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November 21, 2023
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It warmed up today so I grabbed an old box that my 9yo grandson had used as a target for his Bearcat. I put the box up in my woods and backed off to about 40 yards. I leaned up against a tree and fired two rounds of 33 WCF. What a pleasant shooting old gun. It grouped well enough too.
The only issue I had was the first round hanging on the loading gate. The loading gate would forces the rim of the cartridge to the right. This would keep the cartridge from feeding properly. I took the small blade on my pocket knife and pushed the round back to the left and it would feed. The rest of the rounds in the magazine fed great.
Tony
7th & 10th SF retired
June 4, 2017
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I notice from the picture what appears to be a loading gate twisted or not centered. Winchester made a change in the thickness of the rear part of the loading gate. On the later guns the rear section was thinner and the screw shorter.
It’s been a long time since I messed with 86s but I do remember having feed issues when the wrong style of loading gate was installed or the screw was to long and rubbed inside. Maybe not the case in yours but it looks weird in the picture. T/R
August 9, 2022
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Very nice.
November 21, 2023
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T/R, my loading gate is definitely bent and could be the cause of all my problems. I’ll have to flatten it out and see if it helps. It could be someone attached an earlier gate to my 1919 rifle.
Tony
7th & 10th SF retired
June 4, 2017
Online
The loading gate is four parts. The rear part is called the spring cover base with a leaf spring under it. The front part is called the spring cover leaf and they are hinged together with a pin. These parts changed as the 86 frame was lightened. So parts are often mismatched and can cause what you describe. The spring cover leaf has to set in the slot square and lodge just under the front of the frame slot to work properly. When installing the proper loading gate you have to put it in the slot and slide the spring cover leaf under the frame, then install screw. Sounds simple but I think someone tried to install the wrong parts and make it fit. T/R
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