Winchester woes

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vega

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Good day. I have a pre-64, post war '94 carbine recently acquired. Cosmetically and mechanically 90%.

But: I am getting very sticky extraction, which I have attempted to remedy by lightly polishing the chamber from the muzzle, using a cleaning rod and 600 grit paper, by hand only. This has not helped.

Headspace appears to be nicely tight. Case swelling at the web is very slightly greater than that from another '94.

I have been hoping to fix the damn thing without tearing down the action.

Any ideas that might help?

If I can't fix it, does anybody know of a Winchester lever specialist I might send it to?

Tnx.
 
Try a different brand of ammunition... they vary and I have had some cause that exact problem in 94's but not in Marlins... weird...

If you are hand loading you are doing something wrong...
 
tnx

Thanks guys.

Hey Dennis. Knew you a LONG time ago at Robinson's. Used to work with Stu.

I have owned at least a dozen '94's over the years, this is the first time I've encountered this problem. Very annoying. My hunting partner who thinks a '94 is a toy is gloating.:runaway:

I actually went from Federal's to Winchester Silvertips, made a tiny bit of difference, but not near enough. Next step is to go from 170 to 150's.

Is a remedy possible, do you think, if that doesn't work?

JR
 
I wonder if someone has mucked with the chamber and left it slightly belled. After firing the rifle and removing a case with difficulty, can you then chamber the same shell and extract it easily?

cheers mooncoon
 
mooncoon said:
I wonder if someone has mucked with the chamber and left it slightly belled. After firing the rifle and removing a case with difficulty, can you then chamber the same shell and extract it easily?

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...

sort of what i was thinking, sounds like the problem might be in the chamber.
 
Thankyou gentlemen.

Unfired rounds cycle perfectly.

Rechambering the fired case results in the same very acute stickiness as experienced at initial firing.

My feeling is that the problem does in fact lie in the chamber and originated at the factory as the carbine exhibits no sign of ever having been disassembled.

As I mentioned in the original post, the cases exhibit a very slight swelling just in front of the web, maybe a 'thou or less than another gun of similar vintage, and the headspace is tight, as indicated by less primer back-out than I have see in other '94's. Given the relatively low pressure of the .30 WCF, I would not normally expect this problem if I were asked to predict it from the appearance of the fired cases alone, so I'm rather at a loss.

Any further insights would be most appreciated.
 
Are there any noticeable scratches ahead of the web on a fired case, perhaps from an over eager scrubbing from the previous owner? It sure does sound like the chamber is a little wonky.
 
got it, sorta

Well after much fiddling, frustration and colorful language, I've figured out what the problem is, although I don't know what to do about it.

Overly tight headspace.

I can chamber a fired round, then pull it out with my fingernail. But close the bolt on it, it sticks. The little bit of primer protrusion jams the locking bolt against the back of the breach block. A fired round from another rifle, with a bit more primer back out, will not even allow the action to close.

Save removing the barrel and sticking in a reamer another 'thou or whatever, any ideas?
 
That sounds unlikely to me after all those years. Start checking the screws, particularly the large one that you can see when you open the lever. If the head of it hangs up a bit it can lead to difficult action opening.
 
vega said:
Well after much fiddling, frustration and colorful language, I've figured out what the problem is, although I don't know what to do about it.

Overly tight headspace.

I can chamber a fired round, then pull it out with my fingernail. But close the bolt on it, it sticks. The little bit of primer protrusion jams the locking bolt against the back of the breach block. A fired round from another rifle, with a bit more primer back out, will not even allow the action to close.

Save removing the barrel and sticking in a reamer another 'thou or whatever, any ideas?
Click to expand...

That doesn't necessarily mean the headspace is too tight. I think this would be a good time for you to take it to a gunsmith and let him look.
 
Last edited:
vega said:
Well after much fiddling, frustration and colorful language, I've figured out what the problem is, although I don't know what to do about it.

Overly tight headspace.

I can chamber a fired round, then pull it out with my fingernail. But close the bolt on it, it sticks. The little bit of primer protrusion jams the locking bolt against the back of the breach block. A fired round from another rifle, with a bit more primer back out, will not even allow the action to close.

Save removing the barrel and sticking in a reamer another 'thou or whatever, any ideas?
Click to expand...

Find a brand of ammo it likes... back when I was working with Stu at Robinson's Smith and Wesson made a batch of ammo for the 30-30 Winchester... it worked well in Marlins but pretty well jammed in every 94...
 
Guntech: I remember that ammo. It was supplied to us for our qualification shoots when we were only issued 30-30's. It gave us fits and everyone had the back of their fingers beat up from trying to cycle that brass in the rapid fire stage. Department probably got a "deal" on it possibly from the very place you worked.
 
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