Uberti Silverboy

Over the past 20-years, I think I have tried every Uberti firearm that is legal to own in the UK, many of them more than once. I can safely say that, with one exception, there is not one that I have not enjoyed shooting and/or owning. Their attention to historical accuracy, along with top end workmanship, has made me a long-time fan of their products, particularly their range of lever action rifles.

Different approach

It therefore came as a little surprise when I first saw the Silverboy, or Scout rimfire rifle, some years ago. This rifle is not a reproduction of a gun from history but rather a completely new model, which does not appear to have borrowed internal mechanical features from anything that has gone before, other than being operated by a lever extension of the trigger guard. Gone are the beautiful case colours on a steel receiver, to be replaced by an alloy frame with hard chrome finish. At first glance, the rifle looks more like a toy than a firearm, and it may be that this gun is aimed at the younger shooters who have a passing interest in the American West. It may also be directed at the American market, where it has been quite popular, to compete with a home-grown product that bears the same name. The rifle we have here has an American importer’s mark on the barrel. Whatever the reason for its introduction, the Scout (we will use this name, so as not to confuse it with its American cousin) should prove to be a good introduction to shooting for those with a penchant for lever guns. It will also not be out of place in the stable of established shooters looking for a fun gun, provided you are not a stickler for historical authenticity in this type of rifle.

Well finished

First impressions lead one to think that this gun is rather small compared to, say, a Winchester model 1873, but it is deceptive and quite comfortable to hold and length of pull, balance etc. should suit all but the largest of shooters. I have a Uberti model 1866 carbine in .22, which weighs in at a bit more than this rifle but there is very little perceptible difference between the two of them in use. At a shade over 5¾lbs, this is the second lightest long gun in the Uberti catalogue, being beaten only by the Rolling Block Baby Carbine.

One of the first things that you notice is the lack of that red/brown high gloss finish that is the norm on Uberti woodwork. This has more of a satin finish and the colour is a bit more pleasing to the eye. I have recently taken to checking out on-line reviews of the firearms I am playing with, to see if there is anything I missed when using the gun. A couple of American videos mentioned the fact that the Scout has ‘walnut stained’ hardwood, which intrigued me; so, I took off the butt plate and, sure enough, the wood is very pale, could it be beech and has been stained? I don’t really have a problem with this and, in fact, the stain might be easily removed and it might lend itself to a bit of DIY oiling, always a more attractive finish in my eye. Both the butt stock and the forearm mate up to the receiver very nicely but there is a slight ridge where they stand proud. Again, not something I would be concerned about and I have seen the same thing on guns costing much more than this one. The stock is fixed to the receiver with a long bolt similar to that used on the Enfield military rifles and accessible through a hole, which is visible with the hard rubber butt-pad removed.

Bling! The chrome looks to be very high quality and of a standard that would not be out of place on an expensive car. The barrel and magazine tube are black and the hammer has a case coloured finish. If the chrome finish does not put you off, then the overall appearance of the rifle is quite pleasing. Sights are about as basic as you can get, with both the front and rear being adjustable for windage only, unless you want to take a file to the front blade, not something I wanted to do to a new rifle that did not belong to me, even though at 25-metres it was printing a shade low. The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped to take a scope mount, should you wish to add some glass. Loading is different to the majority of tube magazine rimfire rifles, given that the aperture for inserting the cartridges is on the side of the outer magazine tube, whereas those that use apertures generally have them on the bottom of the tube. I see no advantage to either positioning. My Uberti 1866 requires the inner tube to be removed completely and the cartridges inserted from the front, slightly but not much, more irksome. The magazine has a capacity of fourteen .22LR cartridges, plus one up the spout if you prefer it. The magazine closes easily, with a nice positive engagement when the pin locates into the hook and the chequered button gives a firm hold when loading to full capacity.

Trigger lock

There is no external safety on this rifle, but the hammer can be thumbed back to its first click which locks the trigger. Uberti describe the mechanism as, “allowing controlled round feed so the gun can be fired reliably while held at any angle”. I’m not sure of the advantage of this under normal use (your RO would probably frown at you standing on your head to shoot Annie Oakley style) but the action is very positive and feed and extraction faultless. One quirk I did notice, is that if you drop the lever about 10mm, you will see the breech block come back a fraction. In this position, you can cock the hammer and pull the trigger, but the gun will not fire. This is not intended as a ‘safety’ but is merely a side effect of the new cartridge control mechanism. Just like the 1866 and 1873 models, the lever needs to be pulled fully closed for the gun to fire.

The solid frame design means that the mechanism, other than the breech bolt, is removed from the bottom of the receiver. The bottom tang, presumably with a lip at its front edge, is fastened in with a screw into the butt stock and another through the rear of the receiver. A look at the schematic seems to show the workings are a little more complex that many rifles of this type, but the average shooter rarely has cause to remove the innards anyway.

Pleasant surprise

I try to approach every gun I review with an open mind and give an honest opinion (that’s all it is, an opinion, yours may differ) but being a bit of a traditionalist the ‘bling’ factor on this rifle had me in an “I’m not sure” mode from the start. But three or four sessions with the gun proved the old adage that ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’. The rifle digested everything I fed it without a hiccough. The action is very smooth and positive and has a very decent trigger for a gun of this price. It handles beautifully and the basic sights were well up to the job at 25-yards in artificial light. Putting a scope on would turn this into a great little outdoor plinking rifle, which is what a great number of small calibre lever guns are used for.

Conclusion

Would I buy this gun? On looks alone, probably not; but, and it’s a big but, I’m a bit of a stickler for authenticity when it comes to these guns, so my Uberti Yellowboy beats it hands down in the looks department. Having said that, compare the prices of both guns and, from the entertainment point of view, the Scout is equally enjoyable, so it could be said to give you more bang for your buck. If you are in the market for a rimfire fun gun, have a leaning towards the Old West but aren’t too fussy about blue steel and case colours, and at the same time don’t want to break the bank, check this one out. I was really pleasantly surprised with the Uberti Scout.