hard to close lever

[marlin93]

on one of my lever actions when i go to close the lever it requires extra force to close it all the way.( with a hard snap) is there a common cause for this? ----bill

[Jim D]

Bill,

What kind of lever action? If it's a 1893, it could be that the bolt is being forced against the barrel. Maybe a lever was replaced and is too long? Or it could be that the lever is too short and not getting the bolt closed enough before the locking bolt engages the bolt. In that case the locking bolt would be misaligned with the locking slot in the bolt as the lever trys to push it in.

-jim

[marlin93]

thanks jim---yes its a 1893. i just sent the gun to a shop to remove the barrel because i dont have the proper vise. when it gets back i'll check what you suggested. i thought about spraying on some dykem to see which parts are hitting and where.----bill

[marlinman93]

Is the hard part when the lever is almost closed? If so, it could just be a stuck lever cath, which will free up if you soak the lever in some diesel, or gun solvent.

[marlin93]

yes ;it is when almost closed however al the parts are very clean.

[Jim D]

Something's been replaced. Either the lever, the barrel or the bolt. Try taking the lever out and see if the locking lug will drop into the slot in the bolt when the bolt is all the way forward. If it does, then the lever could be too long. Another test would be to take the locking lug out and try it with just the lever and bolt in place. If there is no binding, then it has to be a problem with the locking lug, or the lever's too short. Kind of difficult to diagnose with having it in front of me...

-jim

[marlin93]

when i get gun back from having barrel taken off i'll check what you suggested. how can a lever be to long or short? (all the levers i have are identical) thanks-----bill








































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[Jim D]

Bill,

It can be too short from wear, or too long if it was replaced, and never fitted. When I say too long, I mean from the lever pivot screw, to the tip of the lever that pushes the bolt closed. If that's too long, it forces the bolt against the face of the barrel. Kind of locking a pair of vice grips on something.

-jim

[marlinman93]

Marlinlevers were all hand fitted, so the timing would be perfect. There differences can't be seen with the naked eye, or even by overlaying two levers. It's thousandths of an inch difference. Just a note here; on the .22 Marlin levers the headspacing is done on the lever, so it's very critical, and it can be adjusted easily by building up, or polishing down the tip of the lever. I keep a good supply of various Marlin levers, as often I can try a different lever and have everything work better without any work.-Vall

[Jim D]

1881's are headspaced on the lever as well. Since these are large caliber rifles, this is critical as well.

-jim