Hey everyone to all,
I have decided to write a review for the Uberti No. 3 New Model Russian, mostly because there is relatively little information concerning just this model of firearm. This forum was very helpful to me when I was deciding to purchase one; unfortunately all of the information was in different posts that I had to surf through. I will try to fit what info I can into one posting for those who are interested. As of this writing, I have not had a chance to shoot it as of this writing, but when I do, I will update topic with more information.
Manufacture - From what I understand all of the makers of this revolver including Cimarron, Taylors & Co., Navy Arms, and Uberti, are all the same gun manufactured by Uberti. It comes in two calibers, the 44 Russian, and 45 Long Colt. For this review, I will be reviewing mine which is marketed by Uberti in 44 Russian, blued, Walnut grips, with a 6 1/2“ barrel. .
Feel and Balance - The first aspect that I am going to cover is the overall feel of the revolver. It is a very comfortable to hold, either with your middle finger on the Spur of the Trigger Guard or not. One thing is that it is very different than the other popular revolvers based on Colts or Remington’s. For one, the cylinder is further away from your hand, which changes the point of balance for the revolver, sending it towards the muzzle. I would not say that it feels heavier or lighter than a Colt or Remington of a similar caliber, it just feels different.
Operation – One thing that is a major difference is the placement and design of the hammer. It has a shorter hammer, and makes things even more interesting, there is a knuckle in the frame that makes cocking the revolver interesting. I am a big guy, with big hands. But even for me, reaching the hammer with my thumb is a challenge when using only one hand. It can be done, but I have to readjust my grip a bit every time, in order to cock it, and then get a good grip on the gun. Adding to the fun is the trigger mechanism. Once again, the revolver distinguishes itself from Colt or Remington designs. This is not a positive or a negative, it is just different. When working the hammer, the shooter cannot interfere with the trigger or the hammer will only go into half cock. This revolver only has two stages to the hammer, half, and full cock. I am not a gunsmith, but think that letting the hammer down between half and full cock could damage the mechanism, as it is on other revolvers. Now here is where the Transfer bar safety comes into this review. I was at first willing to leave it in the gun, but when I worked the hammer, it felt gritty and dirty, which I noticed when I worked the hammer on other Uberti break top guns like Schofields that I have encountered in local gun shops. I removed after I spent some time figuring out how to break into the action. After the safety was removed, the hammer improved tremendously. Now instead of being gritty and rough, it was very crisp and positive. My opinion, remove the safety, it does not do a lot as far as making the gun safe, but does make the action sloppy. On my revolver, the trigger pull is a little heavy for my taste, and has a little bit of creep. I am not sure what it is exactly, but holding the gun by the trigger will not set it off. This could be solved by a gunsmith, but I will live with it for a while.
Fit – The overall finish on the gun is nice. One thing that does bug me a little is the “color case hardening” on the hammer, latch, and trigger guard. The latch is nicely done, but on the hammer and Guard, it is really devoid of color, being more of a metal grey color. I think it could be better, but I do not know what originals had for case hardening. There is a continuous sharp spot on the back of the cylinder, all the way around it, and one that is noticeable on part of the side plate towards the grip. I just think that it is a bit ridiculous being there, and could not be something that the person assembling the parts could have overlooked. But overall, the metal condition is nice even taking into account some of the flaws. One thing that did bug me was the actual assembly of the revolver. It was put together well, but there must have been a gorilla screwing all the parts together. First, the knurled screw for the cylinder was really, really torque down. I had to put quite a bit of effort into unscrewing it with a thin bladed screw driver, and did mar it a bit. On the flip side of the same coin, the trigger guard was loose and actually moved around quite a bit. If you pointed it and shook it around a bit, you could easily hear it rattle. Turns out that there is a screw holding it to the frame, and it was not really down all the way. This screw is actually located between the frame and cylinder. I tightened it up, and now it is perfect, but it bugged me that it was that loose in the first place. The grips are also rather nice. I love a nice chunk of Walnut, which these really are not in that class, but they are nice and are very well fit to the frame. A better job than I could do in my opinion.
Price – I did not pay the full list price that it is advertised at. I obtained one that was actually a factory demo for dealers to look at before ordering any. In doing so, I paid a bit below half price, and for a revolver that is over one thousand dollars, that is a job well done. Now, I am aware that the loose trigger guard, and lack of color on the hammer and guard could be a result of the handling that this particular piece has encountered in its life, but I doubt it. Even so, for the price I obtained it at, it is still a bargain. Do I think that the full price is too much…..not really. If it is what you want, go for it. But be aware that they can be had cheaper if you are willing to wait, and look around.
Final Thoughts - I was willing to buy the gun over the net with only pictures, and a belief that I would be happy with the different feel than I am used to, and I was right. I love the look of it, I love the feel of it, it points well, and I got it at a good price. Now all I need to do is put some rounds in it to see how well it shoots. One interesting point….it has very tiny sights. They are only about 3/16” on the outside detentions, and have a notch about 1/16” wide. Small, but what they had on the original model. Shooting will tell me more about it. Thanks to everyone on the board who reads this, and a special thanks to those who helped me make up my mind in the first place.
Matt
News & Blogs
Home
Posts
Recent Posts
Help
Business Directory
Calendar
Advertising Rates
Contact Us
Login
Register
