1873 uberti has occasional extraction issues

[HDS]

Does anyone know what the problem might be if my new '73 rifle in .357 sometimes won't extract? I've not shot it much and maybe it's a problem that will go away in time, but it's frustrating when it happens, maybe 5-6 times in 50.

What happens is the extractor claw seems to just slip off the rim of the cartridge and it's left in the chamber. Meanwhile the gun wants to start chambering another round so I am left with a situation where the lifter has a round in it and it can't chamber because there's a spent case left in the chamber.

What I have to do in these cases is push down the lifter, sometimes I need to use a small wooden dowel to push a round back into the magtube or I can't get the lifter all the way down again. Then I can use a finger nail or a small tool and pry the case out.

I don't really know why this happens, the bolt looks fine, so does the extractor claw. Maybe my brass is out of spec or something, I bought 1k of once shot .38spl brass of the market "Leader", some euro brand I haven't seen before. Looks fine though.

[ReloaderFred]

Make sure there is enough rim for the extractor to grab. I've seen some brass that had a small rim and was rounded, and the extractor just slipped right over it.

If that's not the problem, you might check that there is enough tension on the extractor.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[zuke]

Check the nrand's of brass your using. It could be as simple as slightly out of spec brass.

[Jon K]

Had the same problem with '73 32-20.
1. check rim diameter
2. load maybe too hot for brass(too much expansion)...try a lighter load, or heavier brass.

Jon

[HDS]

Checked the rim width and it's below SAAMI spec at .433" instead of .440". But I got a bunch of mixed brass too and they all say .430" as well so I don't think so many manufacturers can be wrong if they all make similar sized brass. Rim thickness on the mixed brass varied from .046" to .050". The reloader brand was thicker than all the others at .0515" to .052". I think in general the Reloader brand tended towards slightly larger and a more pronounced bevel on the back of the rim, which shouldn't affect extraction though.

Maybe it's just stuck in the chamber real good, I use as much BP as will fit under a 148gr bullet, it seems to seal against the chamber real well.