Problems with a Sears L/A

[Tristan]

A question for the assembled lever-geniuses.

A Sears 30-30 of my aquaintance (Winchester 94 action), which appears externally as new, is having some troubles in feeding.

Symptoms are as follows:

1. Periodically, the cartridge will not come all the way out of the magazine tube.
2. When the cartridge does release onto the lifter, the lifter will either not lift enough (sticky on the lift) or when worked very vigorously, will lift too much, and the rim of the cartridge will not engage the bolt face, but will stand above and jam in the chamber.
3. Some cartridges tested through the action, get slightly bent at the bullet/neck juncture. It is visible as a minute cant to the neck, and a bulge in the neck where the bullet has been shifted out of alignment with the axis of the cartridge.

So, anyone see symptoms like this before, and any hints on what to do to get this nice-looking rifle punching paper without single-loading?

Thanks,

Tristan

[J Miller]

Since these guns are 20+ years old, the first thing I would do is take it completely apart, clean and inspect everything for rust and debris, especially in the magazine tube. Then lube it and reassemble. Then function check. It sounds to me like the innards are all gummed up with coagulated oil or maybe even factory packing grease.

Joe

[Hobie]

Since these guns are 20+ years old, the first thing I would do is take it completely apart, clean and inspect everything for rust and debris, especially in the magazine tube. Then lube it and reassemble. Then function check. It sounds to me like the innards are all gummed up with coagulated oil or maybe even factory packing grease.

Joe

My thoughts exactly.

[claybob86]

Since these guns are 20+ years old, the first thing I would do is take it completely apart, clean and inspect everything for rust and debris, especially in the magazine tube. Then lube it and reassemble. Then function check. It sounds to me like the innards are all gummed up with coagulated oil or maybe even factory packing grease.

Joe

Since these guns are 20+ years old, the first thing I would do is take it completely apart, clean and inspect everything for rust and debris, especially in the magazine tube. Then lube it and reassemble. Then function check. It sounds to me like the innards are all gummed up with coagulated oil or maybe even factory packing grease.

Joe

My thoughts exactly.

"Great minds run in the same channel"

[2ndovc]

+ 1 for the above.

My Grandfather in his later years would go to his gun cabinet once a week and spray all his
rifles down with WD-40.

After ten plus years of this and none of them being fired every one of them
except for his Win. Model 12 had problems functioning properly. They were
so gummed up from the dried WD that we had to dissemble everything and clean them.
The worst was his Model 63. Took quite a while to get all that stuff out!
They were well perserved though


jb

[Modoc ED]

A lot of people think WD40 is a lubricant. It isn't. It mostly displaces moisture. To illustrate this, go buy a new key lock and spray WD40 in it once a week. At first the lock will work slicker than greased lightning but as the weeks go by it will start to work in a more sluggish manner until finally it won't work at all or just barely.

[Tristan]

OK, thanks for the advise!

I should have tried a takedown and cleaning first, but the thing looks so dang clean and newish it just didn't cross my mind.

Thanks.

- Tristan