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Uberti 1873 problems


David Prestidge

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I have major problems with my relatively new Uberti 3.57 mag. It is forever jammimg, and has to go back to the gunsmith. It jammed again today, one unfired round in the breech, two in the mag. When this happened before, the gunsmith said that the screw at the end of the magtube was either crimped or super-glued in. Has anyone else had this problem of being unable to empty the mag via the tube? I've tried, but cannopt shift it.
 

I've stripped the thing right down, but I cannot get the block to shift. Any suggestions, please? I'm using factory ammo, so it's not a reloading issue. I'll post some pics later. Thanks in advance.

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Is it pushing past the crimp? You might need a stronger crimp, or you might need to load a little longer.

The cap on the end is tighted by guido the gorilla and usually they put linseed oil as a type of locktite on it. I do believe they sell a wrench specifically for getting that cap out, but once you do, you can replace it with a brass one for example that is sold.

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33 minutes ago, David Prestidge said:

Thanks for the info El Cubano. I will start a search for the special wrench.

Be careful trying to remove mag plug.  I have heard you can damage the  receiver end of the  tube if too much force is used     GW

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Usually it is RUST or OVER_TORQUING at the factory that binds the mag tube cap, not any sort of loctite or linseed oil.  I've worked on many Uberti rifles and found NO evidence of loctite or linseed oil anywhere.

 

Yes, folks do dent and scratch their tube when trying to remove the mag tube cap the first time.   You will need to rig a way to firmly hold the tube without collapsing, denting or scratching it.  I usually use leather pads in my vise and tighten just tight enough not to have the tube spin.  Your local cowboy gunsmith should be pretty experienced in freeing the end cap.  If you twist the tube, the tube gets damaged at the cross pin that is installed to keep the tube from turning.   Very small pin.  Very weak mag tube walls.   The pin will win and the tube will lose.

 

Start with hair dryer or heat gun, and heat the cap to try to break the bond between tube and threads of cap.  Run Kroil or other rusty bolt liquid down the mag tube and stand the gun barrel down in an empty can overnight.   Sometimes you have to get real aggressive with a hand impact wrench and a TIGHT fitting bit.  

 

Once you get the cap off, then you get to clean the rust from the inside bore of the mag tube.   This is perhaps the saddest experience with buying a Uberti lever gun - finding that the factory pre-rusted the mag tube for you.  Take a 20 gauge shotgun bronze brush, wrap it with bronze wool, and scrub all the rust out of the mag tube.

 

ALL new Uberti rifles need to have the mag tube cap removed, cap cleaned and perhaps replaced with a better one, and the tube bore cleaned and waxed with a non-dust-collecting rust preventative gun wax.  Flitz gun wax, EEZOX, and BoeShield T9 are really good for this.  Before using the gun.  Maybe you will be the lucky recipient of a non-rusty mag tube.  I would not  bet on it.

 

Quote

I've stripped the thing right down, but I cannot get the block to shift.

 

Well, "block" is not a part name on a Uberti rifle.  I assume you are not able to move the lifter (aka, carrier) (which is a "block of brass, machined into an intricate shape," I suppose)    Is this because there is one of the rounds sitting all the way out in the lower level of the carrier, and a second round is poking out of the mag enough to cause the lifter to be locked from rising?    If that is happening, take a blunt type of punch, push through the loading gate and try to one or both of those rounds back into the mag tube, while pressing the carrier up with your fingers enough to get the carrier to hold the rounds in the tube.  Then you can work the action to get a round out of the chamber.   DO THIS CAREFULLY SO YOU DO NOT IGNITE THE PRIMER OF ONE OF THOSE ROUNDS!   If you don't feel comfortable with this, carefully take the gun to a gunsmith.

 

Or, you can hold the loading gate pressed in with a finger, and jiggle the cartridges or gun enough to let rounds pop back out of the loading gate (in reverse of how you loaded it). 

 

Problems getting rounds to feed through the carrier ARE almost always either too short a round ("two rounds on the carrier at same time" problem) or too long a round ("tip of round can't clear the mag tube").  See if you can look down around the carrier and see what is going on.  The 73 rifle design is VERY visible when you know what to look for.

 

 

Good luck, GJ

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7 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

If you twist the tube, the tube gets damaged at the cross pin that is installed to keep the tube from turning.   Very small pin.  Very weak mag tube walls.   The pin will win and the tube will lose.

