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Jammed rifle


Tex Jones, SASS 2263

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At yesterday's match a shooter with a new Uberti '73 had a problem.  The bore seemed to be blocked as the unfired round on the carrier would not chamber (less than halfway) and the carrier was frozen in the up position.  It appeared to me that the last round fired was a squib and that, possibly, a piece of the primer lodged in the side of the block freezing it when the next round was lifted up.  Took the side plates off and removed the toggles and lever, but the carrier was up too high for the lifter arm to be released.  Because the rifle was new taking the bolt and extension out with the tools at hand would have damaged the rifle.  Best that could be done under the circumstances was to release the round from the extractor, place a leather block between the bolt face and the primer of the round on the carrier and pack the rifle away to be worked on by a smith with the proper tools.  No one had a driver bit wide enough to unscrew the end cap of the magazine tube so there were a few unfired rounds left there as well.  Not a good  situation.  There's always something to go wrong.

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48 minutes ago, Burt Blade, #25657 said:

Uniquetek.com sells a very good 66/73 magazine plug wrench. I always have one in my gun-aid kit.

Item # T1380,  $19.95 + S&H   SB

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1 hour ago, Lassy LaRock said:

 

Thank you for posting the link.  

 

Years back I ordered a replacement plug before using channel lock pliers to remove the original plug.  Yep the channel locks chewed the plug, that's why I ordered a replacement.  Well with me being conservative (cheap) I filed off the burrs and kept using the original plug and put the ordered replacement in with the spare parts.  

 

Will today is the day I splurge!  I just ordered a new plug from Smokestacks AND I'll actually install it when it arrives too.

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On 6/13/2022 at 7:40 AM, Tequila Shooter said:

Another choice is @Scarlett she sells a really nice brass cap that can be taken off by hand.  Squibs stink!

Thanks! @KingSnake makes the Brass Magazine end caps that I sell. They look pretty AND allow for easy removal so that the MOST NEGLECTED part of our rifles is easily accessible to clean!!  $15 plus $5 shipping. 
https://bulletsbyscarlett.com/shop/ols/products/knurled-brass-magazine-end-cap-7366

 

Hugs!

Scarlett

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In a pinch if you don’t have a proper magazine tube wrench you can improvise with vice grips and a hacksaw blade.  Grip the hacksaw blade with the vice grips leaving just enough of the flat side sticking our to engage the slot in the end-cap.  Using a screwdriver for leverage you should be able to remove the end cap.  You’ll need to make some extra effort to secure the mag tube from turning though.  That little pin that holds the tube won’t stand much force.

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Just installed one of Scarlett's caps. simple to do.  However I will still carry the old style wrenches with me.

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you might have been behind me this weekend - i had that issue - my problem was OAL of my cartridges , remedied by the help of a fellow shooter that had extra ammo that was made to the same recipe but correct length with RNFP bullets , mine were RN a friend and i cast over the winter ...i normally load RNFP 

 

good thing is i can use up the faulty ones in my revolvers and use my previous loads in my rifles , i prefer to have all of one so i dont need to think about it at the loading table but since i shot seven stages this past weekend doing just that im comfortable sorting - visually they are identifiable so i shouldnt have problems , my rifles and this one particularly have never been temperamental of my loads in near 20 years now , i have now learned not to trust someone elses cast bullets or their press - ill depend on mine exclusively , 

 

i still had a great time and was the beneficiary of some great cowboy help [he offered me a rifle as well but i needed to figure mine out , he also loaned me this unique mag tube wrench and i just ordered one up , it worked great , ill not be without it at a match again , 

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On 6/12/2022 at 8:49 AM, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

A  Best that could be done under the circumstances was to release the round from the extractor, place a leather block between the bolt face and the primer of the round on the carrier and pack the rifle away to be worked on by a smith with the proper tools. 

The O.P. did not say what the conditions were when the malfunctioning gun was removed from the unloading table but from my experience:

 

A match disqualification  (MDQ) will be assessed if:

- A shooter leaving the firing line with an un-cleared, malfunctioning firearm unless under the direct supervision of a Match Official. (Page 23 Shooters Handbook Version 26.2 )

 

Much less suffering to learn on the wire then on the firing line. MHO

 

Fordyce

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I've found that you can use a steel feeler gauge to remove Uberti end caps. Use the thickest one that will fit tight in the slot sideways, thirty thousand is what I think I use. Turn it with a large pair of vice-grips clamped tight as close to the cap as you can get them. you just have to crack it loose.Easy to remove after that.

 JW Nish

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Prof.  Thanks for reminding me.  I lost/mislaid my feeler gauges and I just ordered another set.  I spoke to the owner of the rifle in question last week and he disassembled it by tapping out the carrier block when he got home from the range on the day the rifle jammed.  It seems the carrier block may have had more than normal carbon fouling, which caused it to jam.  Once he released the block, the lifter arm fell out and all the cartridges in the magazine came out under spring pressure.  I didn't have my mag tube wrench or drivers with me that day, so what little that could be done was done with some borrowed tools.

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5 hours ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

...It seems the carrier block may have had more than normal carbon fouling, which caused it to jam...

 

Does he use Trail Boss powder? I've personally seen what you're talking about. Needs some good deep cleaning more often than not, especially 45 Colt.

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