1866 yellowboy advice

[web365ster]

Hi guys, my Yellow boy has suddenly started jamming (in battery) when I load the magazine tube and I mean jammed! I have to take the magazine tube cap off and take all the rounds out then the lever action works fine , I took it apart and everything looks ok cleaned and lubed all moving parts put it back together and same thing. Any Ideas would be appreciated!

[Coal Creek Griff]

My first step would be to check the overall length of your rounds. Toggle-link lever actions have a relatively narrow acceptable overall length. That may not be your issue, but that's the first thing that I would check.

Griff

[Abilene]

And if the rounds are not too short (have you been shooting this same ammo before with no problems?), check that the cartridge stop tab on the inside of the loading gate is not bent backwards.  Those tend to break off which will totally jam the rifle, but if it bends it can also let the round on the carrier sit a little too far to the rear.

I guess I should add that ammo which is too long (>1.6") will also jam it, but that is less common.

[Coal Creek Griff]

... check that the cartridge stop tab on the inside of the loading gate is not bent backwards.  Those tend to break off which will totally jam the rifle...

This is good thinking. It's a common problem with the '66s, I believe.

Griff

[Coffinmaker]

  Webster 

Since we don't know the cartridge your sample example is chambered for, or the barrel length, we get to take "WAG" (Military acronym for Wild Assed Guess) at the problem.

Too short cartridges would allow "double feeding" to the carrier block but the rifle would still cycle part way.

A broken cartridge stop tab on the back of the Ladle would allow a round back into the action and preventing the Links from cycling.  (Most likely suspect)

There should be a nice tasty bevel at the bottom of the back wall of the Carrier Block Mortice, to align cartridges to rise with the carrier block.  A "square" profile would tend to jam.

At's about it.  Basically a simple mechanism with not much to go wrong.