Vetting Reliability for Lever Action Rifles (In this case, Uberti/Cimarron 1873 .357)

[Coal Train]

I hope so. So it’s still possible for me to cancel the ‘73 and order the Winchester ‘92. That place I linked actually costs less than the Uberti/Cimarron for me.

If it really is the better more durable/reliable .357, I would like to go with that instead. What do you think?

As fatdog mentioned, the 92 will be a stronger action if you are wanting to go T-Rex hunting with your loading. However, the 1873 action will be smoother and faster than the more complicated 1892 action. I could cycle the action of my 1873 all day. Cycling the action on my 1886 gets tiresome after a bit*. The 1892 is a scaled down 1886 action.

Between the two, for what you are wanting to do, I would go with the Uberti 1873.






*But my shoulder would give out shooting The Government load long before my lever arm. :-)

[SwampDweller]

As fatdog mentioned, the 92 will be a stronger action if you are wanting to go T-Rex hunting with your loading. However, the 1873 action will be smoother and faster than the more complicated 1892 action. I could cycle the action of my 1873 all day. Cycling the action on my 1886 gets tiresome after a bit*. The 1892 is a scaled down 1886 action.

Between the two, for what you are wanting to do, I would go with the Uberti 1873.






*But my shoulder would give out shooting The Government load long before my lever arm. :-)

The better availability of replacement parts and gunsmiths for the Uberti 73 are what tips me on that direction, it seems to perform reliable enough for those who shoot leverguns a good bit (at least that’s my impression?)

But if the Miroku 92 is a better gun regarding reliability, it’s tempting to go that route instead.

[SwampDweller]

I think today is the last day I can switch to getting the Winchester Miroku 92 instead of the Uberti 73. Reliability and durability (with replacement parts factoring into the ability to keep them running) are the primary consideration.

[SwampDweller]

I decided to cancel the Uberti ‘73 order. I’ve been considering the fact that I want to primarily shoot factory .357 Magnum loads through a .357 lever gun, and I’m not sure the 73 would be the best locking system for that. Strongly leaning towards the Winchester Miroku ‘92… and the flattop.45 stainless Blackhawk Lipseys just came out with.

[Malamute]

...Only have a minute, have 5000 things going on...

125s. They were touted as the best"stopping" load in the past, I think the velocity helped with terminal performance, but the 158 sjhp seemed to work as well overall and not have problems with bullet integrity. The other aspect is recoil, 125s recoil less, but Im willing to forego what perceived advantage there may be in that for the overall performance of the 158s on possible defense use and field use. Good gel tests by Andrew indicate the rem 158 sjhp work well in 4" and carbines, the Fed 158 soft points work well in carbines and borderline in 4" pistols. I have some of both from before ammo got scarce in the recent freak out phase. 125s that I have are varmint/pest use in the carbine if not just shot up to get the brass. I keep 158 gr cast tcfp loads at around 1250 fps (?) for general walk around the yard use in the carbine and less noise.

Im trying to keep it as simple as possible, one magnum load (rem 158 sjhp) for 2 1/2" 19 through 6" and carbine use in mainly rural environment. The carbine may have the fed sp loads in it but I dont keep them in as handy as the rem loads in general.

My likely next firearm acquisition will likely be an SA 357 to work with the carbine in tooling around the hills not in grizzly country and general shooting enjoyment. A belt of 357s weighs less than a belt of 44s or 45s. This is part of my geezer transition.

[gato naranja]

I decided to cancel the Uberti ‘73 order. I’ve been considering the fact that I want to primarily shoot factory .357 Magnum loads through a .357 lever gun, and I’m not sure the 73 would be the best locking system for that. Strongly leaning towards the Winchester Miroku ‘92… and the flattop.45 stainless Blackhawk Lipseys just came out with.

Only you will ultimately know what does or doesn't work for you. That being said, the Miroku Winchester copies that I have owned and/or spent time with were all of better materials and better fitted WHERE IT MATTERED than any other leverguns I have owned. Perfect? No. But good, solid guns. If I was the historical recreationist that I used to be, I'd be shooting CAS with SAAs and a Uberti '73 of some sort; I'm not, so I don't. Various 92 clones have worked well enough for me in the past (some better than others), and my Marlin 1894 still clanks and clatters along reliably alongside my GP-100. I know I am not being historically accurate vis-a-vis the Old West - whatever that is* - but most of the general population seems to think I'm straight outta Deadwood, so to speak.

(They wouldn't know Roy Rogers from Aaron Rodgers. The past is a different country for most people.)

...Only have a minute, have 5000 things going on...

125s. They were touted as the best"stopping" load in the past, I think the velocity helped with terminal performance, but the 158 sjhp seemed to work as well overall and not have problems with bullet integrity. The other aspect is recoil, 125s recoil less, but Im willing to forego what perceived advantage there may be in that for the overall performance of the 158s on possible defense use and field use. Good gel tests by Andrew indicate the rem 158 sjhp work well in 4" and carbines, the Fed 158 soft points work well in carbines and borderline in 4" pistols. I have some of both from before ammo got scarce in the recent freak out phase. 125s that I have are varmint/pest use in the carbine if not just shot up to get the brass. I keep 158 gr cast tcfp loads at around 1250 fps (?) for general walk around the yard use in the carbine and less noise.

