Elevator cleaning

[Waco kid]

I found a load that runs great and shoots point of aim at 25 yards in my Henry but with the blowback it?s dirty.  Is there a good way to clean the elevator? I stayed ballistal in it and let it sit and didn?t do much. So how do you clean your Henry?s?

[Tuolumne Lawman]

I have been known to flush the follower with Windex while levering it up and down.  Let dry then Ballistol.  .45s, especially Schofields are bad about blow back.  Thats why I switched from a 45 Henry using my 200 grain Schofield "Henry duplication load" to a 44-40 Henry.  I load my 44-40s with 7.0 of Trail Boss that gives me 1125 fps, what an original 44 Henry did.

[Coffinmaker]

Couple of things.  First, you have discovered 45 Colt Blow-Back in Uberti oversize chambers.  You may be interested in fixing that.  You can eliminate the Blow-By by annealing your cartridge cases to soften them so they expand to seal the chamber.  If you reload, you can also start with new Starline 44-40 cases and load them as 45 Colt.

You didn't mention whether you are shooting Black Powder or Smokeless.  If your shooting smokeless, you will need an occasional shot of Break Free to keep the gun running.  When you finish, you will need to take the gun apart, remove the Carrier Block and attack it with brushes and Break Free.  Of you shooting BP, you can keep the gun running with PAM but again, when you finish you will need to pull the gun down and soak the Carrier Block in Vinegar Water along with your cases.

There is no way to clean the Carrier Block with it "in the gun."  You will also need to scrub out the mortice the carrier rides in.

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[Navy Six]

When I get around to taking the carrier out, I throw it in the Thumler's Tumbler with ceramic media the same way I clean brass after a match. I tumble it by itself as I'm not sure tumbling with dirty brass would would scratch the carrier or not. Anyway it comes out clean and bright without any issue except for a few pieces of media that have to be dug out.

[doketx]

Coffinmaker,
     I have a Uberti 1866 in .45 colt, and blowback is indeed a problem.  You suggested using 44-40 cases and loading them as .45.  Will.452 bullets fit into a 44-40 case?  Would I have to get a new set of dies?  Thanks.
                                                                                                                                     Dave

[Tuolumne Lawman]

NO, you would use a 45 Colt die set.  You can fire form by shooting 44-40s from the 45, or use some annealed 44-40 brass and stretch it with the expander plug.

[Coffinmaker]

Doketx,

Nope.  Using 44-40 dies nor firing 44-40 from the 45 are real good ideas.  You will need a set of 45 Colt dies.  For me, it's really simple as I have a Dillon 650 with a dedicated tool head for 45 Colt.  Anyway, simply carefully run 44-40 brass thru the 45 Colt dies.  The 45 Colt expander will widen and lightly flair the 44-40 brass.  Then load as 45 Colt.  I do suggest you use separate seating and crimping dies to avoid crushing cases.

Once loaded, the cases will be really funny looking.  No worries.  Load your rifle and shoot as normal.  The cases will fire form to 45 Colt dimensions.  The thin 44-40 neck will seal the 45 chamber but will remain fairly fragile.  Works a treat!!

[doketx]

Thanks!
    I appreciate the help from both you and Tuolumne Lawman.  I'll try it as soon as I can and let you know how it worked.  Thanks again!
                                                                                                                 Dave

[Abilene]

Playing with fixes like that is fine and dandy, but if you're shooting smokeless, you can shoot a lot cleaner by shooting a 250gr bullet.  Not sure what you're shooting now, but probably lighter if it is getting that dirty.  That and a fast powder and good crimp.  I shot lots of 45 Colt through my '73 Trapper, but getting that tenth round in and then lined up straight on the carrier was a hassle.  So I switched to 45 Schofield rounds.  Both with 250 gr bullets.  I go a few matches between cleaning and that is Qtips with ballistol inside the carrier, and down the sides and corners of the mortice (opening) top and bottom.  I haven't taken the carrier out to clean it thoroughly in years. 

Your POI shouldn't change much at 25 yds.  Rifles don't recoil much, especially a Henry, so lighter vs. heavier bullets don't change elevation much at short distance.  Pistols a different matter.   Anyway just another possibility.  More than one way to skin a cat.  Some ways the cat scratches you less.

Now if you want to shoot BP in that Henry, by all means convert some 44 cases.  Mine runs pretty dirty even with the heavy bullet with BP.  So I just don't shoot black in that rifle.  It is becoming my Wild Bunch gun.  I have other calibers more suited for smoke.