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"73 feed problem


Possum Skinner, SASS#60697

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So, I have here a Uberti '73 in 45 Colt that won't feed 1.60" cartridges, yet will feed 1.575" ammo fine.  The cartridges feed in at a slight angle and that makes them longer than the 1.604" receiver.  The nose of the bullet hangs up on the feed opening.  Has anyone else run into this and if so did you find a solution?  And, yes, I know I can just use the shorter ammo, just would like it to run any normal 45 colt.

 

Thank you,

Possum

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Yes   1.6 is too long      Have same problem with my 44/40   All the different 44 bullets I have are for 44 Mag so crimp groove is in wrong place making rounds too long      My carrier is 1.592 , you have to be shorter than the carrier plus a little for wiggle room       GW

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Although 1.600" is the SAAMI maximum cartridge length for .45 Colt, that was set when there WERE no .45 Colt rifles being factory made.   There's no guarantee that the Uberti design and production tolerances will let a bullet right at 1.600" feed well.   There usually is a modification that can be made to the frame or barrel that will provide enough relief, but it is SO much simpler to use ammo that works.

 

Feed opening - that is some odd name for the breech of the barrel, I suppose?

 

Which bullet shape you are using?   A WIDE flat-nose slug may be catching by jamming the edge of the nose into the chamber rim.   Factory uses a very small flat on the nose of their mostly-round nose lead bullets (a small meplat).   If that is happening, change the bullet design you are trying to run.   A lifter block that is stopping it's upward motion either too low or too high so that the round is off-center to the breech (again, so the nose will jam into the barrel) may be contributing to the problem.

 

Have you found any FACTORY load close to 1.600" that WILL NOT FEED?    If not, then the problem really is the bullet you have chosen to load.  

 

If you HAVE FOUND at least one factory load that will not feed, then it's probably time to look at opening up the carrier shaft slightly to allow that round to feed reliably, and checking that the lifter is rising to the correct height to get the cartridge smoothly into the chamber.

 

Can you post a picture of one round that is not feeding properly, and where the round is jamming into part of the action?  It will tell a lot of stories.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Like I said, running shorter ammo is not a big deal, I just wanted to know if this is a common problem and if so how to fix it.  I’ve always been a proponent of feeding a rifle what it wants, but this is a rifle I sold to a friend and want to make sure it’s right.

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It is NOT a problem.  The OAL for .45 Colt might be 1.600"  and the rifles might be adapted to that cartridge.  However, the guns were DESIGNED for ammo that is 1.590" OAL.  The .32-20, 38-40 and .44-40 are all 1.590".  There has to be some clearance in the carrier for the gun to work properly.  You fix it by using ammo that is the correct dimensions.

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My Uberti 66 in 44-40 does the same thing. I have bunch of 10X BP ammo and 1 out of every 100 rounds does something very similar. Most times it just makes the lever harder to close but twice now it has locked up the rifle.

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Running too short allows the next round in the tube to advance onto the carrier and possibly snag the carrier.  The carrier cannot lift past that mag tube until the next round in the tube is pushed back into the mag tube.

Original 1873s have a chamfer on the top edge of the mag tube to help the next round in the tube push back into the tube without snagging the case rim.

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Quote

At the loading table, take out your screwknife or whatever and straighten up that round on the carrier, then they should all feed okay.

 

 

OK, the ROOT cause of this round feeding problem is a failure by Uberti to properly machine and polish the loading gate mortise.   Not enough angle on the frame in the loading gate mortise (window) holds the rim of the first cartridge (to feed) over to the right hand side of the lifter.  The lifter then jams in down position and the lever cannot be closed without a tremendous amount of jiggling the gun.

 

THIS is a problem that has been around for at least 15 years.   There is a good description of both the problem and how to fix this on Pioneer's tech notes site:

http://www.pioneergunworks.com/technical-info/

Look down the list of tech notes for  "Model 66 & 73 frame modification to improve feeding of the first round"

 

Once you file/stone the correct bevel on the frame to keep a round from catching it's rim on the frame, you fix the problem once and for ever.  No more poking the last round you put in the loading port over to the left with your finger tip or deer antler or whatever tool you might stick in there.

 

One good picture did tell us what is wrong.  There is nothing wrong, most likely, with cartridge overall length.   A bad loading gate mortise will catch an occasional round even at 1.550" OAL.

 

Why worse on first round to come out of mag, and not usually any others?  Magazine spring puts more rearward pressure on the cartridge with 10 rounds in tube, so a bad bevel catches more rounds when cartridge rim is pressing harder against that bad bevel.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

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