The Yellowboy was one of A. Uberti's first forays into the replica long-gun market.

Imagine walking into a room and being able to pick up a replica of practically every cartridge rifle that ever threw lead in the Old West. That was exactly what happened to me last February when I visited the firearms industry's annual trade show. In a way, it was like walking into Wright, Beverley & Company's dry goods emporium in 1880s Dodge City--only much bigger and better stocked.

One of the largest displays at the show was the sprawling Benelli exhibit, which encompasses A. Uberti, the well-known Italian firm that actually launched the 19th century replica firearms industry in 1959 with its "Reb" and "Yank" cap-and-ball revolvers. It quickly expanded into the world of lever actions and then single-shots.

Although Aldo "Renato" Uberti passed away in 1998, his spirit and love of the western frontier lives on through his company's 19th century replica firearms. Having fired and hunted with both originals and replicas of the same centerfire guns, I can unequivocally say that A. Uberti's firearms are better than the originals, due to closer machining tolerances and improved metallurgy.

Going through the A. Uberti display is like taking a chronological tour through the development of frontier firearms, starting with the 1860 Henry rifle that gave Oliver Winchester his start, then evolving to the brass framed Model 1866, which the Indians called "Yellowboy," and on to the most famous rifle of all, the 1873, "The Gun That Won The West."

A. Uberti's newest lever action was unveiled last year after years of anticipation. The Model 1876 Centennial, so named because the original Winchester 1876 made its appearance during our nation's Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, was available in only one of the four original calibers, the popular .45-60. But this year the rifle is available in the other three chamberings: .40-60, .45-75 and .50-90 Express.

Of course, none of these cartridges have been factory loaded since 1935, but thankfully, Ten-X Ammunition is filling the gap with limited runs of both black powder and low pressure smokeless loads. However, don't expect to find Uberti's Centennial 76 on every gun dealer's shelf, as delivery is sometimes slow. Still, at last there is a complete family of the early, pre-Browning designed Winchester replicas, and a reason to find out for yourself why Theodore Roosevelt took not just one, but three Model 1876 lever actions with him to the badlands of Dakota in the 1880s.

For single-shot fans with a fondness for the buffalo guns of yore, A. Uberti is now selling the hand-engraved 1874 Sharps Extra Deluxe through all Uberti dealers; it was formerly available only at select dealers. Chambered to .45-70, the rifle is exquisitely engraved with side view of a bison and a bison's head, and it's stocked in AAA walnut.

Over at the colorful, frontier-themed Cimarron Fire Arms display, racks of replicas were set against a brightly painted backdrop reminiscent of Buffalo Bill and his Congress of Rough Riders show. I spoke to head honcho Mike Harvey, and he was elated. "At last I'm finally getting the guns I was promised three years ago!" he told me.

Prominently displayed in its leather case was Cimarron's exclusive USA Shooting Team Creedmoor Sharps, a replica of the rifle that helped win the match for American competitors against the Irish at the Creedmoor range at Long Island, New York, on September 26, 1874.

Cimarron's USA Shooting Team Creedmoor Sharps is a replica of the rifle used by the American team at the Creedmoor range in 1874. A portion of each sale will be donated to the USA Shooting Team.