Silhouette Shoot with the uberti 73??

[Remmy4477]

This weekend here in Colo there having a Cowboy silhouette match for leverguns.
Furthest shot is 200 meters. 40 shot match off hand. Planning on attending!

I plan on taking my Uberti winchester 1873 in 45 colt.
Loads are Lyman 452664, 250grn sized at .452 and fairly soft (brinell "6"), SPG lubed, 35 grns Goex FFG in mainly starline brass once fired. Necked sized only. magnum primers.

Now I have maybe put about 30 rounds through this rifle since I bought it last month. 20 of those where smokeless anemic rounds and 10 were BP rounds full length resized.
BTW: the bp rounds were a heck of a lot funner and more accurate than the smokeless.
After shooting several smokeless and all the bp rounds the 73's action was filthy.
Reading here and there I decided on just neck sizing the brass to stimulate less blowback, according to what I have read and was suggested here in other postings.

So now, I guess I have the jitters, I'm worried the action will get so dirty during the match I won't make it through it without it jamming up!
I guess this is my worst case thinking, argh!
Honestly I think the rifle would make the 40 shot run ok, but not sure with another 15-20 rounds during practice time, they give you an hour for practice.

So just in case this is a possibility, what should I do to avoid this situation??
Not quite sure how the match is run so not sure if your able to clean during match or not?
If so what spray/ cleaner in the action? Not popping sideplates. I have some older bp bore solvents I can use, Or maybe some household concoction in a spray bottle.

Wondering in Colo, or just over thinking?

[Walks]

My oldest UBERTI '73 is a 24" rifle in .44WCF, for years I shot BP in it. And it's Back-up, a carbine. All I every did was a quick swab out the bore after every stage. Never had a functioning problem. Did a full tear down/clean when I got home.
Bought a 1866 Carbine in .45COLT when they came out in 1992-4 ?.
GEEZ, what a nightmare. 250gr .454dia bullet lubed with SPG. Packed over 30grs 3F, a wonder wad and a 1/8" card wad. That left about 1/4" of room in the case. Shove the bullet down and crimp hard.
GEEZ, talk about blowback into the action. I got less then 50rds through the rifle before it locked up. Had to take off the sideplates to clean out the entire action. Never had to do that with the .44WCF.
The .45COLT WILL NOT SEAL THE CHAMBER. That's probably why WINCHESTER never chambered their Rifles for .45COLT.
I never loaded BP in a pistol caliber Straight Cased cartridge for a Rifle again.
It just doesn't seal the chamber worth a darn.

I use MURPHY'S OIL SOAP/ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL/HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, 1/3 ratio to clean since the ??? don't remember how long. 30+yrs ?.

[Chill Wills]

I am hoping to make that same match too. It is one match I really enjoy and rarely get to attend. Too many other things always get in the way.

I can't help you with the blow back issue other than use 3f to boost the case pressure to seal the walls. Also, you might try a very thin lube wad in between two regular wads to help keep the accuracy for ten aimed shots.

Then, you will have plenty of time to do a quick barrel clean. I use a Windex spray bottle held tight to the barrel breach with the muzzle down. Three or four squirts has the fouling running out the barrel and it is quick and easy to run a rod WITHOUT the patch jag in from the front (muzzle), add jag and patch and pull it out to the muzzle.

If you are not seeing what I am saying, here it is broken into steps.
Have a rifle cradle handy
hold the rifle muzzle down
spray the water or Windex w/vinegar or whatever you use in the breach (hold the spray nozzle to the barrel so it all goes in and no where else)
put the rifle in the cradle upside down
Run a cleaning rod in from the muzzle
working in the open action - attach a patch on the jag to the rod backwards so to speak by running the jag threads through the patch
pull the rod back out the muzzle.
Do it with the rifle upside down in a gun cradle so any and all crud falls to the ground - not inside the action.

One patch will get you ready for the next relay. You can do more, like a second with cutting oil/H2O mix if you wish.

Sounds hard - lots of words - but it is easy. Takes less then a minute. Good to go.
Work it out at home so you are not messing around between relays trying to learn on the spot.
Hint - Make a small hole in the center of the patch so it goes right on the jag threads.

Last - Have fun

[ReloaderFred]

Winchester never chambered the '66 or '73 in .45 Colt because the original rounds had a very tiny rim and no extractor groove. This is also why Marlin never chambered for the .45 Colt. It wasn't until an extractor groove was added to the case that it made it viable to chamber in a rifle. I have several of the old .45 Colt cases in my collection, and there's nothing for the extractor to get hold of..

