Hi, USOG - I'm the guy at Uberti USA who designed the Courteney from the ground up and named it after the great Selous. Imagine my surprise when I saw this video! Very humbled at your kind words. Thank you, godspeed and good hunting!

That Uberti is absolutely beautiful. I like the POW pistol grip, the case hardening, the thin, blued barrel. Just a fine looking rifle.

I was just thinking..I have 3 other interests besides guns, that I've been passionate about since the early 60s.. I peruse video channels of all of them. It just dawned on me this is the only channel I've seen of my great interests where I ALWAYS learn something. That is remarkable.

Soon as you picked up that Browning 1885 with those .303 cartridges laying up there, i knew what the rifle of the year was!

A great choice for Hunting rifle of the year ! As a Canadian ,in British Columbia, I have taken many head of game with a variety of .303 British rifles. Even Moose with the Jungle Carbine. A very capable caliber for sure.

Beautiful rifle in a truly great caliber. In my youth here in British Columbia, most hunters /farmers, in the interior, had a surplus SMLE in .303, that put Moose in the larder for winter. That same rifle did yeoman service as a predator rifle, coyotes to Grizzly’s. the .303 isn’t a hot rod, but gets the job done when a rifleman does their part, all over the world.

I have dealt with Clay Smiley at Prophet River and I have always been impressed with what a well run business he has. The staff are first rate and as far as I'm concerned their website is the model for a proper gun shop website, multiple hi- res pictures of each item in most cases, and the site is very well maintained; i.e. when an item is sold it's removed, not left to clutter up your searches. Thanks to USOG for all your great videos but it really hits home when someone you know is mentioned within the video.

Love the rifle, love the calibre. Wonderful to know that there still is a rifle made in 303! Agreed, iron sights should be standard on all rifles.

Iron sights are a must on any rifle I buy and it has been a pet peeve of mine. The fact that a well informed gentleman such has yourself is on the same page, makes me feel validated.

I totally agree with you about rifles with out sights. Some rifles just don’t need a telescopic sight but all rifles should have a good set of iron sights.

I completely agree with your thoughts on iron sights. It's as strange to me as manual transmissions not being offered in most vehicles these days.

What a great choice for the Hunting Rifle of the Year in a time when newfangled technology so often dominates the news cycles. I love it!

Good luck out there! Be safe and stay warm and dry. Couldn’t agree more regarding your remarks on iron sights. Our hunting styles sound similar and more often than not things get up close and personal out of the blue. Handiness is very important.

Hi guys. I’d like to jump in and say that I picked up now favorite bullet in a Ruger #1 in 300 H&H and absolutely am in LOVE 🥰 with single shots!!! I am one of those girls with not big bones or much meat on me so to speak lol and I can handle that 300 Holland no problems!!! Love your channel!!

Hmm, I understand your point on the front weighted factor on the Win, but, I remember noticing it this year when I swung offhand on a couple of deer, and really liked how fast I settled on target with it and that 28" bbl., it was really smooth for me. Not that I wouldn't like one of the Uberti's, like the finishing touches they put on those guns. My "Safari version Shot Show special" 300H&H came with irons, old style buckhorns, but, they are irons.

Beautiful rifles. I’m with you on the iron sights.

I'm right there with you, on the iron sights. Thanks for the share!!

Excellent choice. I've had one for about a year. It's truly a classic, well made rifle. The trigger is excellent. The forend tip, rounded wrist and red recoil pad are nice cosmetic touches. I took a slightly different approach regarding the sights by ordering the "non-railed" quarter rib sight base from Uberti and removed the blade sight, added a Lyman peep rear with a Parker Hale adjustable aperture. The front sight hood helps the "circle in a circle" picture. Probably not best for hunting but serves well for paper punching. I've attached a canvas sling (Tourbon) and brass sling swivels, think it adds to the classic look. Thank you for the review -

Beautiful rifle. Just need that Lotto win to buy one!

