Anyone shooting a .32-20 Lighting?

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

At today's shoot, I was using my Colt Lightning in .32-20.   I have used this gun before with no problems.  Shot the first stage, no problems.  But on the third round of the second stage, something odd happened.  While the spent cartridge ejected just fine, the ones coming out of the magazine did a kind of "reverse stove pipe."  The base of the cartridge angled up out of the top of the action, but the bullet end sorta stayed down in the guts of the gun.  Never had this happen before, and it was very strange to me.   The cartridges never got stuck, and I was able to clear them and I just single loaded the last few shots with rounds from my pocket.   The stage took three minutes, but I preserved my clean match.  [For the last four stages, I just switched to my AWA Lighting in .45 Colt.]

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else out there may have a .32-20 Lighting, maybe even another Colt, and if you have ever had this happen to you.   The rounds I was shooting today were some that were given to me by someone else, and the overall cartridge length is a little shorter that my own reloads, and I am wondering if that may have been the cause of my troubles?  Visually inspecting the operation of the action with no cartridges, everything seems to be functioning properly.   I thought I'd ask here before I give Lassiter a call  

Yes, at the end of the day, I shot the whole match clean.  That marks my fourth, and I used the same rifle at all four of them.  

[Outlaw Gambler]

My wife and I both shot our original Colt lightnings and both are 32-20 and both are "carbines" and while today was the first time for me shooting mine, my wife has about 5 years of shooting hers as her main and only match rifle. I have a third Colt also in 32-30 that I have shot in CAS years ago and in all of this time neither of the three have had anything like you described happen. Overall length and diameters are very important but I can't see why either would be the cause of your problem. It has to be something internal. If it was an 1897 I might be able to help  more but sorry, not on a pump rifle.

[John Boy]

H K ... if the stove pipe was not repeating ... Operator Error, starting at the cartridge stop

Wnen was the last time you completely cleaned the magazine tube

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Curiouser and curiouser.   I did clean the rifle before putting it away, and yes, the problem was a reoccurring, which is why I switched to the AWA.

I just fed one of the slightly shorter rounds through the action four times, and it cycled flawlessly.

Then I switched to my regular reloads.  Cycled once just fine, then the second time through I got the reverse stove pipe.

Ugh...

But, I have not cleaned the magazine tube.   I'll try that and see what happens.   Assuming that does not fix the problem, I will give Lassiter a call.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

delete

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

7 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

delete

 

Aw...

When I saw you listed as the last poster, I thought maybe there was a solution.   Oh well.   

[Roger Rapid]

H.K Uriah...

Sorry I missed this post earlier. I know you know the Lightning well ... but did you check that both cartridge guides/ejection plates were tight? And, more importantly - I'd urge taking some careful measurements of your cartridges to ensure they are in spec. On 32-20 it doesn't take much of a deviation in diameter for cartridges to lock up differently as they are brought up against the cartridge guides and locked in place by the lifter. A .010˝ to .015˝ smaller diameter will keep them from locking up tight between the lifter and the guides resulting in a stovepipe.

RR