Cartridges getting stuck on the bottom of the chamber.

[Kev18]

Some of you may be familiar with my 1886 thread I posted sometime ago. Now I have another little issue thats been present since I bought the rifle. When I work the lever, the cartridges dont slide smoothly in the chamber, sometimes the ogive of the cast bullet scrapes or just simply gets stuck at the beginning of the chamber. I fix this by just turning the rifle slightly sideways just so the cartridge lifts off the lifter a little and it goes in no problem then. This obviously removes the ability to run the lever really fast.
Im sure there's a simple way to just lift the elevator a tad, I think thats the issue. It would need to be a bit higher to align the tip of the bullet in the chamber allowing it to slide in.

[Dan Cash]

Cheapest fix: Use a bullet with smaller tip.

[redhawk0]

I think I'd try to verify that the lifter height is the problem. Try to "beagle" it with some aluminum tape and see if that is where the issue truly lies.

redhawk

[pworley1]

I have that problem sometimes when I work the lever too slowly.

[pietro]

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Feeding may also profit from polishing the upper portion/edge of the rear of the chamber, slightly rounding the sharp edge there.


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[Kev18]

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Feeding may also profit from polishing the upper portion/edge of the rear of the chamber, slightly rounding the sharp edge there.


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I feel like that could help but with what can I do it? I'm not sticking a dremel in there. It's an original 1886. Sand paper on a dowel or something? The chamber is sharp.

[Gtek]

Might sound crazy but it works great on my Marlins. I have a piece of copper tubing that is just a little longer than barrel, believe it .250" ID. Flared one end as big as I could before splitting. Glued cut 320 grit strips about two inches long with contact cement to a long athletic shoe lace about .375" wide. Flare depth of tube in chamber controls departure angle on one end and other hand controls the other angle and using tape to secure tube at muzzle. Being a stripped barrel/rec with back and forth of string nicely rolling and polishing 5-7 o'clock of mouth. Wet paper seemed to work better than crocus due to being thinner and more pliable but fades quick. Just Acetone off and stick new one on till happy.

[pietro]

I feel like that could help but with what can I do it?

I'm not sticking a dremel in there.

It's an original 1886.

Sand paper on a dowel or something?

The chamber is sharp.





Forgetabout power tools - handwork with round emery stone flushed with cutting oil, then 400-600 grit emery paper, soaked in oil.

Tie the lever open (or remove the bolt), and work beneath the inverted rifle to access/polish only the top edge of the chamber mouth (raise & clamp the inverted butt in a way you can access the chamber mouth).

Use firm, but short, strokes of the stone in/out of the top edge of the chamber mouth, moving the oiled stone sideways (both ways from top center, now the bottom edge, since the rifle inverted) while you're also sawing away with the stone.

Continue until the edge is smoothly rounded a bit.

Flush the chamber edge with oil (automotive crankcase oil is OK here) to remove any particles suspended in the oil left behind by the stoning, then start using the oil-soaked emery cloth on the same area, but with arced strokes, the same as the edge of the chamber mouth.

Continue the polishing until you can see/feel the smoothed edge, flush everything out & try chambering a cartridge to determine if you've done enough rounding/polishing to resolve your issue.

If there's no joy, start again with the stone; then the emery paper, & repeat as req'd until you're satisfied with the result.

Good Luck !


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[David LaPell]

You sound like you have been having the same issues I was having with my Model 1892, which of course is a smaller version of the 1886 by design. I was having problems where the cartridge was getting hung up. Once I replaced the lifter, I have it now so that the round feeds up by the lifter like it is supposed to but it seems to be getting hung up just a bit going into the chamber, and it doesn't matter the bullet I am using. I have one cartridge guide that is pretty worn, and it's something that happens in both the 1886 and 1892 because they are so closely related and the best part is, they are replaceable if you can find them, and like the 1892, they are more or less caliber specific. I juyst ordered one on Ebay, they're out there.
Another you can do is check out the screw that's holding the loading gate. That's supposed to be at tension and it can be bent a little over time from loading rounds.