Model 94 AE carrier stuck up, blocking the loading gate: missing carrier spring and how it goes back in|Restoration, Repair and Maintenance|Forum|Winchester Collector

Posting this partly to document something I could not find anywhere, and partly to ask for help with the last piece.

The gun: Winchester Model 94 AE in .45 Colt. As far as I can tell it has never been fired.

The symptom: the carrier sits up and blocks the loading gate. You cannot get a round in the side at all. Push the carrier down by hand and a round goes right in.

The history: the previous owner never figured out why it would not load. It went to two gunsmiths and came back both times with no fix. I finally tore it down myself.

The cause: the carrier spring was missing. Not broken, not worn, just not in the gun. Either it was never installed or it was lost in an earlier teardown and nobody caught it.

The part: Winchester factory original, number U346420060, listed for standard calibers. The only chambering that gets a different spring is .357 Mag, part U346421180. Under ten dollars from Midwest Gun Works.

Why it is hard to find: the factory disassembly procedure stops before the carrier spring and says further disassembly is not recommended.