Struggling With Uberti 1866 SRC

El Coyote · January 18, 2013, 08:45:12 PM

Howdy folks!

What am I doing wrong? (other than owning an 1866 in 38 Special)?

I recently bought a used Uberti 1866. I sent her to Longhunter for the complete work over:

Premium Action Job
Install Short Stroke Kit
Install Aluminum Carrier
Install Stainless Magazine Tube Spring
Install Stainless Follower
Install New Firing Pin & Spring
Grabber© Front sight
Leather Lever Wrap

When I got her back from Longhunter I had troubling cycling rounds. I called and they reccomended I try blackhills cowboy ammo. I ordered some and I am still having the same issues. I have tried four types of ammo on her an I can not get it to cycle with more than 3 rounds of ammo loaded. Do I need to give her some break in time or should I send her back to Longhunter and have her looked at again? This is just not a good month for me and my Ubertis. My Cimarron Man With No Name revovler is also giving me fits and I'm about to sell them both or trade them both for a Winchester 92 in 357...ugh I am just getting frustrated. Can someone please help me!?

El Coyote · January 18, 2013, 08:55:55 PM

Just wanted to add that I was having the same problem prior to sending it to Longhunter. I just figured that the new parts pay fix the issue.

wyldwylliam · January 18, 2013, 09:23:08 PM

No help here, Pard, but I agree that after the work-over you'd a thought they'd at least have made sure it cycled properly. I'd be rather chagrined my ownself.

Hang in there and here's hoping you get some better luck coming. Can sure understand your frustration.

Fingers McGee · January 18, 2013, 11:08:14 PM

I'd contact Longhunter and send it back if necessary.

Major 2 · January 19, 2013, 05:26:22 AM

Ditto...in fact I'd send both, Longhunter is great with revolvers too...

El Coyote · January 19, 2013, 11:43:33 AM

I will contact him on Monday, just real frustrating that two of my match guns failed on me yesterday. I am spending more time fixing guns than I am shooting em. $:-\$

King Medallion · January 20, 2013, 11:23:30 AM

Quote from: El Coyote on January 19, 2013, 11:43:33 AM
I will contact him on Monday, just real frustrating that two of my match guns failed on me yesterday. I am spending more time fixing guns than I am shooting em. $:-\$

That sucks. I hate it when that happens. Only ever happened to me once, but within a minute I had no less than 7 offers for a backup to continue shooting. Good folks, these cowboy shooters.

Coffinmaker · January 20, 2013, 03:55:36 PM

Send. It. Back. It should function like snot on a door knob with anything you feed it except wad cutters or semi wad cutters.

Coffinmaker

Pettifogger · January 20, 2013, 06:42:38 PM

You should call Longhunter and IF necessary send it back. You haven't described what it is doing wrong and you have not described the type of ammo you are using. (Bullet shape, cartridge OAL, etc.) Hard to help without knowing what the problem is.

El Coyote · January 20, 2013, 07:06:47 PM

Quote from: Pettifogger on January 20, 2013, 06:42:38 PM
You should call Longhunter and IF necessary send it back. You haven't described what it is doing wrong and you have not described the type of ammo you are using. (Bullet shape, cartridge OAL, etc.) Hard to help without knowing what the problem is.

Currently with both Winchester 158 gr Cowboy ammo, and Black Hills Cowboy ammo with more than three rounds in the rifle the carrier gets stuck on the round in front of it. It cycles fine with three rounds, but any more than that and the carrier gets hung up and I can not move the lever far enough to cycle a round into the chamber. I can try and take pictures if I take it to the range again.

I called Longhunter and the reccomendation was to try Black Hills ammo, I will call him tomorrow morning to see what to try next.

Abilene · January 20, 2013, 07:17:33 PM

Well, since you have tried the recommended Black Hills ammo, I'm going to assume it is not an ammo problem. When you load the rounds, look down at the round on the carrier (the last round loaded). Is it sitting at an angle on the carrier? If so, then push the nose of another round in (or a wooden dowel or anything) to nudge the rear end of the round on the carrier to the left so it is sitting straight on the carrier. Now try to lever it. Did that fix it? Although that problem usually shows up on '73's rather than '66's, it could be related to a lack of a bevel in a certain spot in the frame. Also, did Longhunter beef up the tab on the loading gate? If that tab is bent a bit, that might be causing a problem. You can open the lever and look into the action from the bottom and see that tab.

El Coyote · January 21, 2013, 06:37:39 PM

Called Longhunter this morning and they told me to send in the rifle and pistol. Sadly I'm the road for work so it will be a few weeks until I can send them in.

But they did promise a quick turn on the rifle at no charge

Sir Charles deMouton-Black · January 21, 2013, 07:25:57 PM

If your rounds are a bit short, the angle on the top front of the carrier pushes the back end of the round in the mag forward into the mag, as it rises, allowing the round to line up with the bolt to be pushed into the chamber. If your rounds are too short, or the angle is insufficient there will be a stoppage. The is a set of photos showing how this action works, but I've lost it! Really?

Abilene · January 21, 2013, 07:48:00 PM

Sir Charles, here is the article and pics explaining the toggle link carrier and it's relationship to cartridges (by Pettifogger, of course).

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/togglelink.pdf

But I doubt if cartridges being too short is El Coyote's problem since he tried the recommended Black Hills as well as others.

Pettifogger · January 21, 2013, 10:01:11 PM

He did not give us a measurement. A lot of standard 158 grain RNFP .38 ammo is down in the low 1.4" range and are simply to short. The ammo is part of the feed mechanism. It has to be within a certain range for the gun to work correctly. To get reliable feeding he wants to be in the 1.500" range.

El Coyote · January 21, 2013, 11:08:38 PM

If my measurements where correct the black hills ammo (rfp) was sitting right at 1.5. They expected the longer ammunitoon would fix the problem, but unfortunately it did not.

Coffinmaker · January 23, 2013, 11:35:55 PM

A properly set up Toggle Link rifle should digest ammunition as short as the leading edge of the cartage return ramp on the Carrier Block. That can work out as short as 1.41 or 1.42
So long as the Carrier Block will return the follow-on cartridge to the magazine, the ammunition is not too short. I've been building competition rifles a long time. Somebody failed to fully function check your rifle.

Send. It. Back.

Coffinmaker

Billy Bristol · January 24, 2013, 01:41:38 PM

I would call them back and tell them you tried different types of ammo as well as what they recommended and it still won't cycle right. Then tell them you paid for a premium action job and want it fixed right.

GeezerD · January 24, 2013, 06:22:15 PM

Excessive magazine spring tension can cause feeding issues. Remove the magazine cap and check to see if the relaxed spring hangs out of the tube more than 2-3 inches. That is the maximum preload required for a spring of the proper rating. The toggle link guns do not benefit from higher powered mag springs. ------------------ GeezerD