Great video!! It was great to see you again and bonus, you are talking about my favorite style of rifles, the single shot!! And those are great exemples!! The Uberti looks awesome!!

John Browning ... it will be hard to beat him. Nice video. This is a beauty. True passion speaking. 👍🏻

Just wanna say, i GREATLY enjoy your videos. I cant give a precise reason, but i love your videos!

It was fun to see your enthusiasm for this rifle. I haven't hunted in a long time, 26 years, but if I do I prefer to use the first rifle I bought while attending college 50 years ago, a pre-war Winchester Model 70 in 30-06. I do like the 303 British round; I reload for a No 4 Mk2 that I picked up a quarter century ago.

I love single shot rifles for deer stalking here in the UK, thanks for the mention! I have three Ruger No1’s and a Sharps 1874. Unfortunately none in 303 British.

Great hearing the deeper info on these older guns. What a great job you have!

I finally got an Uberti, 45/70 with 30 inch octagon barrel . Whew,,,its HEAVY, but with the steel butt plate, the weight is appreciated especially when the rifle is fed Buffalo Bore +P or Grizzly +P ammunition. I absolutely LOVE this rifle. I also have another keeper 45/70 from Henry. Cant beat em !! Thanks for the good videos !!! Keep em coming.

Iron sights! Yep, you and I have commented about irons so many times. There just aren't that many irons users around anymore but it's a great time to own a scope manufacturing company, LOL! Take care and have a great weekend!

Agreed Mike, certainly nicest rifle i have seen in a long time. I am now looking for one. The understated elegance of such a rifle, made in our modern times warms my heart.

This is exactly what I been looking for. The length of barrel and overall weight of the rifle is what has held me back from buying a Winchester or browning 1885. That truly looks like a perfect rifle for still hunting or tracking.

I have always felt the same way about open sights. A rifle or pistol should always have open sights.. scope can be added later.

Thanks for the video, always enjoy them. Best wishes on your hunting.

Thank-you for this wonderful Hunting Rifle Of The Year!!! The .303 British has been the best round for the hunting I do and I have harvested White Tails to Moose with my rifle. I would love to find an Uberti falling block like you have, but my old Lee Enfield has yet to fail me so why change things now. The only thing that might get me to spend some cash on a new rifle will be if they make that new 6.8 Western round somewhat affordable to the normal guy who shoots a few weekends and then has a dedicated hunting season where he goes out. Something under a $1000.00 CAD bare gun would be nice from either Winchester or Browning. Until next time, I wish you luck in your hunting pursuits!!

Great rifle in a grand old cartridge. I have several 1885"s and I love them!

The Courteney Stalking rifle is at the top of my wish list. Look at it! That is what a Stalking rifle should look like. Thanks as always for the work.

I love the .303 cartridge! Thank you for another wonderful video...

It is Good to watch a video from you again. Happy Hunting! Best Wishes from Montana! M.H.

Great channel! Excellent dissertation on rifle.

The best rifle I ever had was a Browning 1885 in 30-06. I believe it was a 26 inch barrel. Can't remember now. Mine had a pistol grip style stock. Wish I still had it. A total tack driver. And the reason I bought it over a Ruger #1 was the hammer. I like open hammers. Period.

Thanks for sharing your videos and keep them coming please.

I just bought a Tikka T3X in .308. I plan to use it deer hunting. The .303 accounted for a lot of Luftwaffe aircraft by the RAF. I don’t have a rifle in that caliber but if I can find one like yours I will try and get it. I love the old classic calibers and the rifles that are chambered in them. Good luck out in the bush.

Opening day tomorrow for Elk and Deer in Wyoming. Ruger #1 in 30 06 is going along to fill my tags. Edit: mine has iron sights and i agree 100% that all rifles should have them from the factory.

