A "Pseudo-NWMP Winchester Carbine" ...

[RattlesnakeJack]

Well, I am pleased to announce that my long-awaited "Pseudo-NWMP Winchester Carbine" (built on a Model 1873 action - rather than an 1876 - and chambered in .45 Colt - rather than .45-75) was finally received today for "Trials" ...



It is together - and functional - but final tuning and metal finishing remain to be done.  Dale (the gunsmith) got a job working away from home for much of the past year and a half or so - which partly explains the delay.  Anyway, he got it done this far and, since he will be leaving again for about a month and a half, he brought it to Medicine Hat today to leave with me for "trials".  I will return it to him when he gets back about mid-August, for final tune-up and adjustment, and refinish of all the metal bits ....

And it WILL need some tuning, I have discovered.  I took it to the range this evening and put about 35 rounds through it - it cycles well, but fired cases are very hard-extracting - certainly not a condition which I want for a gun for use in Cowboy Action Shooting.  And, though it shows definite promise as a "good shooter", point of impact is quite high with the existing sights, as I learned while firing a few groups at fifty yards off the bench - no sandbags or rifle rest, mind you - just resting my elbows on the table:



(Shot using slight variations of a 6 o'clock hold at the bottom of the 6" black bull, so it is printing approximately 8" high at 50 yards, presently.)

Promises to be a fun gun to have and shoot, once the bugs are worked out!

Finally, here's a shot of a little "touch" Dale added ....

[Marshal Will Wingam]

This is really nice. I'd love to have one, myself. You should enjoy shooting that.

[Cheyenne]

Looks good.....can we get a full view of it?

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[Howdy Doody]

Now that is something you don't see everyday. That will be fantastic when you get the bugs out of it.
Congratulations.

BTW, have I told you lately thanks for your great website? Well, thanks pard.

[US Scout]

VERY NICE!

I wouldn't mind one of these for myself!

[Wymore Wrangler]

Your a lucky pardner....

[Book Miser]

Looks REAL nice.

I wonder if that hard-extracting won't ease up after you shoot a few hundred rounds.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Is it possible that the hard extracting is just an extractor spring that is too stiff?

[Boone May]

It looks very nicely done.  I have a few Wyoming friends who do an 1880s NWMP impression and they did the same type of conversion using a Uberti 1873.  They ended up using the forearm and cap from the Winchester NWMP (I think that is what it was called) 1894 commemerative.  These were fitted to the 1873 barrel and action.  It looks pretty good at a fraction of the cost of an original 1876 carbine (I've owned a couple and both were beat to *ell).  They used 1873 carbines in .44-40 as they feed the the 5-in-1 blanks really well and don't get blowby back in the chamber.

Enjoy your new carbine.  I'm sure you will get the bugs worked out soon. 

[RattlesnakeJack]

... can we get a full view of it?

Isn't the the full view (the first photo in my post) showing up?  Or, do you mean a larger image?  There seems to be a feature here which automatically limits images to that size ....

Is it possible that the hard extracting is just an extractor spring that is too stiff?

Have never owned a '73 before, though I've had the opportunity to shoot a few rounds out of both originals and repros.  The problem I'm having is not something I've experienced before - when just cycling unfired cartridges through the action, everything is quite smooth - they extract easily.  However, a fired case is an entirely different matter - very hard to get out - way too much effort needed to "break it free", as it were.  Could that be a symptom of an over-large chamber?

... I wonder if that hard-extracting won't ease up after you shoot a few hundred rounds.

This is an original '73 action (1882, by the serial number!) so I can't imagine that it is just in need of "wearing in".  In fact, I am wondering if the problem might stem from the opposite condition ... is it possible that things are too worn - i.e. so that it is binding up somehow when fired?

Any other ideas?  (It's probably gonna drive me nuts waiting the month or more until Dale gets back ...)

[Boone May]

Hmmm, this gun is based on an original Winchester 1873 action?  I'm guessing you had a new barrel made for it, or bored and re-rifled an existing one, since no original 1873's were made in .45 Colt.   

From my experience with original 1873's, extractraction problems are the result of worn lower tab on the breechbolt.  Your gunsmith may be able to fix it, but I've always had to replace the entire breechbolt.  If the little tab on the bottom is worn, the cartridge case will shift and ride under the extractor tab.  You can look at the extractor (on top of breechbolt held by little pin) too, but I don't think that's the problem.

It certainly is possible that soot/fouling is binding up your cases in breech.  That is a particular problem with .45 Colt lever guns.  The brass is pretty thick and does not always form to make a good seal, especially important with black powder.  I have seen some .45 Colt lever guns that get serious blowback into the breech area.  Going to "thinner" cases such as Winchester made brass can help.  I would have your 'smith check the breech area.

[Book Miser]

I would have your 'smith check the breech area.

...which is far less troublesome than when a gastroenterologist does it. 

[RattlesnakeJack]

Thanks for your response, Boone May!

Yes, this rifle was constructed for me using an original M1873 action which Dale had among his "stuff" - nothing else remained of the original rifle, in fact.  The barrel is a cut-down Martini-Enfield barrel (i.e. originally .303 British) rebored, chambered and rifled by Dale in .45 Colt.  I chose that chambering, because that is what all my CAS pistols and other match rifles are ...

Looking at the breechface, I think you may well have zeroed in on the problem - the lower tab is quite worn (VERY noticeably so, when compared with my repro M1866 rifle.) I will have to see what Dale can do with it, or perhaps I'd be better to repalce the entire breechbolt, as you indicate.  At least I know that it is likely "fixable"...

Thanks again for your input.

[Cheyenne]

RJR, e-mail me a full length photo and I'll crop it and size it to be posted. The 'full' view in the post cuts off the muzzle area, so at least I'm not seeing the end of the barrel.

[RattlesnakeJack]

RJR, e-mail me a full length photo and I'll crop it and size it to be posted. The 'full' view in the post cuts off the muzzle area, so at least I'm not seeing the end of the barrel.

Must be something to do with your settings, since that photo is, in fact, full length ....

Try right-clicking on the image and then go to "Properties" and cut and paste the full image URL into your webbrowser address line and "Go" there - that should give you the stand-alone image - i.e free of "frames" and such ....

[Cheyenne]

Hey that worked!  It looks real good!