Im trying to keep it as simple as possible, one magnum load (rem 158 sjhp) for 2 1/2" 19 through 6" and carbine use in mainly rural environment. The carbine may have the fed sp loads in it but I dont keep them in as handy as the rem loads in general.

Almost all I keep on hand in .357 Magnum anymore are 158 gr loads of some sort. Same for .38 Special except for 148 gr. wadcutters. What works in a carbine may not be so hot in a revolver or vice-versa, but one can find reasonable compromises that both feed reliably in the levergun and make reasonable groups from a sixgun.

This is part of my geezer transition.

It's a hell of a lot more pleasant for most of us to make some geezer transitions than it is to insist we can get away with the same stuff we did at 20 (or 40, or...). Having relocated and burned the ship, some things came to an end whether I wanted them to or not. The adjustments are more pleasant when voluntary... or when I convince myself they are voluntary.


*My home state was still about 1/3 quasi-frontier when the 1853 Sharps and Colt 1851 Navy were cutting-edge. People don't think "Iowa" when they think of the "Old West." A few of my ancestors were in an even earlier "Old West" when they crossed the Appalachians with a flintlock.

[Malamute]

It's a hell of a lot more pleasant for most of us to make some geezer transitions than it is to insist we can get away with the same stuff we did at 20 (or 40, or...). Having relocated and burned the ship, some things came to an end whether I wanted them to or not. The adjustments are more pleasant when voluntary... or when I convince myself they are voluntary.


*My home state was still about 1/3 quasi-frontier when the 1853 Sharps and Colt 1851 Navy were cutting-edge. People don't think "Iowa" when they think of the "Old West." A few of my ancestors were in an even earlier "Old West" when they crossed the Appalachians with a flintlock.

Ive carried 44s and heavy loaded 45s for many years, but carrying them and the bear capable 1886 carbine are becoming more trouble with the bad back, shoulder and hip, besides just not able to do as much since getting hurt. My geezer plan includes getting away from serious snow country and not dealing with grizzlies any more. Arizona. Its still got enough wild and empty country to kick around in to be interesting. Lighter calibers like 357 will be adequate. Single actions will do most of what I need done in the hills and are easy on older hands.

[SwampDweller]

I think I'm just going to get a Winchester/Miroku 1892 in .357 and call it a day. I'll try to source any spare parts I might need in the future as I'm able to find them.

Speaking of which, for Win/Miroku 1892s in .357, are there any recommended spare parts to have on standby? I'd like to have 2 or 3 "kits" of typical spare parts I may need down the road.

[Malamute]

I think I'm just going to get a Winchester/Miroku 1892 in .357 and call it a day. I'll try to source any spare parts I might need in the future as I'm able to find them.

Speaking of which, for Win/Miroku 1892s in .357, are there any recommended spare parts to have on standby? I'd like to have 2 or 3 "kits" of typical spare parts I may need down the road.

I try to keep basic spare parts on hand for things I use. I broke one firing pin in a post-64 Winchester 94 in about 1975, I stopped dry firing them and havent ever needed to replace one since. I keep a spare around just in case. Some of the small screws can strip or be cross threaded if one isnt careful, the loading gate (winchester calls it a spring cover), and its screw are the most likely to be problematic, it can be difficult to get started straight when taken apart. I also keep a fore end band or cap screws, and magazine cap screw. I like having an extractor around but have never broken one or seen one broken.

In the 1980s I bought an extremely rough, severely abused Winchester 94 made in 1927. I think I paid $75 for it. It had been a ranch gun in Arizona. The finish was mostly faded and gone, it had the magazine tube damaged and shortened, a coin cut down for a front sight blade, the magazine spring had worn through in 2 places, someone overlapped the ends and wrapped sewing thread around them to hold them in place. the stock was so bad I threw it away and replaced it with one someone else had thrown out from being cracked and abused badly. It looked and felt like it hadnt been cleaned in decades, if ever. Everything still worked. I replaced the mag tube and spring, one screw I managed to lose when I stripped it down for a serious cleaning, perhaps one or two others, and have been carrying and using it since. Dont dry fire them, dont lose or over-torque small screws or parts, (simplest to just not take them apart unless absolutely necessary, completely unnecessary for cleaning), and they will run a long long time.

Edit: I had one Browning 92 magazine spring go wimpy after being left loaded for 10 or 15 years, I replaced with a Winchester 94 spring and its been fine since. Most of mine have been loaded as long as ive owned them with no problems other than the one in the 92. Ive had twice as many Glock mag springs fail as Winchester/Browing lever mag springs.

Edit II: In the earlier post about bullet weights I didnt say outright that I thought the 125s arent a great choice in carbines due to the velocity and bullet integrity unless one was interested in a varmint type load with limited penetration. SP instead of HP loads may help, but Im fine with the 158s as a general purpose pistol and carbine load.

[gato naranja]

Don't dry fire them, don't lose or over-torque small screws or parts, (simplest to just not take them apart unless absolutely necessary, completely unnecessary for cleaning), and they will run a long long time.

I have also found this to be true of leverguns, particularly the Winchesters and their clones. My past overcleaning OCD has made me screw up more guns - lever and otherwise - than actual use ever did. I still have the old tendency lurking under the surface, but my growing laziness helps to keep me in line.