Always enjoy your videos thank you for the knowledge. Take care

There is no gentleman on planet earth with the diverse knowledge, hands on experience and deep appreciation you have for traditional firearms Michael! The 'Prince of the Gun' I will name you sir. I will think of you while I'm indulging in my new AB3 on opening day here in Wisconsin! I am inlove with the nostalgic, beautifully crafted Remington Rolling Block, Sharps rifle, Trapdoor and your exquisite bush rifle chambered in 45-70 GOVT!! I also 'fall into the wild' and am very confident in my ability to succeed without additional support. Just a fine extension of myself, which delivers safe, quick, effective, humane shots to target!

Thanks, as always, for your honest gun reviews! I've mentioned it before, probably on some of your Instagram posts, that you and I share nearly identical preferences in rifles. I just picked up one of these Uberti Courteney Stalking Rifles at a gun show in Montana just today, is new in the box, I don't think it was ever fired once it left the factory. I handled it and fell in love! Naturally, it was dark by the time I got home so I couldn't test it out. I'll find out tomorrow how much I like it!

Great looking rifle, and even your handling of it gives the sense of its almost self-guided responsiveness. I DEFINITELY support your musings on a book! Your range of skills and experience, international lens, a foundation that encompasses a broad historical time frame, and beneath it all, a metric that keeps the focus on Hunting would combine to produce a fascinating read, I'm certain. Please sign me up for a copy - of the FIRST edition! May your reverence for the Field fill your tag with a Bountiful yield.

Great video. I have a few comments; I prefer an optic sight but I agree rifle should have iron sights from the factory. Also I don't know why guns with exposed hammers are a problem. My 14 year old son started at about 8-9 years old with a hammer rifle(Browning BLR) and he did fine with it and still uses it. When he took his hunters safety class he was the only student out of the 20 or so kids that knew how to let down a hammer. Amazing other kids didn't know something so simple in my mind. And as far as the rifles my favorite rifle is the Browning 1885 in 45-70 that i've had for 20 years now. It's a great rifle and 2 years ago I put an Aimpoint Red Dot 9000 sight on it. Man that was a game changer, so simple to use and quick on target and best of all the short length and unlimited eye relief of that sight allows it to use the standard Leupold rings and bases and as so the eye piece is just in front of the falling block so there is no problems with haveing clearence between the scope and hammer and also the chamber for loading. My next rifle on my wish list is the Ruger No1. really enjoyed your other video about the ruger No 1 as well. .

That is a really beautiful little rifle it just looks perfect for hunting and I like the 303 British also I would not mind having one of those I agree with your choice completely thank you for another great video very informative.

Another fine video. Thank you Mike. Uberti did a terrific job with that rifle. Some old timer said that if a .303 won't suffice you need some target practice!

This is good!! I agree with the single shot and model!! Used to be a number of Browning 78 model around where I live !! I bought one with octagon barrel !! The design is great but Ruger no.1 I also like and own!!

Thank you!!! What great beautiful rifles!!!

nice mention of the 303 in a time when shooters are conditioned to get bench performance with the next greatest and best new round; and turn their nose up on the time proven . thanks

I love single shots! Beautiful rifles. And I agree with you on iron sights. I have many rifles and few have scopes. The few that do have 2x or 2.5x fixed power scopes. I really would love to have one of the Uberti 1885 and the .303 British is an outstanding cartridge for North American (and most African) hunting. I am a handloader, so the lack of ammo choices don't bother me, I'll make my own. But the 180 gr. bullet is great for just about everything. Canadians love the cartridge and lots of moose and bears in Canada have been killed by the .303 Brit. Great choice for "Hunting Rifle of the Year" I doubt it is "color case hardening". Not necessary with modern technology. It is more likely chemically "case colored". Case hardening is an old technology to achieve a purpose. The colors were a by-product of the process. Actual casehardened guns lost their bright colors over many decades, as will chemically case colored guns, but it is a very attractive finish...on some guns. And single shots are one of them.

