1866 carrier falls below the receiver

[Salt Fork Bandit]

Hey all, I just got a brand new Uberti 1866 sporting rifle in 45 colt (manufactured in 2015) and I'm noticing that the carrier sits just a little below the receiver - about 1/16".

I tried cycling some rounds through it and the brass is getting scraped up pretty good.

I've been reading a lot of info and I guess this is a timing issue? Could someone tell me what needs to be adjusted to fix this?

Thanks pards. Appreciate any advice you have.

You can just see the carrier falling below the receiver in this pic...

[Abilene]

1/16" is a fair amount.  Shouldn't be that way on a new gun that has not been worked on.  I would say the lifter arm needs to be bent a bit, take some of the bow out of it, but I am not a gunsmith.  Warranty might fix it for you, but that can be a hassle.

[Sagebrush Burns]

What caliber is your rifle?  That is not an uncommon situation in larger caliber Ubertis.  My 1860 Henry does the same thing but I cant see where it causes me any problems or issues.

[Salt Fork Bandit]

It's 45 colt. I'll update the original post for others.

[rbertalotto]

Yes....remove lifter arm and bend it a bit. I've had to do this on a number of 66 Uberti rifles

[Coffinmaker]

Well.  First things first.  You need to peel that "protective" clear plastic cover off and toss it.  Now the rifle has been sold and is in service, it (the plastic clear thingie) serves no purpose.  I don't see 1/16 inch excess drop.  More like 1/32d or a 64th.  Not uncommon.  Not necessarily bad either.  The scratching up of your brass is more than likely typical of a sloppy Uberti chamber.

If the drop of the Carrier Block just drives you up the wall, the fix is slight bend of the Carrier Block Arm.  Must be bent just up stream of the back wall of the mortice.  First lay the arm flat on a piece of paper and trace the top of the arm so you can tell just how much you bend it. 

[Gabriel Law]

Bend it up or down?

[wildman1]

Up for up.
Down for down.
wM1

[Coffinmaker]

Just remembered.  I have run into several Carrier Block Arms that were Heat Treated/Hardened.  Should you have one of those, it won't really bend.  It will however, become a "Two Piece" affair and require replacement.   

[Salt Fork Bandit]

I noticed last night messing with it that when the action is fully open at the top of the stroke I can reach underneath inside and just slightly push up on the carrier. I don't think it should move in the full up position, should it? This really leads me to believe that the lifter arm does need to be bent just a hair - hopefully intact    The amount I can push the carrier up is just about what hangs below the receiver.

Do y'all think this is a manufacturing / finishing issue with the lifter arm? Would simply replacing it be a better fix? I'm wondering if I am weakening the lifter arm by bending it - if it will bend w/o breaking. Just thinking.

SFB

[Slamfire]

 Hey salt fork,,, sent you a pm.


  smoke'm if y'a got'm,,,Hootmix.

[Coffinmaker]

SFB,

There is always a certain amount of "play" between the slot in the Carrier Block and the Carrier Block Arm.  It's going to rattle a little bit.  Don't "overthink" this.  You don't have a really serious problem.  The carrier block is not causing the scratches on your cases.  A poorly machined barrel breach and chamber is causing your scratches.

Cleaning up the "feed" of your rifle can be done.  It is time consuming and you'll need to create some specialty tools.  You will have to be extremely careful not to make a poorly machined chamber even worse.  My suggestion is to settle for a tiny little bend of your Carrier Block Arm and then to just enjoy your rifle.

[Salt Fork Bandit]

Thanks Coffinmaker, I'll try not to overthink it. I'm a bit OCD like that and want everything to work just right. But I reckon a little tolerance is in order.

Any advice on cleaning up the chamber / breech would be appreciated.

SFB

[Coffinmaker]

Let me put out a couple of CAVEATS .........

1.  Your chamber is already oversize.  That is a given because it's a Uberti.  Anything you do runs the risk of making a bad chamber worse.  But ... Cheap seats and simple.  All you want to do is polish.  You do NOT WANT TO REMOVE any metal.  At the local craft store, buy a piece of dowel stock slightly smaller than your chamber.  Run the dowel in from the muzzle.  Forgot.  Take the rifle apart first (duh).  Wrap the end of the dowel that sticks out in the mortice with 1000 or 2000 Grit wet/dry and polish the breach end of the chamber.  You can also lay the 1000 Grit across the breach and rub it back and fourth with your finger.

2.  The Breach end of the barrel has been poorly beveled.  That is a given because it's a Uberti.  That bevel is often so bad it contributes to bad head space.  DO NOT use any kind of sharp instrument to work on that bevel.  Simply lay a piece of 1000 Grit wet/dry across the breach and rub it around with your fingers.

3.  You probably have poor head space.  This is a given because it's a Uberti.  You can make it worse real easy.  Be careful working on the breach end of the barrel.

[Salt Fork Bandit]

UPDATE on my 1866 carrier issues... Turns out it's not much of an issue at all.

I went to Marauder's website to learn about my rifle, followed a post I found "The poor man's '66 '73 action job" as well as melding a lot of info from youtube videos on slicking up the internals. Speaking of the internals, that thing was filthy inside! Lots of metal shavings both steel and brass and just generally sloppy inside. After I got it all cleaned up, polished up, loading gate reinforced and with some washers under the springs it levers so much lighter and smooth now it's not the same rifle! My rifle functions/feeds/ejects just fine now - slow levering or cowboy action fast. I'm really liking it a lot.

I don't think I'll be doing anything else to this awesome 1866 now. I'm ready to get it out the CAS range for some monthly shoots and Land Run this year.

Thank you for the advice everyone, I do appreciate it. Take care pards.

SFB

[Abilene]

Sounds good!  Thanks for the update.  Enjoy it.