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On my 1873 44-40, SN 14150, the slide/dust cover no longer stays in place. The spring pressure is good on the piece that protrudes into the indent under the dust cover but that piece is worn flat instead of slightly round pointed, so it doesn’t hold the cover in place . All my good books are packed away for major remodel right now and I’m looking for a diagram that shows the part name and placement. Is this part familiar to anyone on board?
I’ve attached photos of the slide in place and taken off. The spring loaded piece I’m curious to find isn’t shown in these photos but pushes into the round indent at the bottom of the slide in photo #3
WACA Member #304
You need a new dust cover spring for a first model. Finding one is going to be difficult so as long as yours is just worn down, repairing it might be the thing to do.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
I trust you’re correct that repair is going to be the solution, Bob. Easy to understand why so many dust covers are MIA on today’s finds.
I’ve got the perfect precision welder to add some meat to it and the ideal precision gunsmith/machinest to form it properly, both local pros here at the end of the road in Alaska…As much as I’d like to “do it myself”, sometimes a man has got to know his limits…
RC
WACA Member #304
You didn’t show a picture of the spring with the cover off so I’m giving you my recommendation based on your description. One question about the fit of the cover, Is it real sloppy and loose in the mortise? or just loose enough that it slides on its own? If you do weld it I would try to sink the heat to keep it from annealing the spring itself.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
I haven’t yet removed the spring from the receiver, just the dust cover. The cover still fits and slides well, without the slop of some of my other 73s. I still haven’t found the diagram showing detail for the spring so I don’t yet know if the spring separates from any part that fits into the indent under the cover. If it does, no problem…if not, I will re-temper the spring. I’ve had success with re-tempering flat springs in the past, even fabricating a flat ejector spring for my old Marlin 39 from mild steel and tempering it.
I’ll post some photos of what I find and what I end up doing, in case it is helpful to others straying by this post….ThanX again for input!
RC
WACA Member #304
If you have a first model this is what the spring should look like.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
Perfect! (I deleted my previous “two part spring/ball” comment to avoid distracting a reader). ThanX for that photo, Bob. So far, after an hour or so of searching online images, yours is the only image I’ve seen.
I’ll be taking that spring out and looking into building up the post on it…might just have the machinist look at making a repro while he’s at it…looks like a piece that, although not critical to overall rifle function, is likely to be worn down on any old 73 with a lot of use. But first, a trip to my Dad’s big “what the heck are these?” old Win parts bin drawers…I really do love that part of the journey, when I know what I’m looking for!
WACA Member #304
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