heavy Recoil
Cylinder Pin
Shield
and
Forcing Cone-To_Cylinder
Gap is Very Tight. Note
Notched Rear Sight
What a Bore! What a Very
Large Bore!
Some say that the open-top revolver was not as strong as those
with a closed top. That could be argued as the open-top
revolver using a much thicker cylinder pin that is found on
closed-top revolvers and which aids to the strength of the
open-top revolver. The cylinder is held into place by a wedge
that is inserted and locked into a very robust frame. To takedown an open-top revolver of this type, a screwdriver is used
to turn the retaining screw until it is parallel with the
cylinder pin. Although it is possible to push the wedge
through the frame after a few sessions of disassembly,
sometimes it takes a small hammer and something soft to get
the wedge started. Afterward it can be plucked from the frame
and set aside. The barrel is then grabbed and pulled forward
off of the cylinder pin. The cylinder is then rotated off of
the cylinder pin. To assembly the revolver; the hammer is
pulled slightly rearward, the cylinder is pushed onto the
cylinder pin and then rotated slightly until it engages the
cylinder hand (the part that rotates the cylinder), the barrel
assembly is then pushed onto the cylinder pin (two mating pins
are part of the frame assembly and mate with two holes in the
barrel assembly, the wedge is inserted into the frame and
lightly tapped into place, and the locking screw is turned
just enough to secure the wedge into the frame. With a
practiced hand, disassembling the open-top revolver can be
performed faster than field stripping a 1911 Colt pistol. Care
must be taken to prevent the wedge too far into the frame, as
the wedge also contributes to the forcing cone-to-cylinder gap
and it is quite possible to bind the cylinder.
The Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver weighs in at 2.2 pounds
dry and has enough handle to hold onto. The wide and flared
grip bottom helps in keeping muzzle rise in check while the
shape of a grip allows the revolver to roll back in the hand,
which puts the hammer spur within easy reach of the cocking
thumb. The hammer spur has a diamond-shape pattern to ensure a
good surface for cocking. The hammer has a deep valley in
which to rest the thumb during cocking or holding the hammer
while de-cocking. The grip itself is a one-piece wood affair
with the usual Uberti stain but slightly darker in color than
most Uberti revolvers that I have and have seen. According to
Uberti, the wood is Walnut. They are well mated to the grip
frame and are nice enough to not consider refinishing or
replacement. I like the dark wood grips, as they lend a rich
touch to the revolver.
Surprisingly, the revolver is nicely balanced. With a 7 ½-inch
barrel, you would expect the revolver to be barrel-heavy.
This; however, is not the case when five .45 LC rounds are
loaded into the chambers of the cylinder.
The steel back strap and trigger guard is a two piece unit
that is attached to the cold-steel frame by six screws. A
single screw mounts the back strap to the trigger guard. On
the left side of the revolver, just behind the trigger guard,
the caliber of the firearm is stamped. The firearm’s serial
number is stamped on both the frame and the brass just beneath
the cylinder at the front. 1871 is stamped into the frame just
above the disassembly wedge. Also, and just below the cylinder
on the left side of the frame, two patent marks are stamped
that denote the patents in 1871 and 1872. The top of the
barrel is stamped with manufactures stamps;
1872 Uberti Army Open-Top
Revolver – Note Blade Front
Sight and Notch Rear Sight
on Barrel
Sights on the 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver are quite unique.
The front sight is a fixed bladed sight that is inset on the
front of the barrel while the rear sight is unique in that the
rear sight is a raised notch at the rear of the barrel near
the forcing cone. Since the 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver, like
the 1871 model, was an open-top revolver there were not too
many choices in providing a rear sight. On some open-top
revolvers, there was a sighting notch cut into the hammer;
when the hammer was at full cock, the front sight was aligned
with the rear sight – the hammer. With the 1872 Army Open-Top
Revolver, the front sight is aligned with the raised rear
notch. The front sight and the rear notch are very thin. These
were more instinctive shooting firearms than target revolvers;
simply point the barrel in the right direction and pull the
trigger. However, it is surprising how accurate these firearms
can be when time is taken to actually use the sights.
