[TIMBERWOLF]

Does anyone know if the 1873 Uberti Cattleman 45 Colt revolver is built sturdy enough for the Corbon or Speet Gold Dot premium loads? If not, is there a near "premium" load that can be fired in the Uberti for use in
self defense situations and/or hunting?

Kindest Regards,
Timberwolf

 

[ironhead7544]

Any non +P ammo should be fine in the Uberti. Ask the ammo maker if theres any doubt.

 

[Marshal Kane]

Any standard velocity .45 Colt load be it handload or commercial will do just fine in your Cattleman for either self defense or hunting purposes. "Cowboy" loads are milder loads and very popular for CAS or just plinking.

 

[pisgah]

Unless the load is labelled as "Ruger only", any commercial ammo should be fine in your Uberti. As for defense loads, a nice, fat SWC bullet at anything over about 700 fps will serve -- one advantage of a .45 is that expansion is a secondary consideration.

 

[TIMBERWOLF]

Thanks for all the replies. I have an additional question:
is the SWC (semi wad cutter) the lead bullet that is
notorious for leading barrels pretty badly?

Thanks,
Timberwolf

 

[pisgah]

Thanks for all the replies. I have an additional question:
is the SWC (semi wad cutter) the lead bullet that is
notorious for leading barrels pretty badly?

Thanks,
Timberwolf

Naturally, cast bullets leave more lead than jacketed bullets. But, despite the impression you may have, it is rarely a serious problem. Real leading problems usuallly come only with a gun that has a very rough bore or, more frequently, bullets that are undersize, too soft (sometimes too hard),and/or are being driven too fast.

In my .45 Uberti, my standard working handload is an inexpensive commercially-cast 255 gr. semi-wadcutter that makes about 900 fps out of the gun's 4 3/4" barrel. It's comfortable to shoot, highly accurate, and plenty powerful enough to do any work I want to do with a handgun. After 75-100 rounds fired, I can see lead streaks in the bore, but they are light; and 20 strokes with a dry bronze bore brush whisks it away in seconds.

 

[Marshal Kane]

. . . Real leading problems usuallly come only with a gun that has a very rough bore or, more frequently, bullets that are undersize, too soft (sometimes too hard),and/or are being driven too fast.
. . .

As pisgah says, leading isn't due to bullet shape but other factors.

 

[Model-P]

leading isn't due to bullet shape but other factors.

Mainly "other factors", but shape can also make a difference.

Same weight bullet, same powder, same charge, same alloy, same sizing, yet one round nose bullet doesn't lead whereas the sharp-shouldered SWC does.

Same weight bullet, same powder, same charge, same alloy, same sizing, yet a bevel-based WC leads terribly whereas the equivalent flat-based WC does not lead.

Shape is not always an innocent bystander.

 

[pisgah]

Different factors affect different guns. Shape might be a big factor in your gun, nothing in mine. My point was that real leading problems are not common, and if encountered can virtually always be remedied fairly easily.

 

[Model-P]

Actually, pisgah, I was addressing Marshal Kane, since you said nothing about bullet shape in relation to leading.

I agree that any one factor causing leading can usually be worked around by tweaking the others. If you start to get leading when you raise the velocity, try tweaking the alloy, size, powder, etc. The same goes for bullet shape.

Say you have a non-leading load for a RN bullet. Say you try that same load, but using a SWC, and now you get leading at the forcing cone. Try using a softer alloy or sizing larger (if the throats allow). Just an example, but all I'm saying is that it would be false to say that the shape of the bullet never has anything to do with leading. Bevel based bullets, for example, are notorious for leading, and I've never been able to get a powder/alloy/size combination to eliminate it for my bevel based .38s.

 

[Marshal Kane]

I have yet to experience a real leading problem by only changing the bullet shape while all other properties remain the same. I shoot RN, RNFP, and SWC bullets both flat and bevel base that I cast from w-w through the same guns and they all exhibit a bit of leading around the forcing cone but nothing of any consequence. I also shoot swaged HBWCs through the same guns and get approximately the same amount of leading. In other words, bullet shape did not make an appreciable difference with respect to leading. I believe the question posed was, does shooting a SWC bullet result in a noticeable and undesireable amount of leading? (My paraphrasing) In my case it doesn't. YMMV I do respect your point of view and thank you for voicing what you've experienced.

 

[Irish Bird Dog]

FWIW......I once fired a .44 Mag load, 240gr cast bullet (not a hot load by any means) in my Uberti Cattleman of about late 1980's early 1990's vintage and it didn't even hiccup.....I guess cuz that smaller dia bullet didn't hold back much gas to create pressure. I regularly shoot 255gr cast 454190 bullet with Unique & the book velocity is rated at 850fps +/- for cowboy shooting. Look at the frame and you will see it is somewhat larger than most Italian SAA clones.....at least mine is. For reference mine also has a wider rear sight groove and wider front sight then most other Italian SAA's I have run across.