Uberti Model 1866 lever action rifle

There can be few readers who have not, at one time or another, owned a .22 rimfire rifle. Today the choice of models is extensive, and while the leaning seems to be towards the semi-automatic ‘black rifle’ examples, there is still a smattering of alternative mechanisms to be found on club firing lines. The ubiquitous Ruger 10/22, plain or tricked up, will appear alongside lever actions, pumps and single-shot amongst others, depending on the shooter’s interests and preferences. My gun of choice in .22 calibre is a lever-action, and today a Uberti 1866 carbine resides in my safe.

Tyler Henry’s masterpiece

With the Union Army’s reluctance to issue repeating rifles to the front-line troops during, and for a long time after, the Civil War, Oliver Winchester must have been disappointed that the magazine-fed rifle perfected by his factory superintendent, Tyler Henry, was not adopted for military use. The principal objection (there were others) to this new rifle was its relatively low-powered .44 calibre rimfire cartridge, and although a few privately purchased Henrys performed well during the conflict, large orders were not forthcoming. Indeed, even as the movies often show the US cavalry with Winchesters, the Army never did use a lever-action rifle.

The public, however, took to the new gun enthusiastically, and some 14,000 were manufactured during its six-year production run before Nelson King’s improvements morphed it into the Model 1866. Initial Henry assembly saw the use of iron frames, but it was not long before these were changed to the more familiar brass version. Those who have experienced using a Henry will be well aware of the quirky loading sequence, with the cartridges fed case-head-first into the front of the magazine. The mag tube has a slot running the length of its underside and this area was prone to the ingress of dirt and foreign matter. The cartridge follower that rides in this slot also needs consideration as it moves rearwards every time the lever is operated. Add to this the fact that rapid-fire with the black powder cartridges of the day caused the barrel to heat up rapidly, making it uncomfortable to hold. As good as the Henry was at the time, it obviously needed some improvements.

Enter Nelson King

First off was to facilitate an easier loading system and this was achieved by putting an opening into the right side of the receiver through which the cartridges could be inserted nose-first into the magazine. This design was from patent number 55012, granted to Winchester’s new gun shop superintendent, Nelson King (who had replaced Tyler Henry in late 1865 or early 1866) on May 22nd, 1866. The patent model, with a steel frame, had an extra hinged gate covering the opening but this was dropped for production versions. Production models used the Henry brass receiver and the loading aperture had a simple sprung cover, which was carried over to subsequent tube magazine models. The mag tube still used the coil spring with a follower to feed the ammunition, but the Henry’s onepiece barrel/tube arrangement was ditched in favour of two separate units. The new magazine was a simple tube, so there was no need for the slot and brass follower from the earlier model.

Completing the new design was the addition of a wooden forend, which eliminated the possibility of discomfort from a hot barrel. They also used the same .44 rimfire cartridge as the Henry rifle. The gun was offered in carbine, rifle and musket configurations, the latter in the hope of achieving sales to the military. While this did not materialise in the United States, the model did see some success with foreign governments. For the first seven years of its life, this was the only long gun in the company’s inventory, and was simply known as ‘the Winchester rifle’. Although the rifle had a fairly long lifespan (around 170,000 were turned out up to 1898), it was soon succeeded by Winchester’s first centrefire rifle, the legendary Model 1873, whereupon models took their name from the year of introduction.

Uberti recreates history

By 1966, the centenary of the first Winchester, the reproduction firearms industry in Italy was well underway. Shooters worldwide were already enjoying replica handguns and some models were finding their way into the movies. A couple of years earlier, Uberti had been asked if they could manufacture a Model 1866 to celebrate 100 years since the introduction of the original model. The company took up the challenge and the result was the first lever gun from this Italian factory.

Shooters, re-enactors and the movie studios took to the new model immediately and it is still a popular choice today among western aficionados. There are five models listed in the Henry Krank catalogue, with two having round barrels and the other three utilising an octagonal tube. The round barrel models are designated as carbines, the difference between the two is the length of the barrel. The three ‘rifle’ models are again segregated only by the barrel lengths, ranging from 18” to 24.25”. There is a good choice of centrefire pistol calibres across the range, as well as a couple of rimfire offerings in .22LR and .22WMR. It is the longer, octagonal-barrelled model in .22LR that we have here today.

Everything as it should be

The ever-present ‘red’ varnish on Uberti woodwork has its admirers and detractors, but whichever camp you sit in, it has to be acknowledged that it is hard-wearing, no bad thing when the areas concerned are continuously handled during the gun’s normal use. On this example, the two pieces of straight grained walnut do not seem quite as glossy as some I have seen, but the wood to metal fit is very good on both forend and stock.

The octagonal barrel and its round magazine tube are finished in gloss black, with the former having nice edges. Unlike its bigger centrefire brothers, this rifle does not have a loading gate on the right side of the receiver. Instead, the cartridges are fed directly into the tubular magazine. There is no cut-out in the tube, so the inner, spring-loaded tube has to be removed completely to insert the cartridges from the front. The retaining catch, which is a good tight fit, is the familiar pin-and-slot arrangement seen on many tube-fed models, although the Uberti carbine version of this model has a threaded end.

The hammer and lever have nice, muted case colours contrasting the brass receiver. The rear of the finger loop has a small spur that, combined with a swivel catch, holds the lever in place for transportation. Both sides of the frame are covered with a self-adhesive clear film, presumably to reduce the staining of the brass if the rifle is handled while on display in retail premises. Underneath this plastic, on the left side, is a white spot covering the head of the hammer screw. The crescentshaped butt plate and forend cap are also brass. The carbine version has a different shaped brass butt plate and uses a blue barrel band to attach the forend.

Sights are what we have come to expect on the majority of these Italian lever guns - semi-buckhorn at the rear, which is adjustable for windage and elevation, plus a front blade that can be moved left or right. The combination is more than adequate for the use this type of rifle will see. Should you elect to purchase the carbine model, the rear sight is a two-position, tip-up type.

The action on these brassframed models is usually fairly light as well as slick, and this example does not disappoint. It also has a very nice trigger pull, breaking cleanly with no creep. As to be expected when you bore a small hole into a barrel that can also accommodate calibres up to .45 Colt, the rimfire version is a little heavier than its big brothers, coming in at around 8.5lbs pounds. Not a big problem, but it does feel slightly front heavy.

Not the cheapest, but..

These guns are not tack drivers but will provide hours of good fun, as .22 ammunition is cheap. I did have a moment of apprehension when the first round failed to extract and the case had to be removed with a small screwdriver. Examination showed some tarnishing on the case and after that, the gun performed faultlessly throughout and it showed no preference between American Eagle, Blazer or CCI Minimag ammunition. The gun looks good and performs well, plus given the number of rounds that have gone through my carbine version, with very little attention other than a bore snake down the barrel now and again, will still be going strong in years to come. There are cheaper rimfire lever guns on the market, but this one has the weight and a feel of quality about it, which I like.