Hi, many thanks for talking us through your thoughts on these rifles. My experience is only in the rifles I have actually used as a hunter and a soldier (20 years for Queen & Country). I have never collected rifles but have experienced using many types over the years and have always thought of them as are they accurate and can you depend on them for your life? Not much to ask but hard to find when the government is your provider of choice! The most dependable and accurate rifle for me has been the last of the 303 Enfield issued; because of the mechanism and therefore the ability to put down fast accurate fire. The best example I ever seen of a good rifle and a good shooter was in 1977 on the Army ranges in Rotorua NZ when I took a platoon of 6 RNZIR soldiers for zeroing their Brit SLR’s. We zeroed in at 100yds and again at 200 in the prone position, we then went back at 100 yard intervals all the way to 600 yards where I had the last six soldiers hitting the Army Figure 11 target six times out of ten rounds in the standing position! It was only later in the Mess that I found out that they were all deer cullers! Cheers mate. Harera

you found one you really like. thank you for sharing.

Very nice video again. It’s a rifle you can call „needs related“. Very safe because you cock it at the same time you align the sights to the game. Karamojo Bell used .303 for elephant hunting, so this cartrigde is powerful enough for most of our hunting. Iron sights request perhaps a little more training at the shooting range. You have to get closer, maybe by travelling on your belly through the little trenches or ditches in the field. For me this is real hunting. Today we happily hunt for the first time this year pheasants and hares in our village in Northern Germany. Thanks a lot.

A ‘Marbles Bullseye’ rear sight on that carbine would be just dandy.

11:27 "It has a rim, which is great for a single shot." Glad you made that point. I was thinking that as you started showing the rifle. 12:44 "If you had to have a scope..." If I couldn't make the open sights work, I'd try a reflex red dot. Quick target acquisition and plenty accurate for the kind of shots you anticipate.

I believe when the manufacturer specifies case “colored” they are all chemical etching for aesthetics. Case hardened is largely irrelevant due to superior steel materials now available. At any rate the überti is beautiful! A gun I would be proud to own. Great channel! Always enjoy seeing these beautiful rifles.

That is really nice, and I LOVE that it's in 303 British! Best of luck on your hunt, looking forward to hearing about it. 👍👍

Very nice 👍. I keep wanting to get an 1885 because they're such a elegant beautiful rifle. I agree with you Mike it's very annoying when a rifle doesn't have sites from the factory. That Uberti is very nice I would be happy with 303 and the stock did look odd until you shouldered it then it looked totally natural looked like your eye alignment was perfect. I've watched lots of videos on Canadians talking about the 303 for moose large deer military Target whatever you want that 303 is very effective cartridge similar to the 308 but you can shoot much heavier bullets with it. I also really like that short 45-70 very sweet handy little rifle and a very useful brush cartridge. Thank you Mike

Mr. USOG- That seems like a Perfect Rifle! I don't need another rifle, but if I saw one of these I reckon I would buy it anyhow. As you say, the .303 can about do it all, and single shot rifle cartridges should be rimmed like the Almighty intended.

Another great portrayal of my favourite genre - may long live the single shot falling block - I own a Uberti 1885 in 45 Colt that has the most beautiful factory timber but its nicest feature is its incredible trigger - it beaks at a just under 2 pounds with no creep - by far my favourite falling block to shoot - Can you inform us Mike what the trigger pull is like on your new 303 Courteney? Thanks again for all you do.

Wonderful collection !!

Just bought the .45-70 with looong octagon barrel; am having a replica 1800s tube scope on it now. I just found out about this rifle by accident last night while cruising the net. I definitely have to get one!

I have been looking at that rifle since it was introduced. It looks very nice. I wonder if they will bring one out in the 275 Rigby (7×57)? That would be another classic.

Those are real nice lookiing rifles. Although i don't hunt anymore, I still have my Savage model 99 .300 Savage, Browning BLR '71 .308 and my favorite the Winchester 670 in 30 06.

