'73 safety interlink

[Pancho Peacemaker]

I don't mess with "slicked" up CAS rifles much:  I prefer mine stock.  All that said:

If a fella hands me a '73 Uberti with one of those short stroke kits, how can it tell if the safety interlink has been removed or defeated?  Can I diagnose this on the range by external exam, or does the rifle need to be broken down to see if the interlink is still there?

I know someone who had an out of battery discharge with such a rifle.  I want to avoid the same situation.

Pancho

[Pettifogger]

Real easy to tell visually.  Right behind the trigger is supposed to be a little tab.  If there is just an oval hole behind the trigger and no tab then you know right away it has been removed.  Most people simply remove the safety lever.  However, a few grind them to make them release "easier."  To test for that open the lever far enough so it is not touching the tab and pull the trigger.  If you can't pull the trigger everything is working correctly.  If you open the lever all the way and look at the base of the trigger you can see the end of the safety blocking the trigger.  Push the little tab with your finger and you will see how it works.  What's kind of funny is that people get all excited about removing the interlock from a 73 and don't seem at all concerned that the 66 and Henry don't have one in the first place.  The interlock is an "improvement" on the 73 and I leave them in.  The .44-40 round had more power than the .44 Henry Flat, so an out of battery discharge (OBD) could get exciting.  The early 73's didn't have the interlock.  I have an original without the interlock.  They were added after several years of field use showed there was a potential OBD problem.  The reason most people remove them is because the stock interlock spring is STIFF and makes closing the lever difficult in some cases.  Hard to grind that spring and if you bend it it to far it oftentimes just leaves the interlock flopping around inside the gun.  Now there are aftermarket coil springs that make the interlock easy to depress, but keep it fully functional.  I leave it in because sometimes at high speeds I would pull the trigger a micro-second to soon, the round would not fire, and I would eject a live round.  Leaving the interlock in helps prevent that.  And, of course, it helps prevent an OBD, which was its intended purpose.

[Fox Creek Kid]

That reminds me of the day I "caught" a fella using an illegal short stroked '66 in an NCOWS match. When called on it he threw a screaming hissy fit like a child.   

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[Pappy Myles]

I've replaced the flat safety spring with the one from pioneer gun works.     It works very well and has enough tension on it to keep the toggle in the down position but not so strong you need a death grip on the lever and the stock to get it to close.  Very easy to install and about 6 bucks.