1873 uberti carbine lever rotating latch not able to latch

[Doug.38PR]

I just got my gun back from an unrelated repair from Uberti and before i took it from the local gunsmith/store i noticed the latch wasn’t able to rotate over the lever lip.  They were even with each other.  The lever was fine.  Depressed all the way.  I tried “unscrewing” the latch thinking it was threaded maybe but nothing happened.  The counter guy and i couldn’t figure it out so i left them with it for the gunsmith to figure out.

What happened?  Did urbertie do something wrong?

[Coffinmaker]

I'd actually have to look at it.  With the lever tight against the lower tang, it should work just fine.  Again though, without being able to take a peek, Nada.  Could be several things.  I wouldn't wand to give it a WAG (Military acronym for Wild Ass'd Guess) without a good look.

Long winded "Duno"

[Doug.38PR]

THe gunsmith loosned it to where you could force it across the lever lip.  But that was as good as he could get it.  It was a lot looser when I bought it where you could wiggle the lever just a hair up and down with it being held by the lock.   I just took it as is and accepted it.  Not the end of the world.  I might call Uberti and see if they may have put the wrong size latch on. 

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[Cliff Fendley]

How did he loosen it? It's just a pin going through the latch and held tension with a spring. Just a WAG but it's probably bent or something.

[Abilene]

Some action jobs and/or shortstrokes that either bend the lever, cut and weld the lever, or replace the lever, can cause the same issue. 
You never had an out-of-battery discharge did you?

A lot of gamer-types just remove the latch to keep it out of the way and keep it from accidently becoming engaged, rare though that might be.

[Coffinmaker]

There is even a "Button" now available to fill the "hole" that is left when the latch is removed.  Unless your going to be using the rifle in a saddle scabbard, the latch really doesn't do much.  You could remove the latch and file the lever side to gain clearance.

Do you know if Uberti replaced the Lever??  Perhaps the "tail" of the lever is, for some reason, thicker.  Again, I'd have to look at it.

[Doug.38PR]

Some action jobs and/or shortstrokes that either bend the lever, cut and weld the lever, or replace the lever, can cause the same issue. 
You never had an out-of-battery discharge did you?

A lot of gamer-types just remove the latch to keep it out of the way and keep it from accidently becoming engaged, rare though that might be.

All it was in for was removing part of a ruptured shell case that was inside the chamber.

[Doug.38PR]

Ok
This gun i think has bigger problems.  

If i’m using incorrect terms here, i apologize in advance.

The bolt doesn’t seem to come all the way forward to bring the cartridge fully into battery.  The rim of the cartridge does not completely meet the chamber when you complete the lever cycle.  When you fire, it lurched the case forward completely into battery and gets knocked off the extractor hook and you can’t extract it unless you poke it out with a cleaning rod.   This doesn’t seem right

[greyhawk]

Ok
This gun i think has bigger problems. 

If i’m using incorrect terms here, i apologize in advance.

The bolt doesn’t seem to come all the way forward to being the cartridge fully into battery.  The rim of the cartridge does not completely meet the chamber when you complete the lever cycle.  When you fire, it lurched the case forward completely into battery and gets knocked off the extractor hood and you can’t extract it unless you poke it out with a cleaning rod.   This doesn’t seem right

You had a ruptured shell case in the chamber - 9 times outa ten that is the remains of A VERY BIG PROBLEM -----

[Doug.38PR]

You had a ruptured shell case in the chamber - 9 times outa ten that is the remains of A VERY BIG PROBLEM -----

Benelli had the gun sent to them.  They removed the remains of the chamber.  No problems no damage.  They cleaned and polished the chamber, supposedly test fired it, and sent it back with a clean bill of health.   It looks to me like they put it back together wrong or got the timing off on the lever

[Coffinmaker]

YES!!  You do have a problem.  Perhaps several.  First a CAVEAT:  I can't see nor fondle your rifle so some of this will be a WAG (Military acronym for a Wild Ass Guess).  You have a very severe (bad) Head Space problem.  Optimum head space for your rifle is .004 and the head space you describe is way way beyond that.  If everything worked as it should before you sent it in and you just wanted a stuck case removed, I would have to question if "your" parts were used to reassemble it.  Notwithstanding ......

It this point you have an unusable rifle.  It WILL continue to separate case heads.  I personally (were I your Gunsmith) wouldn't suggest it even be shot until it's ills were fix'd.  It also sounds to me like your lever is bent.  I don't portend to know all.  It also sounds like you have out of spec links, perhaps an out of spec Bolt, or the barrel was incorrectly head spaced (common Uberti) when the rifle was built.

Now.  This is not a WAG.  If your Gunsmith/Store let you walk out with the rifle in the condition it's in, your Gunsmith is incompetent.  Whom ever worked on the Rifle for warranty is incompetent.  FIND A NEW GUNSMITH!!  And, your rifle Needs to go back to the manufacturer under warranty with a letter outlining the problems you have had with it.

