uberti 1885 high wall 45-70 long term reliability

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I have been looking at the uberti/ stoeger highwalls, and also the new henrys' single shots in 45-70. I much prefer the falling block design, in comparison to the break open, it just seems sturdier. I will be using it for hunting, mainly at 100 yards or less, but if I got good, maybe up to 200 yards. my question is, do any of you have the uberti 1885 45-70, and reports on how they do after being shot a lot. does the action loosen up over time? is it really stronger than the break open henry type? or does it just seem that way? I have also been looking at the ruger no 1's , they are not available in 45-70 new anymore, according to their website, and they are going for 900-1400$ on gunbroker. I don't mind sticking to the 28'000psi or less loads, in fact I plan on doing that anyways, because of recoil. the nice thing about the no 1's is that I know they must be super strong, so with the lighter loads, should last forever. so anyone who can give me opinions on any of these guns would be appreciated! thanks a lot- Travis

[NSB]

It's been my understanding for quite a while now that the Uberti and Pedersoli High Wall was made by Pedersoli and re-branded as Uberti. I believe Pedersoli makes the barrels for both. I seriously doubt you'd ever wear one one using loads at 28,000 or below. These guns are extremely strong. Pedersoli has all modern CNC equipment at their factory and everything they produce is with modern steels and state of the art technologies. I've owned several of their guns and they are top notch in fit and finish and are all very accurate. IIRC, the Pedersoli High Wall is not designed to be drilled and tapped like the Winchester/Miroku products, but if you're going to be using a tang or vernier sight that would be of no consequence to you.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

ok, I noticed on gunbroker, that the maker was listed as uberti/stoeger on some "new in box" rifles, but they might be new-old stock, maybe they don't own uberti anymore... one more question.. I have heard that Italian made gun barrels can vary a lot in groove diameter, usually smaller than the American guns, is this still true? I think I read that in lymans cast bullet book

[NSB]

ok, I noticed on gunbroker, that the maker was listed as uberti/stoeger on some "new in box" rifles, but they might be new-old stock, maybe they don't own uberti anymore... one more question.. I have heard that Italian made gun barrels can vary a lot in groove diameter, usually smaller than the American guns, is this still true? I think I read that in lymans cast bullet book

Pedersoli makes some of the best quality gun barrels you can find. They actually are a tapered bore. I slugged four of them and they all came out at .4575", which is pretty consistent and not undersized. My Winchester/Miroku guns all came out at the same diameter.....my mic's were calibrated so I know they're accurate. It's pretty easy to slug a bore and verify the actual diameter and if you're going to shoot cast it's pretty much a requirement for best results.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

ok, thanks, I really like the henrys' single shot also, don't know if you saw it, but I asked on another thread if the break opens are as strong as the high walls, or at least strong enough to not have to worry about them loosening up. if I felt the henry was strong enough I would probably get it, as the shorter barrel, cheaper price, and also the recoil pad, are all plusses for me, since it is going to be a knock-around the woods kind of gun, mainly for hogs, but for deer as well

[marlinman93]

I believe that Uberti did buy barrels from Pedersoli for some of the Uberti guns, but don't believe they bought actions from Pedersoli.
My younger brother has owned his 1885 Uberti .45-70 for over a decade, and has had no issues at all with it. It's a very good shooting rifle, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for the reasonable price they go for. He mostly target shoots casually with his, but puts thousands of rounds through it each year, so it's seen a lot of shooting. I'd choose it over the Henry single shot, as I believe it will handle any load the Henry does, only better. But it's a much nicer looking gun in my opinion too.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

yeah, they definitely are one of the prettier rifles out there, thanks for the input!

[Lance Boyle]

Any hinge action gun will loosen over time. Some fancy shotguns have systems to adjust and fix to retighten. I don’t think you are going to get that on a inexpensive hinge action. I’ve seen some spooky loose break actions from the depression era. Guns that popped open under recoil.

It feel better with a big falling block for longevity.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

cool, thanks for the info, my father has an old side by side that is so loose that you would be insane to fire it! seeing that does make me a bit weary of them, but also they do make breakopens in those big elephant guns. but you have to wonder how many times they will even be fired over their lifetime... I think the high wall is the way I am leaning.

[Bigslug]

The Italians do a fine job - I wouldn't be too concerned on that account.

What you might want to be contemplating is overall format. Most of the Ubertis seem to follow the classic Winchester 30" octagonal layout, where the Miroku/Winchester/Brownings and Ruger #1's can usually be found in lighter, trimmer packages.

[Kraschenbirn]

Neither is a .45-70 but I've got two Uberti-made falling blocks: a Taylor .38-55 and a Cimarron .32-20 and I've put (at least!) a couple thousand rounds through each. Up front, let me state that I've only shot cast BP or BP-equivalent loads though both guns but neither show the slightest deterioration in function or accuracy. Actually, I think my .38-55 may shoot better now than when I got it...but that may be because it's pretty much my favorite for 200-yard plus plinkin' and I probably shoot it more than any other rifle in my (modest) collection.

Bill

[John Boy]

Have ly aUberti HiWall in 38-55 and 45-70. So far probably a 1000 or so rounds through each. No issues with either rifle. 38-55 is used for silhouettes out to 500 meters and the 45-70 for gong shooting out to 1000yds. Both with BP reloads