Opinions on The "Yellow Boy"

Sgt Scattergun

I'm considering adding another rifle. What do you pards think of the 1866 "Yellow Boy"? 1st, Who makes the best one? Having had good luck with my Remington 1875s by Uberti, how about Uberti? 2nd, what barrel lenth would be best? Uberti offers the 1866 Carbine at 19", the 1866 "Short Rifle" at 20" & the 1866 "Sporting Rifle" at 24 1/4". Uberti also just unvailed their newest rifle "THE SWEEP BUSTER"<br />
coming soon, not yet available. <img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' />

Longtooth

uberti <img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/good.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':good:' />

Wrangler Rich

<img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/usabig.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':usabig:' /> <br />
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Sarge, I've got the carbine imported by Navy Arms in 45LC. Uberti is the main manufacturer for most if not all of the toggle link Winchester replicas. They are imported by numerous entities, and for what it's worth, they are all about the same internally. The only thing you should worry about is that it is of recent manufacture. Some of the early ones (10 Years ago or so) are hard to get parts for. A few things to consider if you purchase the 66 are: The Loading Gate needs to be reinforced prior to shooting it in a match. It is not if the gate will fail, it is when. This can be done rather easily with JB Weld or a more permanent method of silver soldering a gusset behind the tab. You should also think about getting the Stainless Steel magazine spring. I have installed the Ottaway Smith Short stroke kit and Happy Trails' "Whisper Springs". I have also modified my carrier and extractor to allow me to also shoot the 45 S&W or Schofield cartridge. <br />
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Of course, you don't have to do all the extra stuff that I did, I just like mine to run smooth. <br />
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Marauder has some great information on his site:<br />
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http://www.marauder.homestead.com/files/Model66.html<br />
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Good Luck<br />
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WR

jeweler jim

For sure what Rich said about the loading gate. Other than that I ran the first season with it stock and then had Floyd do the action/short stroke. Was definitely worth the money, not that anything can really improve my scores, but it's nice to have a smooth running rifle. It's also nice to be able to load the thing with little or no effort (lessen the spring tension). You're welcome to try it out at the Oct. shoot (38 Spec.). Let me know if you want to try it out as I don't usually shoot both days, I'll try to remember to bring it both days and the extra ammo. ("Sporting Rifle 20" barrel")

Sgt Scattergun

Thanks for the info on the loading gate. This is something I was not aware of. Gives me food for thought. I try not to rush into new purchases.

Ugly

Take Jeweler Jim up on his offer; you have to shoot that rifle to see if it "fits" you. <br />
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I had one, really liked it, but, couldn't really shoot it as fast as my '73; the stock's drop and the comb are different and you have to bring it up and shoot it under the clock to see if you have to search for the sight picture and can stroke the lever quickly. <br />
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The rifle might look nice but, if you can't shoot it quickly, it could be wasted money. <br />
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Yes, '73s are more expensive but might be worth the wait and save up more $$ to get one instead. <br />
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But, shoot both types of rifles before you buy. <br />
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Just a thought. <br />
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Or two. <br />
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(P.S. I sold my '66 after a few folks asked why I was shooting it slower than my '73; the difference was that noticeable)<br />
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I bought another '73; used the $ from the '66 as a down payment on a deluxe border rifle and don't regret it at all. (the '73s fit me better than the '66s)

jeweler jim

I on the other hand will never be fast enough to place out of the bottom half of the posse, so it don't matter. I suppose I could change the sights on the 66 to what's on my daughters Marlin (Buckhorn, very nice and fast to find and focus), but the gain wouldn't be enough to matter. <br />
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I'll bring the extra ammo and gun to our Oct. shoot or if we both shoot Sycamore on the first of the month (not sure if I'll make that one). Post here or send personal message to let me know which shoots you'll be at and I'll try to be there to let you use the gun.

Ugly

Jim, the sights are very much worth it; just think, every stage, if you save just one second with the ease in acquiring your sight picture, that's approximately 5-6 seconds in a match; that's a lot of places or rank points.<br />
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Every time that you have something done to your guns and it saves about a second you're saving time; times that for each weapon, i.e. pistols, shotgun, rifle and you same a lot of seconds in the course of a match.<br />
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Just my thoughts on having work done on your guns.<br />
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Of course, I go to a lot of matches that are 10-12 stages and the gain is even more apparent.<br />
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I would sat to you to get the new sights on your rifle; also, I have the Manatee-made oversized front sight and that made a vast improvement on my ability to acquire a quick sight picture. (Buffalo Creek Kid is a distributor for those sights and they are a must-have if you change your sights at all). <img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/innocent.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <img src='http://www.goodguysposse.org/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/whistling.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':whistling:' />

jeweler jim

Again, if I'm lucky I make two matches a month (five or six stages). I also don't do the "P" word thing, so yes there are a number of things I could do to improve my times, but it probably ain't gonna happen. In the off season I might change the sight on the yellow boy, but if you look at any of my scores you will see that I would need more like ten to fifteen seconds a stage to even start to get close to being the least bit competitive. Don't get me wrong, I have fun and can run my mouth while I try to run or shoot the stage. That's my story/excuse and I'm sticking to it.