Although I have always felt that the Remington revolvers were
superior to the Colt revolvers of the day, the Colt Open-Top
revolvers were exceptional and are now more exceptional due to
modern manufacturing and materials of the reproductions. The
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver fills a niche in my humble
collection in that the original was a stepping stone to a more
advanced single-action revolver design for Colt; the 1873 Colt
SAA.
RANGE TIME:
Folks unfamiliar with revolvers of this nature discount them
because of their supposed poor accuracy. Nothing could be
further from the truth; they are as accurate as any modern
firearm at “combat distances” and beyond.
I still had some PROGRADE .45 Colt 250-grain Cowboy Grade
ammunition left over from a previous shoot and decided to put
twelve more downrange for function testing. A simple target
was posted at fifteen yards and I wanted to see how the 7.5inch barrel would perform.
I am in the habit of firing SA revolvers from a standing one
hand position. As my usual with a single-action revolver, my
first two shots were high left. Dropping the sight picture to
a six o’clock hold and trying to concentrate on the very
narrow front sight and rear channel, I put four shots pretty
close to the center. Another round of six rounds was fired and
I have to say that the accuracy of the Uberti 1872 Army OpenTop Revolver was on par with the 1871 Colt Navy, the 1858
Remington New Army conversion, and the 1875 Remington New Army
revolvers in the collection. As with the 1871 Colt Navy, I was
expecting much more flash from the top of the forcing cone,
due to the revolver not having a top strap, but was surprised
how little side flash there actually was. Perhaps, it was due
to the tight forcing cone-to cylinder or simply the shape of
the outside of the barrel at the forcing cone. At this point I
really don’t know, as the 1871 Colt Navy is the same way.
What I do know is that the Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top Revolver
is a fine piece of work, it is a natural pointer for me, and
accurate enough to make me want to shoot it more. The Uberti
1872 Army Open-Top Revolver also looks great and makes me
appreciate the modern firearms that we do have available to
us.
SUMMARY:
Uberti 1872 Army Open Top
Revolver Ready for the “New
West”
While stiff when new, everything is breaking in well, and the
Uberti 1872 Army Open-Top revolver is starting to show its
mettle. While very similar in appearance to the 1871 Colt Navy
Open-Top revolver, which was never used by the Navy, the 1872
Army Open-Top revolver is a welcome addition to my family of
Uberti reproduction revolvers.
The 1872 Army Open-Top revolver was, I believe, the revolver
that actually won the west. Without its rejection by the U.S.
Army, the 1873 Colt SAA may not have been developed until
later. I would say that we should be glad that the 1872 Army
Open-Top revolver was rejected.
RESOURCES:
Uberti Firearms (Conversions and Open-Top Revolvers:
http://www.uberti.com/army-conversion-navy-conversion-and-open
-top-revolvers
1875 Remington ‘Outlaw’ by A.
Uberti
Uberti 1875 Remington New Army Revolver
Between 25,000 and 30,000 Remington revolvers were
manufactured during the years 1875-1889 in three different
ammunition sizes: .44 Remington Center fire; .44-40; and .45
Long Colt. These were not optional; rather, the caliber of
production models was determined by their date of manufacture.
These revolvers were manufactured to be in direct competition
with the new Colt Single Action Army that was introduced in
1873.
In 1868, Remington began offering five shot metallic cartridge
conversions of the revolver in .46 rim fire. Remington paid a
royalty fee to Smith & Wesson, owners of the Rollin White
patent (#12,648, April 3, 1855) on bored-through revolver
cylinders for metallic cartridge use. The 1858 Remington Army
cartridge-conversions were the first large-caliber cartridge
revolvers available, beating even Smith & Wesson’s .44
American to market by nearly two years.
When Rollin White’s request of extension for his breechloading revolvers patent was rejected by the American
Government in January 1870 the Colt’s Patent Fire Arms
Manufacturing Company started working on its own metallic
cartridge rear-loaders. Up until then, it had been only
practicing the so-called Richards-Mason conversions. Colt
continued converting muzzle-loading percussion revolvers into
rear-loaders until 1878, but in 1871 Colt’s had patented at
least two rear-loading revolvers using metallic cartridges:
the Colt House Revolver and the Open Top. The House revolver
went into production the same year in 1871 but the Open Top
didn’t start production until 1872.
