pre 64 Winchester loading problems..

[biogenic]

Got a pre 64 Winchester and I am having a really hard time loading shells. the first one slides just fine through the gate but the second is harder and the 3 one is almost impossible to load.The loading gate seems to get "stuck" on to the loaded shell when I depress on her to load the next round.. Anyone had similar problems ? Also, when I close the action which chambering a round I get a lot of resistance when closing toward the top. Toward the end of closing I hear a "snap". My Marlin 30/30 is smooth like butter when compared to the 94...

 

[Gordon]

Model 94? Sounds like it is time to dissassemble and clean the mag tube and components.

 

[biogenic]

oops yes Gordon.... mod 94... I'll give the darn thing a good scrubbing tonight...

 

[jmr40]

You may have a worn shell stop that is not holding the cartridges all the way in the magazine and allowing them to slide back under the loading gate. My 1958 model does that. I could get it fixed, but have learned to leave the rim of one cartridge still on the loading gate before pushing the next round in. With only 1 or 2 shells in the mag tube I can still press down on the loading gate, but after that it won't go f I ever let the loading gate close.

By never letting the loading gate close all the way I can load to full capacity. The last shell will slide slightly under the loading gate and will not allow me to load any more until the magazine is completely unloaded. The gun functions and feeds perfectly otherwise. It is just a quirk I've learned to live with. This is a gun I take to the range and out for an occasional hunt. If it were one of my go-to guns I'd get it fixed.

 

[Malamute]

The shell stop doesnt have anything to do with loading, it only keeps the next round from coming back into the action when feeding a round up into the chamber.


A light polish on the edges and face of the rib on the back of the gate with a fine stone is all that it usually takes. I've done several.


What's happening, is the loading gate (spring cover in Winchesters terminology) has a rib on the back that cams the loaded cartridge forward enough to load the next one, and it has burr on it, and likely is a bit rough on its face. They got poorer as time went on. Some think anything "pre-64" is magically perfect. The truth is, things had been falling off in fit and finish for some time. The gun may not have ever been used enough to smooth it up. It should operate slick as can be. The older (pre-war) 94's I have load as easily as you can imagine, no effort required. It's a simple matter to deburr and polish the rib on the back of the loading gate and make it load very slickly. The hardest part is getting the gate back in properly and not cross threading or stripping the screw.