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73 - 66 good for black powder?


Fordyce Beals

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I shoot the Marlin and it is easy to take apart and clean after using black powder / substitutes.  One screw and bolt, ejector and lever in hand and chamber open to cleaning rod.  Thinking about how short and light the actions are in the tuned  toggle links I ask:

 

What is the manual of arms for  black powder / substitutes cleaning for the 73 - 66?

 

Fordyce

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While not as easy as the Marlin, the 73 is not difficult to take down for cleaning after black powder.  You merely take of the side plates and then clean the insides. By removing the lever, you can easily remove the carrier and clean it.

You may also need to remove the firing pin extension, so a little more is required, but it is not difficult.

 

The 66 & 73 were invented and made when only BP was available.

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If you get a bottleneck caliber - .44-40, .38-40, .32-20 etc, life is quite a bit easier keeping your rifle clean with minimum disassembly.

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I have a 66 and 73, both in 44-40, as well as an original in 38-40. I shot nothing but black powder in them and clean up is easy. You don't even need to take it apart, as the internals stay clean. I pop a spent case in the chamber and scrub the crud down into it. Wipe the bore clean and it's good to go.

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I shoot 44 Special in a 73 , clean what I can without a teardown after every match , then do a complete teardown after about 4 matches , depending on how it is looking. I did change powder about 6 months ago , this new one seems to be cleaner than the old one.

Rex :D

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.45 Colt and other straight case rounds are not the best choice for BP round in a 66 or 73.  .44-40 and its baby siblings require minimal maintenance.  After most matches I just clean the bore.  After several matches the carrier might need wiping down.

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My 38 and 44-40 1873's cleanup starts with packing the magazine port in the receiver with a wad of paper towel and spraying the barrel with diluted Windex with Vinegar at the breach and muzzle. Place rifle in cleaning stand with muzzle slightly down.

 

Wait 10-15 minutes.

 

Then insert cleaning rod at muzzle toward breach and thread a Remington Squeegee on the rod above the carrier.

Pull the rod and Squeegee out the muzzle with a patch of paper towel to catch the wet fouling.

Run 2 patches thru the barrel.

Run a water wet nylon brush thru the barrel 10x.

Run 5 patches thru the barrel.

Put a dab of Bore Butter inside the muzzle and stroke it into the barrel with a bore swab.

 

Less than 10 minutes work and you can think about a brewski while the diluted Windex is doing most of the work.

 

Receiver of the 38 requires cleaning each time. Receiver of the 44-40 is cleaned about every 6-8 times.

 

Amarillo Rattler

 

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I have '73's in 38WCF and 45LC.  The 38WCF takes almost nothing to clean.  The 45LC on the other hand needs to be stripped down and cleaned every match.  It also needs moose milk on the lifter at about 4-5 stages as the blow back gums it up to where it doesn't want to work smoothly.  One screw takes the sideplates off then go to town with Brakleen and a toothbrush.  The lever screw needs to come out to remove the lifter arm and lifter.  Since I use a solvent, I spray it down good with Ballistol and/or BreakFree to get all the metal covered.  Using 777 will make life easier but you still have some work to do.

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I guess I must be lucky, I have both a 66 and a 73 in 45 colt been shooting black powder and app in them for 10+ years 2-3 matches a month with no issues, spray some balistols on the carrier maybe once during a 6 stage match, squirt moosemilk down barrel and on carrier and brush with a tooth brush run a bore brush and a few patches till clean, take side plates off maybe 2-3 Times a year right before a big match like border town or winter range. Shot eot this year with only moosemilk and a boresnake. 

Rafe

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