Uberti 1871-1872 Colt Navy Revolver
It was a failure of the 1871-1872 Colt Open top revolver in
qualifying for the U.S. Army’s demand for a robust revolver
that led Colt to design a completely new revolver that became
the ‘standard’ from which other single-action revolvers are
measured – the 1873 Colt Single Action Army.
The 1858 Remington Army conversions were considered by some
superior revolvers to the Colt and many were carried by
civilians, law enforcement, and soldiers. However, the 1873
Colt Single Action Army was the Army’s choice of revolvers and
Remington took a back seat. The 1875 Remington New Army;
however, was still considered by many as the better revolver.
In a sense, the Remington revolver was the Chevrolet to the
Colt’s Ford.
Uberti 1858 Remington Army Conversion Revolver
Uberti 1875 Remington New Army Revolver
The 1875 Remington New Army differed from the 1858 Remington
Conversion in a few areas;
7-1/2 inch round barrel as compared to the 1858 8-inch
barrel octagon
Updated front sight
A fluted cylinder
Walnut grip panels
Blued or nickel-plated finish with case-hardened hammer
and loading gate. (The color-case hardened frame on the
Uberti reproduction is not period correct – but it looks
nice and has nice patterning.)
Spring-loaded cartridge ejector rod replaced the no
spring ejection rod of the 1858 model
A completely redesigned frame. (Note that the cylinder
pin lock on the Uberti reproduction is not correct, but
was added by Uberti and is similar to the Colt).
The 1875 Remington New Army was designed as a true
cartridge revolver rather than a conversion like the
1858 model
The loading gate was redesigned and resembles that of
the Colt 1873 Single Action Army
The firing pin is hammer mounted and protrudes through
the frame; The 1858 Remington’s firing pin was internal
to the frame.
Lanyard ring
Standard barrel length was 7-1/2 inches (as with my model
that, in the real world, would have been considered as the
“Improved Army” revolver), although a very few revolvers were
produced with 5-3/4 inch barrels (Uberti calls this the
“Frontier” model). The familiar ‘sail’ was retained; however,
and was perhaps a means to distinguish the Remington revolvers
from the Colt line. The 1875 Remington New Army was the last
revolver manufactured by Remington that incorporated the
‘sail’ in its design.
The 1875 Remington New Army was a robust revolver and tipped
the scales at about 2.8 pounds (unloaded) as compared to the
1873 Colt Single Action Army that weighed about 2.3 pounds
(unloaded).
The
Uberti
1875
Remington
‘Outlaw”
is
a
very
close
reproduction of the original revolver. With this version, the
lanyard ring does not exist, as it was removed by many users
at the time (honest folks as well as outlaws), and was not
needed. However, some lanyard rings remained because many
could not afford a good holster and these revolvers were
stuffed into trousers and sashes; a makeshift lanyard could be
used to keep from losing the revolver.
1875 Remington New Army Grip
1873 Colt Single Action
Army Grip
If one compares the 1875 Remington New Army with the Colt 1873
Single Action Army, one thing is apparent – the difference in
grip. The 1873 Colt single Action Army back strap is more
swept back, which allows the revolver to ‘roll’ or ‘plow’ in
the hand. The back strap of the Remington 1875 Remington New
Army is more downward and slightly inward. Although the grip
is flared at the bottom, it is in my mind, more comparable to
the Smith & Wesson No. 3 and Colt ‘Bisley’ revolvers, though
not so pronounced. When shooting the Remington, it seems that
the hand plays more of a part in recoil control than the Colt.
The grip of the 1875 Remington New Army fits my hand better
than the 1873 Colt Single Action Army. The front of the grip
is also set back more than Colt revolvers; a feature that
works well in my hands when on rare occasions when I shoot a
single-action revolver two-handed.
Load One, Skip One, Load
Four in the Massive Chambers
for .45 Colt
With any single-action revolver based on early designs, the
‘load one-skip one-load four’ principle still applies. I do
this even with modern single-action revolvers like the Ruger
Blackhawk and other single-action revolvers – just to keep the
habit alive. Also, I must be noted that the Uberti version of
the 1875 Remington New Army does not incorporate and ‘hammer
block’ safety as does the 1873 Colt Single Action Army and the
Remington 1858 New Army Conversion model. The revolver
definitely dictates the ‘load one-skip one-load four’
principle.
