Quoted:
i own about 5 or 7.. or 8 uberti firearms. None have disappointed me.
View Quote
Are any of those the Lightning?
I have spent some time searching for reviews of the rifle.
I keep coming up with results indicating it is a jam-o-matic. Apparently, it is difficult to load without jamming the action. Apparently, operation of the rifle can cause serious jams. It can happen, even if properly operated. There is some indication it is due to the basic design.
I read a letter* from the Uberti's representative to a dissatisfied owner. They admitted it is problematic and claimed they were developing a revised design which should solve the problems. IIRC, they bought the rifle back from the customer.
So, unless someone can refute those findings, this rifle is a no-go.
* Here's the text of the letter and a link to the thread.
Link to customer review on TFL
Ref: Uberti Pump Action
Dear Sir,
We received copy of your e-mail through Stoeger Industries regarding the problems you had incurred on your new Uberti Pump Action Rifle.
We are sorry you experienced so many problems and we apologize for any inconvenience. We certainly don’t want to lose a valuable customer like yourself.
However, we would like to make some comments. Yes, it’s true, there are some initial problems when someone is using this gun for the very first time It’s really important to familiarize oneself with the gun and to have an enormous amount of patience. This gun is fast but not as fast as the 1873. It’s important to load the gun correctly and, above all, cycle correctly. The forend has to be pushed all the way forward and all the way backward – if, by chance, you stop to cycle almost at the end but you haven’t fully completed the action, then you will have problems.
We are, in the near future, going to come out with a new PUMP ACTION N°II. This gun will be as fast, or maybe faster, that our 1873. At the moment I can’t say much more because I am waiting for the patent to come through. Please be patient and wait for one of these new ones.
We sincerely hope you will trust us once again. Please feel free to call us at any time – 011-39-030-8341824.
Very best regards,
Giacomo Merlino
Managing Director
A. Uberti Spa