linkstate
Ultimate Member
So I’ve decided on an Uberti made Winchester 1873 rifle but I’m still not sure what original caliber. I would be buying cast lead bullets and reloading my own cartridges with smokeless powder at the start.
I was originally going to go with a 44-40 but from everything I’m reading, the nominal groove diameter Uberti uses is .429 instead of the classic .427. Given the general idea that you should use a cast bullet .001 over groove diameter, that would call for a bullet size that can cause issues chambering not to mention another complication in an already more difficult cartridge to load for.
So then I started to read about the 38-40 and it seems like the specs line up more with what they should be. A nominal barrel groove diameter of .400 and .401 cast bullets are easy to find.
I understand the published groove diameter can vary from rifle to rifle and slugging the bore is recommended. I wouldn’t be able to do that until after I purchase the rifle so the published numbers are a starting point.
Do any of you have any words of wisdom in this area? My desire for an original caliber is for historical reasons and the ability to better handle BP loads if I choose to experiment at some point.
I was originally going to go with a 44-40 but from everything I’m reading, the nominal groove diameter Uberti uses is .429 instead of the classic .427. Given the general idea that you should use a cast bullet .001 over groove diameter, that would call for a bullet size that can cause issues chambering not to mention another complication in an already more difficult cartridge to load for.
So then I started to read about the 38-40 and it seems like the specs line up more with what they should be. A nominal barrel groove diameter of .400 and .401 cast bullets are easy to find.
I understand the published groove diameter can vary from rifle to rifle and slugging the bore is recommended. I wouldn’t be able to do that until after I purchase the rifle so the published numbers are a starting point.
Do any of you have any words of wisdom in this area? My desire for an original caliber is for historical reasons and the ability to better handle BP loads if I choose to experiment at some point.
