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73 carrier block sticking


Pee Wee #15785

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I have a Uberta 73 with a untotal number of rounds.  It was my main match from the time I started SASS.  The carrier block is hanging up on me.  Have taken the gun apart several times. I have cleaned the gun 6 times also had it ultrasound cleaned.  Need help to get it up and running as I have a WB match I would like to shoot using it.  It is a .44WCF saddle ring.

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At what part of the stroke is the action sticking?  On carrier upward motion (lever opening) or downward (lever closing)?   Where is the bolt face at the time the action sticks?  Close to chamber, or close to frame?  Has gun been short stroked?  Has gun been worked on recently?  Has gun had an out-of-battery discharge?  Have you changed the load that you are using?

 

Best guess with almost no info is you might have a timing problem that has developed due to wear or an out-of-battery firing.  And that could have damaged lever or lifter arm or carrier. 

 

If you have an urgent need to get this running, a trip to a good cowboy smith is the fast and sure method to get it running.  Diagnosing a 73 with minimum info over the wire when there is an urgent need to get the gun running is an exercise in developing hard feelings.

 

Good luck, GJ

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Probably already done this, but I'll throw it out there.  I have a 66 that is my main match gun.  If the gun is spotless, but unlubricated, I can't even work the lever.  Just a touch of lube and it runs smooth and fast.  Make sure it is properly lubed.  I like to run mine wet.

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When the lever is full close carrier hangs up sometimes.  Had a shell separate, shot another round before seeing the separated case.  Case went in hard but ejected okay.  Then the carrier started hanging. It is bone stock never been to a gunsmith as I can't hold still enough to need a gunsmith to speed me up.  Arthritis for the last 30 years will do a number.  If the lever was closed using to much force to seat the round in the chamber what parts would bend?

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18 hours ago, Smokestack SASS#87384 said:

Check your loading gate. It may be bent or loose and interfering. 

Some questions:

1. What cartridge length are you using and what bullet configurations?

 

2. Are you sure the cartridge crimps are secure, to stop bullets changing length in the magazine under recoil?

 

3. Are you using polymer coated bullets?  My wife's Uberti  '73 does not like pc coated bullets at all.  They drag substantially  during chambering and they sometimes hang up and don't slide far enough into the carrier.   (That is with a half dozen brands tested.) 

 

4 Do you use an aluminum or stock brass carrier block? 

 

5. Is the hammer-lifter articulation properly greased? 

 

6.  Is the lifter bent or its channel in the Carrier block worn or deformed? 

 

Just some things to look at, before making modifications. 

 

7.  One more belated question:

Have you recently had an out-of-battery discharge?   If so the toggles or their pins could be deformed or the lifter bent.  It is then time to have the gun retimed by a gunsmith who competently understands the '73 action.  It will never self correct, and DIY will turn out to be a long learning process, with many, many frustrating dis- and re-assemblies.  Not to mention testing excursions.  

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On 10/13/2019 at 2:22 PM, Pee Wee #15785 said:

When the lever is full close carrier hangs up sometimes.  Had a shell separate, shot another round before seeing the separated case.  Case went in hard but ejected okay.  Then the carrier started hanging. It is bone stock never been to a gunsmith as I can't hold still enough to need a gunsmith to speed me up.  Arthritis for the last 30 years will do a number.  If the lever was closed using to much force to seat the round in the chamber what parts would bend?

 

When lever is fully closed, nothing (but firing pin) moves in a perfectly functioning 73 action.  Do you perhaps mean it's sticky and hard to get the lever to move immediately after firing the gun?  Just as you start to stroke the lever?   That suggests the chamber is hanging up the fired case to me.

 

You could have bulged the chamber when you forced a round into chamber with part of a case in it, then fired the round.   You could also have bent parts enough to affect timing and thus smooth extraction, as I mentioned above.  Or while extracting the partial case from chamber, tools could have gouged the chamber wall.

 

The calamity that you describe is one that is well worth hiring a gunsmith to get that rifle running well again.  It's worth little as anything but a risky fixer-upper to other shooters right now, because extracting fired cases is pretty vital to running in a match.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

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  Time the lifter so that the lever/lifter action fully brings the carrier down and the carrier up for the bolt. The springs are just to help the process not to complete it. That's how a properly set up lifter needs only minimal spring tension to function perfectly. The best result of a good action job is parts continuing to function.  The factory set up of timing and spring tesion ensure a usable life but often creates excessive wear.

  You won't have a problem finding people to work on it. Inquire as to price, warranty, and turn around time.

Joe West

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If the gun was fired out of battery because of a separated case, maybe the lever bent or the lifter bent and the timing is now off allowing the bolt to catch on the carrier.

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