Uberti 1876 Centennial, which calibre?

[andym79]

Uberti 1876 Centennial, which calibre?
Hi guys,

for a little while now I have fancied getting a Uberti 1876!

Something about the 50 calibre version is really appealing (a 50 cal lever )

However I am not sure how practical it would be versus the two 45 cal options, with the 50 cal I think I might be forced into casting my own!

Does anyone know if the 50-95 is a .508 or .511"?

Let me know which one you would buy and why:

45-60
45-75
50-95

[jonp]

I just asked a similar question. Im leaning towards the 1876 45-60 because i can trim 45-70 brass easily to use in it

[gmsharps]

I bought a 45-60 about 12 years ago. The 45-70 brass is easy to convert and I have the Boolit Molds also. The bad thing is I have not been in the US enough to get a chance to shoot it. Maybe next year.

gmsharps

[prsman23]

Go big or go home
:-)

[StrawHat]

I don't own an 1876 in either chambering, but based on my -70s, the same weight bullet at similar speeds seems to put down white tails quicker with the 50-70. Based on similar hits.

[50target]

See my post in the other thread about caliber choice. The 45-60 my friend has is extremely accurate. Not sure how big whitetails grow in other parts of the country but a 45=60 325 gr. running about 12-1300 fps seems to hammer'em just fine. The brass for 45-75 and 50-90 might push me towards the more accessible 45-60 components.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
My Chappy 1876 caliber .50-95 has a .512 throat as close as I could measure it. Sized .512 40-1 slugs with a case full of 3F shot excellent ! 5744 is a smokeless option but I could not get it as accurate but definatly "minute of corn cruncher" out to 150 yards.
Brass is expensive. Dies are not to bad. If you want a lever gun to take on big critters the 50-95 was the choice of about 2500 hunters.
Mike in Peru

[pworley1]

I have the 45 75 and have had no problems.

[andym79]

I have the 45 75 and have had no problems.

Do you find the availability of brass ok? I will need to see if I can get it over here in OZ, cause an export permit from the states would cost $250 just for some brass!

Do you use the same projectiles as in a 45-70, is the grove size .457"?

[kootne]

andy, I believe Bertram makes .45/75 brass, altho it maybe "basic" as in the bottleneck not formed. It's my understanding Bertram is an Australian company. I made mine by reworking .348 Winchester cases years ago before it was brought back by Bertram. It is a lot of work per case to make it from .348 and they are not quite big enough in the case head area till you fire them. Then they fit fine but have a slight bulge. I also bought a package of 20 a few years ago made by Jamison, who subsequently has went under but I hear they are now up again under a different name. As far as bore, .457 was original and bullet weight was 350 grains (flatnose). A dead ringer for the original bullet can be made from the Lyman "Gould Express" mold which is a hollow point 330 grain bullet, just grind the hollow point pin off flush with the flatnose. Winchester limited the bullet weight to 350 to hold pressure down because of the springy actions. if you can find a copy of Mike Venterino's book "Shooting Lever action Rifles of the Old West" you will find all the info you need to make that rifle shoot.
kootne

P.S. to me, the 45/75 is THE '76 hunting caliber, most versatile combination of bullet wieght, sectional density, velocity and range.

[fouronesix]

Both Bertram and Jamison 45-75 brass is available here in the US. But the Bertram is over $4 ea! I have both and both work fine for me--- even though some bad mouth the Bertram. Bertram is a product of Australia so you should be able to get it there.

You should slug the bore to get the best idea about bullet sizing. The original 45-75 bullet was a plain base grease groove of 350 grains. The RCBS design is very similar to the original. RCBS makes 2 molds that work very well in the 45-75-- their 45-300-FN GC and their 45-325-FN-U (plain base). I have the RCBS 45-300-FN GC and it drops a 325 grain bullet and it shoots extremely well in my 45-75s.

The 45-60 is also a good option... if for no other reason than 45-70 brass can be easily converted to 45-60. But if you can get Bertram 45-75 brass locally, in Australia for reasonable money, no reason that wouldn't work out equally well. Converting some other caliber brass to 45-75 can be problematic.