Uberti's 1873 Cattleman II El Patrón Competition

Sometimes I feel nostalgic, longing for the good old days. Why? I don’t know for sure, but the desire to do so typically follows opening an envelope containing a property tax bill, or making a payment for heating oil, or buying diesel for the tractor… or watching cable news.

Sometimes, immersion into nostalgia follows an attempt at “building” a new truck on the Ford web site, which is then followed by writing a reminder note to myself to change the oil in the beater to extend its service life. We just seem to always pay more to get less.

Replica firearms can be enjoyable to own and shoot. Done right, they bring history to life and can evoke a positive sense of nostalgia through a connection to the past. Done wrong, they reflect a combination of excessive price, substandard materials, outdated manufacturing processes, and assembly by semi skilled labor.

Uberti firearms definitely falls into the “Done right” category. In this case, the Uberti 1873 Cattleman II El Patrón Competition.

A popular product, I am quite sure 90% of the firearm enthusiasts within reach of these words are familiar with this product and experienced in its use. However, predominately a recreational target shooter, a sometime hunter and perhaps outside Uberti’s primary market, this was a familiarization project for me.

Uberti – Prodotto in Italia

 A magnetic personality

The Cattleman II El Patrón Competition is all steel: grip frame, forged cylinder frame, trigger guard, barrel, hammer, base  pin, ejector housing, ejector. A very big deal as there has been, in other brands, an infusion of aluminum, zinc and polymer pieces. While the El Patrón Competition has some heft, it is well balanced and the weight makes the 45 Colt version soft shooting.

Easy-View sight system

The El Patrón Competition has the Uberti Easy-View sight system. The front sight is a little higher than the original Cattleman series and the hammer is low for an unobstructed view of the notched frame and for easier one handed cocking. A bit like the Colt Bisley’s target hammer.

The front sight on the subject gun was tilted right to a minuscule degree, but it shot precisely to point of aim.

The grip… grasp is quite different when compared to other quality brand single action revolvers. Perhaps a quarter inch shorter in backstrap length, but significantly flared at the base, the grip fills the palm of the shooting hand, in all the right places.

The result is a solid grip that makes single hand hammer cocking and shooting comfortable without shifting hold. The form, 0.960″ wide at the top and 1.550″ at the base, also cushions recoil better than the typical near slab sided SA grips.

Close fitting pieces

The cylinder is numbered, the base pin rides inside of a base pin bushing. The cylinder exhibits minimal rock with the hammer back, cylinder gap is barely perceptible at 0.004″. My single action shooting skills are not… evolved enough to extract the potential of chamber numbering, but the feature is there for those who shoot competitively.

As a point of reference, the El Patrón cylinder is 1.625″ long and 1.675″ in diameter, compared to  a post 2005 medium frame Ruger Vaquero at, respectively, 1.610″ and 1.675″. Both firearms are intended for use with standard pressure ammunition.

The 45 Colt cartridge has a SAAMI MAP of 14,000 psi and a maximum length of 1.600″, a dimension that includes a 0.050″ – 0.060″ rim that resides outside the cylinder. So plenty of room for any factory rounds or handloads assembled to spec.

Trigger as a positive term

The Uberti 1873 Cattleman II El Patrón Competition’s trigger, out of the box, is what I look for after days of playing with fixtures and stones and spring finessing on other brands. The trigger, by form is narrow, creep is barely perceptible, and let off is clean. The three click hammer draw is smooth and precise. I do not know what the flat stock mainspring rate is, but it drops the hammer with the conviction of reliable ignition.

A product of evolution

The Cattleman II El Patrón Competition has a retracting firing pin, a design that was implemented with the Cattleman II series in 2016. The firing pin is locked in a protruded position when the pistol is cocked and remains in the position when the trigger is pulled to discharge a round.

When the trigger is released, the firing pin is retracted, floated and away from contact with a primer. As is the rule with non-transfer bar single action revolvers, the Uberti manual suggests keeping an empty chamber under the hammer. An abundance of caution is a good thing.

Founded by Aldo Uberti, gunsmith and dedicated firearm enthusiast, the company has been producing high quality replica firearms since 1959. Beginning with cap and ball revolvers, the company has steadily evolved into a manufacturer of many muzzleloading and cartridge historically significant rifles and handguns. In the year 2000, the Uberti company was acquired by Beretta, which is a heck of an affiliation for a growing business.

Uberti firearms, selected for their authenticity, have appeared in notable films such as “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “Once Upon a Time in the West”, “True Grit”, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, “Dances with Wolves”, and “Tombstone”. There is more to Clint Eastwood than “Make my day”.

The 45 Colt Chamber

This one required an adjustment to my perspective. Not a Single Action Shooting Society member, or participant in cowboy action shooting events, single action revolvers end up being carried by me as a trail gun, or a primary/secondary hunting firearm.

I have a great appreciation for the 45 Colt, as well as its potential to fit in well in its powerful, high pressure modern iterations.Ammunition of this type is not for use in the subject Uberti, as is the case with other standard 45 Colt firearms; Colt (SA Army), Ruger (Vaquero) and S&W (Model 25) and other 1873 replica products.

Out of respect for the manufacturer’s instructions, as outlined in the subject gun’s manual, only SAAMI standard ammo was shot during this review.

My closing impressions? Hmm….

 The Uberti 1873 Cattleman II El Patrón Competition is a value. As a standard pressure revolver, it is priced $250 to $300 less than Brands/Models that are less replica and more of a modern adaptation.

The Uberti shot accurately and reliably. It was as tight after shooting as it was when the review began. As an all steel gun, recoil and muzzle rise were modest at most. In comparison to numerous other single action revolvers shot, the trigger is exceptional.

The El Patrón Competition is nicely done. By that, I mean it is really well finished and it is a great looking pistol. Covered by a 5 year warranty, it is certainly a gun to check out.