Spring Loaded Cylinder
Base Pin Lock
Cylinder Base Pin Extends
Fully Into The Sail
You might take note of the cylinder base pin on the 1875
Remington New Army revolver. Unlike the short cylinder base
pin of the 1873 Colt Single Action Army, the cylinder base pin
of the 1875 Remington New Army inserts into the long ‘sail’ of
the revolver. On the original 1875 Remington New Army, the
cylinder base pin was held into place by a spring latch system
at the front of the cylinder base pin. The Uberti model
differs from the original in that a spring loaded detent pin
is used, like that found on the Colt 1873 Single Action Army.
Grip Panels Removed for Edge
Smoothing. Note the Robust
Main Spring.
The fit and finish on the Uberti 1875 ‘Outlaw’ model is very
good but just short of excellent. While the bluing on the
barrel assembly is excellent, the cylinder bluing is not
uniform. This; however, is not a game stopper and in no way
takes away from the performance of the revolver. The grip
panels, at the back strap, are slightly rough and not exactly
matched to the back strap. Some very light sanding and buffing
are needed to smooth out the fit. Again, this is not a game
stopper.
Nice Patterning on the
Color Case Hardened
Frame is a Nice Contrast
With the Bluing of the
Rest of the Revolver
The ‘color case hardened’ frame (not period correct, by the
way) and hammer is nicely patterned and lends a nice contrast
with the blue-steeled barrel assembly, trigger guard assembly,
and the nicely-grained, two-piece grip panels. The grip panels
are the only items that I would like to change on this
revolver. As is common to Uberti firearms, the grip panels
just seem too red to me. While I don’t think that a nice set
of ‘aged stag’ grips would look good on this revolver, a nice
set of dark walnut grip panels might. By the way, although
Uberti also makes an 1875 Remington New Army revolver with a
brass trigger guard, it is not period correct; the original
revolver was all steel.
At the range, the Uberti 1875 Remington New Army is a pleasure
to shoot. It is surprising how accurate these reproductions
actually are and keeping all shots in a 4-inch circle at 15
yards, one-handed, is easy to do if you do your part.
Tall Front Sight of the 1875
Remington New Army revolver
The front sight was spot-on for a 6 o’clock hold with the POI
about 1.5 inches high from POA at 15 yards. After shooting
revolvers and pistols with a short sight radius, the 7.5-inch
barrel on this beast is welcomed by my old eyes and I can see
why folks of the past who carried these revolvers liked their
accuracy.
The trigger pull on my particular revolver is just over 2.5
pounds of pull and has a crisp let-off with virtually no overtravel. The cylinder locks up tight and the ‘flash gap’
measures less than .004 inches. Using ‘Cowboy Grade’ 250-grain
loads from PROGRADE, the Uberti 1875 Remington ‘Outlaw’
performed without a hitch.
Placing the hammer at half-cock and using the shell ejector,
each expended shell ejected nicely and cleanly. In some cases,
due to the light loads used, the expended .45 Colt shells just
fell out from the chambers without prompting with the ejector
rod. Load one, skip one, load four more and close the loading
gate, pull the hammer to its full-cock position, control the
hammer drop while pulling the trigger to place the firing pin
on an empty cylinder, and you are ready to shoot again.
Use Snap Caps for Dry Fire
Practice to Prevent Damage
to Firing Pin
If you decide to practice (dry fire) with the revolver, I
highly recommend the use of ‘snap caps’ and I prefer the AZoom snap caps over all others. Dry-firing these revolvers
without ‘snap caps’ is not recommended, as it could damage the
hammer-mounted firing pin. In fact, I use ‘snap caps’ for dry
firing in any firearm to prevent possible damage to the
firearm.
RANGE UPDATE 09/27/2015:
My second trip to the range revealed a flaw with the revolver.
