Rancho Roy Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I have a new Uberti 1873 in 45LC. Totally stock. No short stroke etc. At last weekends shoot, on the very last stage, as I was opening the action to show an empty chamber at the reloading table, the action wouldn't close. It dawned on me that the brass carrier was not dropping down and therefore was obstructing the bolt from going forward. The dropping of the carrier appears to be a purely mechanical function. No springs force it down. A lever activated by the actual lever pushes it down. My question...... Has anyone else ever experienced this? And if the weight of the carrier is part of the system to make it drop, do the lightweight aluminum carriers get "caught" as they don't have as much weight to drop down? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Trampas, SASS # 55781 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 I'm no gunsmith and hopefully some one will respond to this, but you do have springs, one on each side, you have a carrier spring and a lever spring, they have to be in place for them to work, I guess one of them slipped off where it should be, you have a big long shank that goes into the carrier, can't remember the name off hand, but the spring helps it go up and down. You should always have your screws tight, guess one of yours work loose and if is new, I'm surprised since they are very tight from the factory. All for now JD Trampas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August West, SASS #45079 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 It has to go ALL THE WAY up before it will go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Everybody with a 73 in .45 Colt has seen something similar. Common causes with a stock rifle that should have been "timed" properly at the factory: 1. The carrier and carrier shaft got dirty shooting the match (.45 Colt ammo does that real bad if the load is not burning cleanly). More crimp and/or heavier bullet and/or a different powder choice usually can fix that. 2. The spring that helps force the carrier down is the one on the right, under the receiver at the rear of the carrier shaft (with rifle held in shooting position). If the spring tip has slipped out of it's proper position against the lever or the tension screw that holds the base of the spring has loosened, you don't get "carrier snap down". As Maurader's pages on the 73 disassembly describes: "With the finger lever in the closed position against the lower tang, depress the carrier block with your finger. You should feel some resistance ("springy-ness") from the carrier block lever spring. If not, tighten the carrier block spring tension screw until resistance is felt and the carrier block returns every time to its "home" position under the frame." Here's a link to the great pages that Marauder has on the 73: http://marauder.home...chester_73.html 3. The gun actually was NOT timed properly at the factory (but that should have given you problems very early in the match.) 4. The carrier is too tightly fitted in the shaft to work freely, especially when dirty. It may need a slight burnishing on some 600 grit sandpaper to polish it and let it slide a little easier. 5. You have been lubing the carrier and shaft with oil or grease and crud is collecting. Clean with gun solvent and try the action again. If it runs fine, well, don't grease up the carrier - it runs fine with no lube at all on it. Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Garrison Joe pretty much covered "Cause and Effect" as well as the simple fix. The only problem is ....... it's going to doit again. It's a .45 and can't help itself. Blow-By is going to happen and Blow-By builds up on the Carrier Block throughout a match. Good to keep a small bottle of "Break Free" in the possibles box. Long term, I'd suggest finding a local Toggle Link Gun Plumber who understands and can add "Positive Slam Down" to the rifle. Stock, the lever doesn't stay in contact with the Carrier Block Arm all the way down. When the Carrier Block gets sticky, it sticks where the lever leaves off and stops the rifle. The lever needs to stay in contact with the arm all the way down. This is especially important if you use modified or after-market lever side springs (recommend - by the way). Positive Slam Down will eliminate the problem entirely. Coffinmaker PS: With a .45 you gotta keep it REAL clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted May 3, 2012 Author Share Posted May 3, 2012 THANK YOU!!!! The spring that helps force the carrier down is the one on the right, under the receiver at the rear of the carrier shaft (with rifle held in shooting position). If the spring tip has slipped out of it's proper position against the lever or the tension screw that holds the base of the spring has loosened, you don't get "carrier snap down". As Maurader's pages on the 73 disassembly describes: "With the finger lever in the closed position against the lower tang, depress the carrier block with your finger. You should feel some resistance ("springy-ness") from the carrier block lever spring. If not, tighten the carrier block spring tension screw until resistance is felt and the carrier block returns every time to its "home" position under the frame." THIS IS MY PROBLEM.....................Fixed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 I just went down to the gun room and took the "73 totally apart. The right side bar spring doesn't "slam down" the carrier, but it does hold it down with a little spring action. Once I had the rifle totally apart I had at it with Cratex and India Stones. There were an amazing amount of tool marks and real sloppy machine work. I smoothed everything out but if I had gone further I'd of changed the dimensions on some mating surfaces. I'm surprised at Uberti for such sloppy work on such an expensive rifle. I have three Rossi model 92 rifles that are much, much better machined internally. And they cost less than half as much. Anyways, I got the '73 VERY smooth. Like a different gun. I wanted to wait until I had at least 500 rounds through it so I could easily see the areas that would need attention. I also thinned out the hammer spring a bit and "breatheed" on the sear. Trigger pull is very nice now, but with still plenty of power to set off the hardest primers. Two matches this weekend...........Connecticut and Massachusetts. Yea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Sgt. Jake McCandless #3368 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Roy Another thing you may check for is clearance of the carrier with in the receiver mortice. I have found in the two 45 Uberti's I have that the carrier was fairly tight and benefited from taking a small amount of the sides of the carrier. I did this by laying some 600 grit Emory cloth an a plate of glass and then 800 grit. I also discovered that said carriers were no where near square. My goal was to take of a couple of thousands to gain clearance for powder fouling. Adios Sgt. Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rancho Roy Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Roy Another thing you may check for is clearance of the carrier with in the receiver mortice. I have found in the two 45 Uberti's I have that the carrier was fairly tight and benefited from taking a small amount of the sides of the carrier. I did this by laying some 600 grit Emory cloth an a plate of glass and then 800 grit. I also discovered that said carriers were no where near square. My goal was to take of a couple of thousands to gain clearance for powder fouling. Adios Sgt. Jake YUP! I did exactly that. On a flat piece of marble......down to 600 grit. The inside of the motice that the carrier rides in was a mess! Terrible tool marks and on the right side it looks like a ladder was carved into the metal. Perfectly spaced hash marks a couple thousands deep. Cleaned it up best as I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Sgt. Jake McCandless #3368 Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 YUP! I did exactly that. On a flat piece of marble......down to 600 grit. The inside of the motice that the carrier rides in was a mess! Terrible tool marks and on the right side it looks like a ladder was carved into the metal. Perfectly spaced hash marks a couple thousands deep. Cleaned it up best as I could. YuP one can only run a part through a CNC mill so fast before chatter becomes a issue,glad you got it cleaned up.Adios Sgt. Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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