 

Howdy

 

That is correct. If the tube turns, the cross pin retaining it will swage a nice groove all the way around the tube, and nothing will keep it properly in place again.

 

I have very carefully used a set of vice grips to hold the tube from rotating when first unscrewing the end cap.  Vice with padded jaws would probably be better. the trick is to hold the tube just tight enough so it does not rotate, but not tight enough to crush it.

 

By the way, a putty knife is a good tool to remove the end cap. I took hold of the putty knife with a pair of vice grips to increase the leverage. Steady pressure and the screw gave way.

 

And the gorilla's name is Bongo, not Guido.

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gunsmith said that the screw at the end of the magtube was either crimped or super-glued in

 

Nope, it's neither.  ;)

 

I don't find (from what you have posted) that the gunsmith you are using is doing a sufficient job of checking, setting up, and tuning your rifle to get you to satisfactory performance that a toggle rifle can easily provide.  Can we recommend a good cowboy gunsmith who knows his way around your rifle?  If you let us know your location, there's probably a good smith in your area we can tell you about.

 

Good luck, GJ

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As G Joe said, you do not need to disassemble the rifle to empty the mag tube or clear a jam.

Watch the video under "New... in yellow" on Home page. Will show how to clear your rifle on the clock, not go to the unloading table and disassemble your rifle.

https://pvgunworks.com/

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Scrub Oak Willie in Tennessee, 423-881-5685, makes a socket head magazine tube plug for the Uberti 66 and 73 rifles. I got one. Much easier to take off with an allen wrench.

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Just thinking outside the box, would a barrel clamp for an AR maybe with some leather hold the tube from turning without crushing it?

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I just removed my mag tube cap for the first time with the help of a knowledgeable and experienced pard. This is gonna sound weird, but I held the rifle with the butt grounded. He put a socket on the mag tube plug to protect it and tapped the socket a few times lightly with a hammer to loosen it (no torque, just tapped straight down). After that I literally removed the cap by hand with no tool. 

 

On the jamming...you said you’re using factory rounds, so I’d check 2 things to start. Are they 1.45” or longer and do they have a flat point?  In my humble new guy opinion, both are critical. 

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Had to remove the magazine plug on my Uberti 73 to remove some cartridges that I had loaded too long.

 

After finding that Guido the Gorilla had tightened my plug retaining screw, as reported by others, I heated up the screw head a bit with my electric soldering iron. The heat broke it loose.  

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Heat, vibration and penetrating lube will usually free up almost any rusted or glued thread, if the corrosion is not galvanic from dissimilar metals.  A heat gun is a good bet, but sometimes the added heat from a propane torch is needed.  (If it is blued, a torch will definitely discolor it.) Do this after pouring some liquid wrench down the mag tube, and standing the gun on its muzzle at least overnight.  Then pour out the lube and apply heat, vibration (tapping) and torque. 

 

If it still won't move, consider drilling the plug and using an extractor, but don't overdo the torque or the tube will twist. 

 

As an aside, I drilled a couple very small permanent vent holes in my mag plug, to let out condensation moisture and squirt in a moisture displacer, like WD 40, whenever I clean the gun, which is after every use.  

Just thoughts.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK Boys, I could use some help. I have repeatedly read this thread and yet find myself stuck. I'm cleaning a 73 with a 30" barrel I recently bought. I have taken 73s apart in the past although infrequently and consequently I always watch a YouTube video ahead of time just to get the order right in my head, however I can't seem to get the mag tube off. I got the forend cap off fine but the forened itself won't come off because the block that receives the cap screws is in the way so I can't pull it forward  and the forend is inletted around the mag tube so I can't pull it down and off. So I am trying gently to pull the mag tube plug off while the tube is on the rifle although predictably it is not moving. I am heeding the words of Garrison Joe and Driftwood Johnson and doing my best to not spin the mag tube but it rotates a few degrees with each attempt and I gently rotate it back. I have tried heat and tapping on the plug and gently grabbing it in Vise Grips with a leather shim but I am making no progress and don't want to lean too hard on it. I suspect this process would be vastly easier if I could get the mag tube off the rifle but thus far I can't figure out the puzzle. This process is complicated by the fact that the rifle has spent the vast proportion of its life in a humid environment and it has had an extraordinary amount of rounds put through it since it's last cleaning.

