Garrison Joe, SASS #60708

Short bbl - mag tube probably needs to be honed out to remove accumulated rust, dirt, etc and make for smooth shell handling. Lockup - you would have to dig a lot deeper than you have so far to tell us what is causing "lockup" Long bbl - although a dry lube applied in moderation should not cause feeding extra rounds (2 in action), I would remove that dry lube just to better diagnose. Make one change at a time and test. Find what causes that problem, and make one change to improve it. If that fails, put things back if you made things worse. Thoughtfully diagnose and repair, one at a time, not "firing a parts cannon" at the problem. Two shells feeding usually is a stuck/gummed up/badly worn shell stop. I use dry lube in all my 97 mag tubes because it is lubricating without attracting much dust. But the mag tubes still need a cleaning every 6 months. But the short answer is what has already been said - a good 97 gunsmith will fix and teach you more than you can do yourself right now. GJ

Beware of the dovetail being close enough to the receiver to fail to let the sight fit. Measure gun and try to get a sight with a short shank length from it's dovetail "tab" back to the rear of the sight. Had that problem fitting sights to 66 carbines before. Sometimes only a backward installation of the rear sight will let it fit - the blade on the sight sticking forward. good luck, GJ

If I recall correctly, that was the OTHER chambering that was possible with the short length action. OK, time for a photo or a carrier shaft length measurement. good luck, GJ

It's incredibly easy to lay a ruler along the carrier shaft and measure the length of it. If gun is chambered in .38 special - it's a short action and old. If it's marked .357 - it's a long action and newer.

Is this an Uberti made gun? If so, first, I'd check to see if you have a real old 66 with the 1.500" receiver shaft (for carrier) rather than the newer (since about 1985) frame design with a standard 1.600" long carrier shaft. If you do have the old short frame, sounds like the wrong FP or FP extension might have been installed. A picture of the receiver and hammer area would be very useful! good luck, GJ

More reliable firing of the cartridges. Often needed with an action job where springs get lightened. Or with hard-to-ignite primers. Or if large headspace has developed or occurred due to a new set of toggles that don't quite fill the bill. If you are getting 100% ignition now, probably don't need one. GJ

How about Lassiter of Tom's Single Action Shop New Lebanon, OH 45345 He will do fine work, if you can wait for him to get to it. 937-687-1039 good luck, GJ (The slide, not upper receiver. Not an M16. )

Be very aware of the length of nose in front of the crimp groove. My Marlin 1895 only likes the shorter noses - won't feed most 405 grain cast slugs. For a mold for that, I really like the NOE 460-350 RF (a Ranch Dog mold design) that for me casts to about 330 grains with gas check installed. A short nose but a wide meplat (flat) on the tip. Modern made 45-70s are usually 0.458 groove diameter - things have standardized a lot in last 20 years. good luck, GJ

I think I would be reaching out to Doug Turnbull to see if he has a source for top quality charcoal....Turnbull will surely see the value in Kirst cylinders being made well. good luck, GJ

Didn't Humphrey's office have a list of distributors or local vendors? If they had none that they could disclose, they are a VERY poorly run outfit. Humphrey's KNOW where they are shipping their products! good luck, GJ

The Nitros perform JUST LIKE the STS hulls do. The plastic is the same, just dyed a different color. good luck, GJ

NO gun powder or other HazMat classed components (like primers) goes through the USPS (Post Office) under any conditions! (which is what you seem to be asking with the UPPS abbreviation) good luck, GJ

Yes, they are generally the hardest to light off. Then come Remington and Winchesters. Then, the easiest to fire are Federals. Just because you bought some harder primers during the panic, does not mean that you TOLD Cody to set the gun up for those harder primers. Or DID you? good luck, GJ

Those take a stronger hit to fire them than do Federals! Sometimes tuners go light on the mainspring, causing this very problem. good luck, GJ

For .38 special ammo, yes, most pards shoot either a 125 grain or a 105 grain slug. These are less often available commercially except from "cowboy action" casters. So, if you like to cast, have the time, and can find reasonably priced lead, it may be worth it if you cast. If you go to the cap-and-ball or conversion guns, you WILL want to cast. Your existing 158 grain stash will work, but if they are semi-wadcutter design, you won't get them to feed well in most lever rifles. Round nose flat point or truncated cone designs will be the cat's (cast) meow if you go looking for a mold. good luck, GJ