With the light loads of the ‘Cowboy Grade’ 250-grain loads
from PROGRADE, there seemed to be no problem that I could
detect. However, I was shooting a hotter 250-grain ‘Cowboy’
load from Georgia Arms (725 fps) on the second trip and this
is when the problem reared its ugly head.
When attempting to
unload the second round fired, the cylinder would bind to the
point that it had to be removed. I looked closely at the base
of the ammunition being fired and the recoil shield of the
revolver. There was a step that was quite dominant in the
machining of the frame. The step was dominant enough to catch
my fingernail, and it seemed, dominant enough to catch the rim
or primer of an expended shell casing.
The frame was obviously machined this way by the manufacturer.
In essence, the frame’s recoil shield is thicker behind the
cartridge to be fired than in other places. I really don’t
mind this at all, as this area takes the brunt of the
recoiling shell casing and thicker is better. However, a
graduated thickness is better than a step thickness.
Now, I could either send the revolver back for
replacement/repair or attempt to rectify the situation myself.
I decided on the latter. I needed to bevel the edge enough to
allow a fired case and primer to slide over the step rather
than coming to an abrupt stop.
A
jewelers flat file and a piece of extremely fine Emery cloth
came into play. I lightly filed the offending step at about a
45-degree angle until the cylinder would not bind on any of
the expended shells. This meant filing and fitting often. I
did not want to remove too much metal, but just enough metal
where I could not feel my fingernail catching on the step and
cylinder drag could not be felt when the cylinder was rotated
with expended cases. Once the step felt smooth, the very fine
piece of Emory cloth was placed on the file and the step
rubbed to remove file marks and lightly polish the surface of
the now beveled edge. I finally reached a point where no
binding was detected as the cylinder was rotated with once
fired casings. At this point, it was time to stop any further
filing and go for polishing only.
Sometimes you just have to go for it and hope for the best.
By the way, the first shot of Georgia Arms ‘Cowboy’ ammunition
hit the ‘X’ at 15-yards. Subsequent shots were all in the ‘X’
ring from a standing “Duelist” position. This not a testament
to my shooting, but it is a testament to the accuracy this
revolver is capable of. With the 2.5 pound trigger in this
revolver, one has to be cognizant of trigger control at all
times when the hammer is cocked because surprise breaks are
the norm.
WRAPPING IT UP:
Uberti 1875 Remington New Army Revolver Reproduction
There were many for whom the 1875 Remington New Army was the
weapon of choice; among them are Buffalo Bill Cody (whose
piece is in the Cody Museum with a hand-written note by Cody
“It never failed me.”) and by outlaws Frank and Jesse James.
The 1875 Remington New Army was also carried by the agents who
murdered Chief Sitting Bull. The 1875 has been featured in
numerous films, including being carried by Ned Pepper (played
by Robert Duvall in the early version of True Grit) and
carried by Bruce Dern in the western “Will Penny”. The
Remington 1875 SAA was Sheriff Seth Bullock’s firearm
throughout the series “Deadwood”.
After the 1875 Remington New
Army, Remington No Longer
Used the “Sail”
The 1875 Remington New Army revolver was, in my mind, that
last ‘true’ Remington revolver as the ‘sail’ was non-existent
with Remington’s 1888 (New Army Pocket) and 1890 (New Model
Army) revolvers. I do have to say that having a reproduction
of the Remington 1890 New Model Army revolver is tempting, as
the original was manufactured in limited numbers and is a
highly desirable collectible. I; however, would have to settle
with an excellent reproduction of this revolver and that is
fine with me.
Uberti
1875
“Outlaw”
Remington
The Uberti 1875 Remington “Outlaw” New Army revolver is a fine
example of the original only with modern materials and
manufacturing. Take a break from modern firearms, slow down,
and step back into history for a bit while shooting
reproductions of the revolvers that helped to bring handguns
into the modern age. A time when real ‘gun control’ was
determined by how well you handled a handgun, rifle, and
shotgun. Come to think of it, that fact remains still today.
RESOURCES:
Remington
Model
1875:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_1875
Outlaw,
Frontier
&
Police
Revolvers:
http://www.uberti.com/outlaw-frontier-and-police-revolvers
A-Zoom Snap Caps: http://www.azoomsnapcaps.com/home/