clearing a jam in 1866 &73 rifles

[Train Robber 13659]

There is rarely a need to take the end of of the mag tube off ! The best way to avoid this problem is check your ammo :-)

 

OK you have a jammed rifle due to the bullet retreating into the brass cause you don't load black powder and the case isn't full so

 

with a split case or an inadequate crimp the bullet can move. You now have about 1 1/3 cartridges on the carrier so it cannot be

 

raised up by the lifter arm cause there is too much of the 2nd cartridge on the carrier for the bevel to push back into the magazine!

 

You can use various tools to solve this problem I use my small dagger style knife . The average pocket screwdriver will work fine also.

 

There are two different ways to fix this . Let the finger lever hang down and push the carrier all the way down. take the tool of your

 

choice and GENTLY push the 1/3 cartridge back into the magazine .(My knife is flat and just the right width so I would have to be

 

EXTREMELY careless to make ANY contact with the primer while doing this.) AS you have the cartridge pushed back into the mag

 

tube push the carrier up from underneath to fully up then you can close the finger lever , chamber the round , then eject it . While this

 

method works fine I don't use it due to the potential of firing the damaged cartridge that presumably would have a much higher

 

chamber pressure. #2 Let the finger lever hang down , Push the carrier all the way down . Push the loading gate fully in . Use your

 

tool to to "tease" the rear of the cartridge over toward the loading gate and the mag spring will help push it out the loading gate. As

 

it is coming out you just grab it and let the gate close and you are safely done . This is safest as you never have any need to be

 

near the primer and is a better method to unload a rifle than cycling the cartridges through and out of the action. A little practice with

 

an empty piece of brass and a dummy shell might save a match for you :-)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Train Robber

[Gawd Awful]

If you practice it the method becomes quick and simple. Last time I did it, it was less than 5 seconds to clear the jam and reload. Better than the 7 misses I would have got for unfired rounds.

[El Muerto Negro]

Do you have a close up video?

 

EMN

[Gawd Awful]

Do you have a close up video?

 

EMN

Captain Baylor did a series of photos for an article in the cowboy chronicle a while back. Maybe someone will remember what month