Magazine follower problem.

So, I finally got around to shooting my new Uberti Model 1886. I had removed the rear sight and installed a Lyman receiver sight. I was impressed that it shot right into the bullseye as I installed it. One in a million. However, after my 4th shot, I could no longer feed a cartridge into the magazine. Not even a snap cap would go in. So, I partially opened the action enough to get a finger down to the magazine follower, and it is frozen in place. Any idea what would cause this and is this something I can fix? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Don

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Originally Posted by USSR

So, I finally got around to shooting my new Uberti Model 1886. I had removed the rear sight and installed a Lyman receiver sight. I was impressed that it shot right into the bullseye as I installed it. One in a million. However, after my 4th shot, I could no longer feed a cartridge into the magazine. Not even a snap cap would go in. So, I partially opened the action enough to get a finger down to the magazine follower, and it is frozen in place. Any idea what would cause this and is this something I can fix? Thanks in advance for your reply.

Don

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Not at all familiar with the rifle you're having a problem with, but I had a similar problem with the sporterized 1903 Springfield I got a few years ago. I lot my previous 1903/a3 in 1991, and hadn't gotten to play with one since. Could only feed a single round into it, and fire it. And one day, a few months back, I was sitting and reading about the 1903 Springfield, and found that there is a switch on the receiver to lock the follower so you can single feed rounds. Check yours and make sure there is no such switch, or that it is off or on. Mine was on. For a couple of years! Learn from my fail, if possible! ;)

Bill

Very familiar with the magazine cut-off switch on the 1903 Springfield, however, this is a lever gun with an under-the-barrel tube magazine and there is no such switch.

Don

While a 1903 ( and similar era rifles - think Krag-Joergenson) had magazine cut offs for ammunition conservation, the 1886 has no such feature. The likely cause is that the follower is canted into the tube or has become wedged somehow. Easy to diagnose, take the tube apart and dump the follower.

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That, or, since it is a new or unfired gun, a burr on it will do the same thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by USSR

Very familiar with the magazine cut-off switch on the 1903 Springfield, however, this is a lever gun with an under-the-barrel tube magazine and there is no such switch.

Don

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Well darn. Been looking at pictures, and trying to find a users manual for the 1866 Uberti. Looks like it shouldn't be hard to pull the spring and check to see if it's broken or there is something in there that shouldn't be. I've never owned a lever-gun other than a Stevens Favorite or an Agawam Arms, before yesterday, and all the ones I have or have had are single-shot. I'd been familiar with the '03, a long time ago, but didn't get to do much shooting except for military qualification from the middle of 1983 until all my long guns but one were stolen in 1991, and didn't get another '03 until just a few years ago. And it sat here for over a year before I got to shoot it. Most of my long guns have been military bolt actions, or single-shot .22's. Good luck finding the info you need to get it cleared! I fully understand the frustration of having a problem with a new gun!

Bill

The Uberti rifles and carbines are prone to rusting inside the magazine tube, so you might check that after you take the spring and follower out. I shoot Cowboy Action, so a lot of my fellow shooters have Uberti rifles and pistols, and for some reason those magazine tubes rust rather quickly. They routinely take them down and clean the magazine tube, follower and spring, and give it a light coating of oil.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Thanks Fred. I took the spring out of the magazine tube and the follower was still wedged in place. So I took a snap cap and gave it a couple of taps with my brass hammer and it broke free. Looking it over, there was no sign on the follower as to where it was hanging up. So, I took my 12 gauge shotgun brush, wrapped a cloth with some Break Free CLP on it and made a couple of passes thru the tube. Reinstalled everything, and it's working for now. Will take a while though before I have any confidence in it. Thanks again.

Don