Love the comment about hunting the way it has been and always will be. I'm a big fan of fast single and double rifles

Don;t worry the channel is great you do a fine job and your passion shines through

Cool video thanks.

Good stuff!

Excellent rifle. A ghost ring rear sight would help for people that have less than adequate vision. That beautiful rifle has a Ghost In The Darkness look to it. The first shot counts.

Good hunting sir. We enjoy your content.

They call it optics ready I call it getting hosed

100% agreement on the iron sights.

USOG you are absolutely correct that a rifle should have Iron sights from the factory that produces it.

Good info👍👍

That little carbine is just about perfect. I’ve wanted an 1885 with a heavy long range barrel, authentic configuration, but where I live a short range carbine is more practical. Thanks for the video!

That rifle is so elegant and hunting with a firearm that lovely adds to the total experience in my mind. I need this rifle and .303 could not be a better choice.

Not really a fan of the .303 British, but had one when I was a kid. It had been chopped down into a deer rifle and had enough ordnance stampings on it to have worked it's way around the world twice. Back when I still had good eyesight, that gun was unbelievabley accurate with iron sights. I now even need glow sights on the flintlock to shoot it. If I could find a single shot like that, it probably become a favorite.

Clay certainly is a great guy who’ll go out of his way to help

I agree about open sights and hammers. Rifles should all have iron sights.

Profet River , thats a Saskatchewan dealer , great folks up there ,

A truely beautiful rifle..

I love hammers. And I have one of them also 45‐70..I also have a Sharps 45‐70 both with iron sites no scope. That would be plain wrong. And I always like my guns with iron sites. I mean what do you do if your scope gets broken ?

Superb!

Always a great to learn from you. Love to hunt with you some day. I wonder if it is possible

I love that rifle... Having several 303british already... I'm sold. ... now, I'm a gonna have to find one... 😆😶😊👍

My favorite rifle "Would've"ben my Ruger #1 chambered in 223 Rem, because it's the most accurate rifle i own,, but it doesn't have iron sights,, & since it has no iron sights I'd have to say my favorite is my Winchester 94 chambered in 30-30,, it's light weight, it has iron sights, it's acurate enough,,& it hits hard...

Nice rifle. It's funny, I was just looking into these more after discovering they also chamber it in 45-70. It would fantastic if they offered it chambered in more rimmed cartridges over time. How do you find the shell ejection? On some of the videos I've watched of it being shot, it seems the .303 version has very anemic shell ejection or none at all.

Right on

Preach it brother. Pass a law and make them put sights on these firearms!!!

You Really Should write a book , I'd buy it and I'm sure I'd thoroughly enjoy the read . Thanks for the video .

A very elegant design!

Camera guy produces vertigo.... free of charge 😂

I like the 1885. I have had a number of them, high wall and low wall. I presently own a limited edition Browning B78 that was built on the current 1885 action. It is in 30-06 and has a 24 inch barrel instead of the standard 28 inch, making it quite compact. It also has the pistol grip stock of the B78, which also has extensive feathercrotch figure. Beautiful rifle and shoots well. I also have the 1885 carbine, like you showed here, in 30-40 krag. I have scopes on both as I'm getting older and my sight isn't what it once was. The 30-40 krag is very accurate too, and both have worked very well hunting. Maybe I missed it, but what calibers are yours chambered in?

You, sir, may have just stopped me from selling my Ruger #1's and an H&R 45-70 Officer's Model 100th Anniversary edition. Haven't been much of a single-shot guy, but I inherited these and so must now give them a fair try. Best wishes on your hunt. What are you hunting for this trip, if I may ask?

That ultimate rifle sure is a beauty. In your capable hands, it's got venison in the freezer written all over it. Be safe out there. I like that little carbine as well, but it must kick like a mule in 45-70. I flinch just looking at it. Thanks for another great video.

beautiful

I agree with you about iron sights. I will not own any gun without iron sights

The Grandmaster of "gun ASMR".