Hope this helps.

Fred

[indian joe]

I am hoping to make that same match too. It is one match I really enjoy and rarely get to attend. Too many other things always get in the way.

I can't help you with the blow back issue other than use 3f to boost the case pressure to seal the walls. Also, you might try a very thin lube wad in between two regular wads to help keep the accuracy for ten aimed shots.

Then, you will have plenty of time to do a quick barrel clean. I use a Windex spray bottle held tight to the barrel breach with the muzzle down. Three or four squirts has the fouling running out the barrel and it is quick and easy to run a rod WITHOUT the patch jag in from the front (muzzle), add jag and patch and pull it out to the muzzle.

If you are not seeing what I am saying, here it is broken into steps.
Have a rifle cradle handy
hold the rifle muzzle down
spray the water or Windex w/vinegar or whatever you use in the breach (hold the spray nozzle to the barrel so it all goes in and no where else)
put the rifle in the cradle upside down
Run a cleaning rod in from the muzzle
working in the open action - attach a patch on the jag to the rod backwards so to speak by running the jag threads through the patch
pull the rod back out the muzzle.
Do it with the rifle upside down in a gun cradle so any and all crud falls to the ground - not inside the action.

One patch will get you ready for the next relay. You can do more, like a second with cutting oil/H2O mix if you wish.

Sounds hard - lots of words - but it is easy. Takes less then a minute. Good to go.
Work it out at home so you are not messing around between relays trying to learn on the spot.
Hint - Make a small hole in the center of the patch so it goes right on the jag threads.

Last - Have fun

Plan B ---just a variation on Chill Wills theme I use a flush bottle I made from a soda bottle and the spout off a tube of gap filla - piece of clear plastic tube - keep the gun belly up muzzle downhill -insert tube into chamber - run some water - patch it once - another flush - patch again - I do that flush and patch cycle three times and my gun is ready to put away - dry patch it and oil and its done. I just push my patches through to the action with a ramrod. Either way is quick and easy - a flush + wet patch, second flush + dry patches would be my deal on the range when I needed it. If your boolit is carrying plenty of lube the bore should not need much attention (every 10 or 20 shots) .
After you get this shoot over anneal all your 45 brass so it can seal the chamber better (yes to the FFFg powder too that will help).

[Remmy4477]

I am hoping to make that same match too. It is one match I really enjoy and rarely get to attend. Too many other things always get in the way.

I can't help you with the blow back issue other than use 3f to boost the case pressure to seal the walls. Also, you might try a very thin lube wad in between two regular wads to help keep the accuracy for ten aimed shots.

Then, you will have plenty of time to do a quick barrel clean. I use a Windex spray bottle held tight to the barrel breach with the muzzle down. Three or four squirts has the fouling running out the barrel and it is quick and easy to run a rod WITHOUT the patch jag in from the front (muzzle), add jag and patch and pull it out to the muzzle.

If you are not seeing what I am saying, here it is broken into steps.
Have a rifle cradle handy
hold the rifle muzzle down
spray the water or Windex w/vinegar or whatever you use in the breach (hold the spray nozzle to the barrel so it all goes in and no where else)
put the rifle in the cradle upside down
Run a cleaning rod in from the muzzle
working in the open action - attach a patch on the jag to the rod backwards so to speak by running the jag threads through the patch
pull the rod back out the muzzle.
Do it with the rifle upside down in a gun cradle so any and all crud falls to the ground - not inside the action.

One patch will get you ready for the next relay. You can do more, like a second with cutting oil/H2O mix if you wish.

Sounds hard - lots of words - but it is easy. Takes less then a minute. Good to go.
Work it out at home so you are not messing around between relays trying to learn on the spot.
Hint - Make a small hole in the center of the patch so it goes right on the jag threads.

Last - Have fun

Got it, thanks for the tip, good one! I was more worried about the action than the bore. Wondering if I can spray the carrier with the windex, work it a few times to keep it going and spray down the barrel?
Honestly have not had the time to run these bp loads threw my rifle due to work, wife and kids, LOL? So I may be ok or have a coronary?? Kind of hate running untested loads right off the line so not sure if blowback will be bad or???
I could alleviate my worry and just bring my marlin 1895cb in 45-70, I have that loaded down some in smokeless. But honestly enjoy bp shooting more so than smokeless. Although the 45-70 is a hoot to shoot!

Guys, thanks for all the advice!!