1873 .357 Uberti rifle problem

[Procedural Pete]

I have been having an issue with my 357 1873 Uberti rifle jamming. When it jams I can push the carrier back down close the lever and then open it briskly and it will clear and load the round into the chamber. If I operate the lever slowly it jams pretty much every time. It appears the base of the cartridge is running into the bottom of the bolt tab. It's much less app to happen if I work the lever briskly. This is happening with an aluminum carrier. With the brass carrier it happens seldom. I've included a picture that shows marks on the aluminum carrier where it is hitting, I presume, the bolt.

 

Would you suggest that I dress the carrier in the area that it's been hitting? Or should I adjust the timing of the rifle to get it more clearance? Should I do both? Neither? Is it something totally different? All help would be appreciated.

[Silver Sam, SASS #34718L]

Sometimes when a short stroke kit is installed the carrier will come up too far in the frame when the lever is opened

and then when you close the lever as the bolt comes forward it hits the carrier..... Thats what appears to me to be your problem.

 

The same problem can happen on an older gun and the lifter arm has hit the frame about a gazillion times, the fix is the same.

 

First off, I would fix the problem of the carrier coming up too far....

I think the best way to do that is to spot weld a little nub on the top of the lifter arm at the point where it hits the frame,

usually it only needs to be about .010 thick to get the carrier to line up properly.

 

Some people will bend the lifter arm to get the alignment correct, that may work too.

 

Then I think your carrier will most likely be OK as it is.

 

 

 

 

 

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Yep, agree with SS.  Carrier is coming up too high.  I am in the camp of bending the lifter arm to fix this.   But, first, check you don't have too much tension on your lifter arm spring. That can encourage a lifter to rise up too far, too.

 

The tallest part of the carrier should rise to it's maximum height of where the flats on top of carrier are about level with the frame.  If the "ears" stick up much above the frame, and your bolt is slamming into the back edge of the carrier at the bottom of the bolt runway (bore), yep, it's too high  --   and by about 1/4 inch (from the pic).  That's a lot of chewing on the carrier.

 

Keep an eye on the timing of the bolt forward travel versus the carrier vertical motion as you make any fixes, though.  You want the carrier to have completely risen BEFORE the bolt starts forward.   Get that timing right, because otherwise you will knock the support tab off the bottom of bolt face.

 

Good luck, GJ