 

Any advice as to how I might remedy this situation is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

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5 minutes ago, Lead Friend, SASS #53635 said:

OK Boys, I could use some help. I have repeatedly read this thread and yet find myself stuck. I'm cleaning a 73 with a 30" barrel I recently bought. I have taken 73s apart in the past although infrequently and consequently I always watch a YouTube video ahead of time just to get the order right in my head, however I can't seem to get the mag tube off. I got the forend cap off fine but the forened itself won't come off because the block that receives the cap screws is in the way so I can't pull it forward  and the forend is inletted around the mag tube so I can't pull it down and off. So I am trying gently to pull the mag tube plug off while the tube is on the rifle although predictably it is not moving. I am heeding the words of Garrison Joe and Driftwood Johnson and doing my best to not spin the mag tube but it rotates a few degrees with each attempt and I gently rotate it back. I have tried heat and tapping on the plug and gently grabbing it in Vise Grips with a leather shim but I am making no progress and don't want to lean too hard on it. I suspect this process would be vastly easier if I could get the mag tube off the rifle but thus far I can't figure out the puzzle. This process is complicated by the fact that the rifle has spent the vast proportion of its life in a humid environment and it has had an extraordinary amount of rounds put through it since it's last cleaning.

 

Any advice as to how I might remedy this situation is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

I think you will find a small pin going thru the mag tube and the block that holds the forearm.  Tap out pin, pull tube out, and block will slide sideways.   Watch the block.  Mine has to be in only one wat or the screws will not line up for reinstalling            Good luck      GW

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Once the fore end cap screws are removed the fore end will come off. The rear of the fore end has a small lip setting inside the receiver. The fore end will have to be moved forward less than 1/4 inch to clear. All 73s I have dis-assembled simply rotated from the barrel starting with the metal cap end. 

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GW Wade, thank you but there is no pin in that block. It is dovetailed into the barrel and wiggles but there is no pun and no way to remove it without having the mag tube out. Red Cent, thank you but the block mentioned above is maybe a sixteenth at most from the front of the forend leaving it no room to come forward and off.

 

Still stumped.

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Quote

I got the forend cap off fine but the forend itself won't come off because the block that receives the cap screws is in the way so I can't pull it forward  and the forend is inletted around the mag tube so I can't pull it down and off.

 

OK, you are almost done!   I'm assuming you have the mag tube out at this point.  If not, drive out the cross pin (about a 3/16" diameter pin) that fixes the mag tube in place up at the mag tube hanger (close to the muzzle).   Once the cross pin is out, you can pull the mag tube out of the action. 

 

The forend cap hanger (block) is a dovetail fitting into the bottom side of the barrel.   Lay rifle left side up, with an inch of space clear under the barrel at the hanger block.   (So, something like a wood block under the barrel in front of the block)  Take a 1/4" or so punch and tap the block down (to the right side of gun) until it clears the dovetail.   (Like you would a front sight).    Then, the forearm wood slides forward until you can pull it down off the barrel.  

 

Let me know if you need more info or even a pic.  I've got a 73 apart I'm working on right now and can send you some.

 

Of course, when reassembling, you need to watch real closely (I put some light under the mag tube hanger) so you twist the mag tube to get the groove in surface of mag tube lined up with hole in tube hanger when you reinsert that little pin!  Otherwise, you can dent the mag tube inside wall with that pin.

 

Good luck, GJ

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BINGO! Thank you GW Wade and Red Cent for the suggestions and Garrison Joe for the clarification; the missing piece of the puzzle was the pin on the hangar forward of the end cap. Although the pin was mentioned by Driftwood and others in earlier posts for some reason I imagined it under the forend and didn't see it in front of my nose. Once I got that out the mag tube came out with relative ease and by relative I mean that I had to fight the eighty grit rust on the tube under the forend. Based on advice above I already have on hand Kroil to soak the end cap from the inside and Flitz Gun Wax for the inside and outside of the tube. I'm off to get copper anti-seize and bronze wool right now. Thank you all for your help! I am grateful!

 

 

 

 

 

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On 27 March 2019 at 2:33 AM, Scrub Oak Willie 53737 said:

Thanks for the plug for my plug:D Lawman : If anyone wants one you can also contact me at  scruboakwillie@gmail.com

 

Willie

 

Or me if you're in Ozzie.

image.jpeg

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