32-20 73 Owners

[Hawkeye Kid]

Looking to see if any other 32-20 73 owners have or had cartridge feed problems and how they resolved it. Every so often the cartridge bullet hits the bottom of the chamber. With a little fiddling of the level the cartridge will chamber. I know the Uberti 32-20 uses the same carrier as the 38 special. The base of the 38 is 0.430 inches and the 32-20 is 0.401 inches. So the 32-20 sits lower in the carrier when chambering. Looking at my original Winchester 32-20 – clearance between the channel inside the carrier and cartridge is less than the Uberti but still more than a 38-40 or 44-44. So even Winchester didn’t make the tolerances as tight on the 32-20 as they did on the 38-40 and 44-40.

[Ace Hanlon]

I have an 1873 Uberti 32-20 which had problems. My problems were related to the space between the extractor and the lower tab on the breech bolt being excessive so the cartridge was not held when ejecting spent brass. I also had some issues with OAL of loaded ammo being to great where the nose of the bullet was rubbing on the frame causing a chamber issue. I end up having a Cowboy & Indians extractor made for 32-20 caliber installed along with replacing the lower tab on the breech bolt. I also use ammo with an OAL of 1.56 with a 115 grain bullet. The bullet nose from the crimp groove is less on the 115 grain bullet than the 100 grain bullet.

 

Using the 100 bullet at the crimp groove ended up being 1.596. The 115 bullet at the crimp groove ended up being 1.56.

[stepnmud#33546]

Recently, I've been interested in the 32 WCF caliber and managed to get a pair of Uberti SAA pistols and a slightly used Uberti 1873 rifle. Have shot this rifle at a couple matches with no problems. The 'CD' code date on the tang indicates it was made in 2009 and don't think this rifle was ever disassembled till I did. I did install one of slick magic's magazine sleeves, follower and spring and noticed the rifle was easier to load ten rounds, so figured they go in easy, they might also lever smoother. I have 44 special for comparison and the bolts and carriers as you know two different sizes. The 32 WCF bolt is thinner, but don't know if its the same size as a 38/357 bolt.

 

[Johnny Meadows,SASS#28485L]

I shot a 32-20 73 for 4 or 5 years. It would not feed 100 grain bullets with a rather large flat point. It acted as you described above. The solution for me was to go to a 118 grain bullet with a smaller flat point.

Johnny M.

[stepnmud#33546]

I'm using a 120 gr RNFP, C.O.L. 1.56" and works well in this rifle.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/stepnmud/Uberti%2032%20WCF%20and%2044%20Special/000_3209_zps0c397916.jpg