As I mentioned in a previous post, my 1866 jammed a bit from fouling at the last match. Because of that I decided to have my carrier worked on to reduce both friction (contact area) and weight.
I mailed off my carrier to a local gunsmith I also purchased a lightened mainspring to go along with the already installed Whisper Springs from The Smith Shop.
Here’s what my carrier looked like before the modifications.
And now the newly machined and lightened carrier
As you can see a lot of material has been removed and the side friction surfaces have been relieved. I’m hoping this reduces the effect of the black powder fouling.
And lastly, here’s a picture of the lightened mainspring. The rifle sure cycles nicely now.
UPDATE 5/13/12
I participated in a match today and shot my ’66 with new carrier. It made absolutely no difference in how the rifle handled the black powder fouling from the straight walled 45’s but the lightened carrier and mainspring made a big difference in the ease in which the rifle levered the rounds. The ’66 felt smoother and very light. I am quite happy with its function now. This was a good improvement.
-Willy
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