Uberti 1858 New Army Conversion?

The 1858 in it's original black powder variants are some of my favorite single-action "cowboy" revolvers. The quick-change cylinder system really set them apart. Probably not practical in a gunfight, but nice to have some cylinders preloaded at the range instead of constantly reloading.

The conversion model makes sense in that the 1858 has a top strap and is a little more structurally sound than most older designs. The balance is also nice, a bit forward to help with recoil. I have never fired one of the .45 Long Colt conversion models, but I imagine they are decent. Uberti fit, finish, and trigger feel can vary by the gun, but we had few returned for manufacturer repair. I think I can only remember 2 cases, and one was clearly user error.

The big question I have is about the price. That's almost twice list price for the black powder models and puts you solidly into the modern, well engineered firearm space. There are lots of other revolvers you may enjoy for that amount of scratch, so I'd think hard on whether or not this model has the right "value" from your perspective. Nobody can decide that but you.

The 1858 is by far my favorite cowboy gun and then you have Clint Eastwood in Pale Ryder wielding one in the climatic finale just makes it even more sweet.

Weird advice? You might consider ahead about whether or not you'd like a lever gun. Ballisticly, pistol and rifle have different goals and requirements. Logistically, there is something to be said about having them both in the same caliber.

I know a lot of folks choose to go with Glock Magazine fed PCC's so they have interchangeability with their pistol. Keeps ammo purchasing simple and, in this case, let's you exchange magazines with a spouse in a home invasion scenario if things get awful.

While less traditional-looking than other offerings, the Henry Big-Boy is available in both .45 LC and .38 spl/.357 magnum. It comes with a picatinny rail for optic and factory threaded muzzle for suppressor.

So, both have pros and cons.

.38 spl in the revolver lets you also use it in the lever-gun for lighter recoil, but step up the punching power by going to .357 Magnum. Just keep your ammo straight. You'd have usability of two types of ammo in the lever gun if one gets scarce, but also complicate your supply chain.

.45 LC does have factory subsonic loads. So, if you want a hand cannon you could get the 1858 conversion and the lever gun to match. Then, if you want some giggles, get a .45 rated suppressor and shoot HEAVY but subsonic loads out of the lever gun. No port/action noise on that platform as it is lever action and with a barrel that long the powder would have plenty of time to burn before you run out of bore.

Bonus in either case, but especially the latter many people have found that the best engineered .45 suppressors out there also suppress other pistol calibers very well. Some choose to buy an Octane .45 instead of an Octane 9 purely for the versatility. So, you could also use that can on your Glock in 9mm with the right thread pitched piston.

There are at least two companies producing true multi caliber suppressors designed for rifle pressures but usable on pistols, too. You might give the SilencerCo Hybrids a look. They have two models, one with a .46 bore rated for .338 Lapua Magnum pressures. So, one suppressor could be effectively used on every firearm you've posted about so far (AR-15 in 5.56 NATO, Glock 19 in 9mm, potential .38 spl/.357 Magnum, potential .45 LC). And yes, they can be configured to run on semi-auto pistols and still cycle properly.

Now, suppressors are legal in most US States but not all. So, if you live in a non-permissive State ignore all the above. Just trying to help think ahead. Buy once, cry once.

As always, stay safe!

EDIT: I should note I haven't reviewed the barrel twist rate of the Henry big boy for suitability with subsonic velocities. Honestly, I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer to confirm that. Make sure to mention you are talking subsonic FACTORY loads, not handloads.

Get the original and shoot that first. They're tons of fun. You can get the conversion cylinder later. That kind of breaks the price up a little. If you ever had any doubts those CW era guns could put a man down you won't after you shoot an 1858.

Hey Terra, I’ve a question. What are your thoughts on the 1851? I found one in .38 special in stock and was wondering if they were a good model. It’s the one distributed by Cimmeron and made by one of the Italian companies, unclear which exactly.

1851 in .38spl is very popular in the Single Action Shooting Society or SASS. Some people buy them from Cimmeron directly they get their guns usually through Uberti thought some other models are from Pietta. Some people go the buy a BP only 51 and buy the cartridge conversion so they can shoot traditional BP & cartridge with the same gun. I've owned both 1851 & 1858 in both BP form and bought the cartridge conversion for the 1858, I just went with the factory conversion on the 1851. They are fun guns and I wish I still had them.

Nice. How was the ejection rod? It seems kinda awkward with how you have to bend it before the pull.

Personally I'd go with the factory converted if looking at .38 caliber. The issue regarding getting any cap and ball and a separate conversion cylinder is that, in converting .36bp to .38 special, the .357 caliber bullets are slightly smaller than the .36 bore, so accuracy suffers. The factory conversion is specifically designed to use the modern .38 special ammo, so this is not a problem.