[Doug.38PR]

YES!!  You do have a problem.  Perhaps several.  First a CAVEAT:  I can't see nor fondle your rifle so some of this will be a WAG (Military acronym for a Wild Ass Guess).  You have a very severe (bad) Head Space problem.  Optimum head space for your rifle is .004 and the head space you describe is way way beyond that.  If everything worked as it should before you sent it in and you just wanted a stuck case removed, I would have to question if "your" parts were used to reassemble it.  Notwithstanding ......

It this point you have an unusable rifle.  It WILL continue to separate case heads.  I personally (were I your Gunsmith) wouldn't suggest it even be shot until it's ills were fix'd.  It also sounds to me like your lever is bent.  I don't portend to know all.  It also sounds like you have out of spec links, perhaps an out of spec Bolt, or the barrel was incorrectly head spaced (common Uberti) when the rifle was built.

Now.  This is not a WAG.  If your Gunsmith/Store let you walk out with the rifle in the condition it's in, your Gunsmith is incompetent.  Whom ever worked on the Rifle for warranty is incompetent.  FIND A NEW GUNSMITH!!  And, your rifle Needs to go back to the manufacturer under warranty with a letter outlining the problems you have had with it.

I just took the rifle back to the gunsmith and demonstrated the problem using a spent shell case.  He agrees that cartridge should definately be going fully into battery and be properly seated when cycle is complete.  He is sending it back to Benelli-stoeger explaining the problem. (Oddly enough, the extractor still held the shell after i dryfired seating it fully into the chamber when I demonstrated to the Smith.  But I explained that is not usually the case and to please make that clear to them)

I agree the manufacteror repair screwed up

As for the gunsmith, he just sent it off because he was unable to get the ruptured shell case out (i have another thread in the reloading section about that) and sent it to Benelli as a warranty repair.  He got it back assuming the benelli repair shop knew what they were doing (a reasonable assumption you would think) and notified me the gun was back

[Cliff Fendley]

What caused the ruptured case to begin with? Maybe whatever caused the ruptured case bent the lever, or pins, or damaged the toggles.

Or was it a new gun and always out of spec, I've had two recently that came from Uberti with incorrect headspacing?

As Coffinmaker said it's a WAG without looking at it. Hopefully they get it fixed for you.

[greyhawk]

What caused the ruptured case to begin with? Maybe whatever caused the ruptured case bent the lever, or pins, or damaged the toggles.

That question needs answering

Or was it a new gun and always out of spec, I've had two recently that came from Uberti with incorrect headspacing?

As Coffinmaker said it's a WAG without looking at it. Hopefully they get it fixed for you.

like coffinmaker I would seriously question the ""gunsmith"" competence - but from a different angle - he couldnt get a ruptured case out - to me that is rudimentary maintenance on a cowboy gun - taint hard and no harm to the chamber - .............

[Doug.38PR]

What caused the ruptured case to begin with? Maybe whatever caused the ruptured case bent the lever, or pins, or damaged the toggles.

Or was it a new gun and always out of spec, I've had two recently that came from Uberti with incorrect headspacing?

As Coffinmaker said it's a WAG without looking at it. Hopefully they get it fixed for you.

I bought it new last year.  Functioned great.  Until this

[Doug.38PR]

like coffinmaker I would seriously question the ""gunsmith"" competence - but from a different angle - he couldnt get a ruptured case out - to me that is rudimentary maintenance on a cowboy gun - taint hard and no harm to the chamber - .............

He said he didn’t have the correct case remover size for .44-40 so he just shipped it off as a Uberti repair


By-the-way, here we are two and a half months later and i still don’t have the gun back.    Almost 6 months since this mess started

[greyhawk]

He said he didn’t have the correct case remover size for .44-40 so he just shipped it off as a Uberti repair


By-the-way, here we are two and a half months later and i still don’t have the gun back.    Almost 6 months since this mess started

All ya need to remove the stuck case is a piece of 1/8th BRASS welding rod and a brain that works - hard to believe the fellers that cant think that simple - so we use easy outs and cleaning jags and all manner of difficult, complicated methods to do it

Gonna have to come back at some point to what it was that ruptured the case in the first place - specially after a season of running ok - that question needs a concrete answer. .............................   

[Blackfoot]

This soundl like it could have started with an slightly out of battery discharge.

Blackfoot

[Coffinmaker]

A personal suggestion.  When/if you ever get the gun back, BEFORE you even consider walking out with it ...... CHECK THE HEAD SPACE.

I don't mean with a Go - No Go.  You will need a tapered set of automotive feeler gauges.  Measure the headspace with an empty case, and measure between the Case Head and the Bolt Face.  Optimum head space is .004 while some guns will run with headspace at .010 +/- but personally, if the Bolt will close up on a feeler .008 or larger, I'd refuse to accept.

I realize your stuck without your rifle, but better than being stuck with a rifle that is goin to give you Grief ...... forever.

[greyhawk]

This soundl like it could have started with an slightly out of battery discharge.

Blackfoot

or a double dose of red dot or some other