Henry BB .357 lever opening when load tube slid in.

[GFK]

I used a one step method (CLP [hoping to get some of the spring too]

I haven't used CLP in a long time but if I remember i leaves a thin residue. If that is the case I would follow up with Hoppe's to get the residue out. The tubes & springs need to be clean & DRY for proper operation. I believe most owners are NOT cleaning the tubes when they get their rifle and this is causing most of the problems I read. The deburring I described previously might NOT be necessary is all cases but it will not hurt and WILL improve the tube's travel down over the cartridge rims.

I guess I was thinking about my Marlin magazine. I took it apart, and cleaned the tube, spring and follower. To me, most moving metal pieces seem to last longer and work better with a little coat of oil. But, to each their own. Time will tell if it was not a good idea. I did check the rim of the inner tube though. It felt rather smooth. I hoping the inner tube will not require cleaning too often.

[Mistered]

To me, most moving metal pieces seem to last longer and work better with a little coat of oil.

Well in the case of a loading tube (not unlike a magazine for a SA pistol) the metal pieces are not moving fast enough or under enough stress where it really needs any lube - clean and and maybe a very light coat of light oil (like Rem Oil) is all that is necessary - and thats VERY light - like applied and then wiped with a dry cloth to only leave a protective coating. Any more will likely allow dirt to collect faster and cause feeding problems.

[Rangerhgm]

UPDATE!! - well I may have solved the problem - I took my RCBS deburring tool and pushed the follower forward until the cutter made contact with the end of the loading tube and gave it a few firm (but gentle) turns - much like deburring a case mouth for reloading - OH MY ! no more catching on the rim and kicking the lever open and a smooth travel for the tube on down! A little deburring is all it needed! You all can thank me by each of you who do this by Pay Pal'ing me $5.00 to my account (to cover my beer expense!) which I think is CHEAP for the potential hassle I have eliminated!

I've only had my BBS 44 mag carbine out to the range 1 time, but it happened with both Fiocchi JSP 240gr and Federal American Eagle JHP 240gr bullets. I loaded 5 rounds and pushed the feed tube down and the lever popped out 1-2 inches. I just pushed it back and the gun fired with no problems using either brand of ammo.

I didn't have a deburring tool so I just used fine grit sandpaper.

I put the sandpaper over the end of my index finger, pushed the follower up into the brass loading tube and spun the tube 3 or 4 times.

I did the deburr tip here in my basement and then loaded 5 rounds of each ammo, and waaalaa.....not more lever popping out.

Thanks for the fix.

[GFK]

I used a one step method (CLP [hoping to get some of the spring too]

I haven't used CLP in a long time but if I remember i leaves a thin residue. If that is the case I would follow up with Hoppe's to get the residue out. The tubes & springs need to be clean & DRY for proper operation. I believe most owners are NOT cleaning the tubes when they get their rifle and this is causing most of the problems I read. The deburring I described previously might NOT be necessary is all cases but it will not hurt and WILL improve the tube's travel down over the cartridge rims.

I did check the rim of the inner tube though. It felt rather smooth. I hoping the inner tube will not require cleaning too often.

Well, I did have to finally smooth the rim of the tube using some fine sandpaper. One brand of ammo would not load more than 3 rounds before the lever would pop out.

[Mistered]

Thanks for the fix.

Glad to hear this worked for you guys. Maybe I saved you a month each on a factory return that was not needed.

[GFK]

Yes, this is probably true. Thanks!

[Mags]

I have the lever popping open an inch or so when inserting the load tube in my H009B. I noticed the leading end of the load tube is slightly flared out and I would assume that is intentional so that the load tube is supposedly helped to slip more reliably over the cartridge rims rather than getting hung up on one or more of the cartridge rims as the tube is inserted. Seems to me the deburring and sanding tricks above make the leading edge of the load tube thinner (closer to razor sharp) thus more likely to glance off cartridge rims during tube insertion. Unfortunately this deburring hasn't worked for me. The load tube still hung up on cartridge rims and with slight further force caused the lever to pop open an inch or so. I've had a little bit of improvement by cleaning the load tube and lubricating with Rem Dry Lube. A little less annoying but still annoying.

[JEBar]

have you considered calling Henry customer service ..?.. my hunch is they will ask you send it back and they will fix it for you

[Mistered]

Seems to me the deburring and sanding tricks above make the leading edge of the load tube thinner

Actually these are not 'tricks' but simple, basic techniques that are suggested to maybe help you avoid having to go through the process of sending the rifle back to Henry. The suggestion of deburring the forward end of the load tube was to do nothing more than to remove the sharp edge of the end of the tube and NOT to sharpen it to a knife edge profile. The tube is brass and is very soft and takes only a small amount of deburrring to do what I originally suggested.

[Mags]

Hmmm, seems counter intuitive. Like the deburring described would make the end of the edge of the tube more blunt and thus more likely to get hung up resting on the rim of a cartridge, rather than glancing off as the tube slides over. I'll have to give that a try tomorrow. In a different life, the words 'tricks' and 'techniques' often were used interchangeably. Where I'm at now words often have a very distinct meaning, not so much as synonyms. I appreciate the knowledge base accumulated on these forums aimed to help us avoid sending a firearm to Henry for service. For that I thank you and others.

[Mistered]

Actually the term deburring is not really correct as I beveled the tube opening. I only used 'deburring' it since many are familiar with this process during case prep for reloading.
Make sure you understand what I have described as it does not make the end more 'blunt' as you mentioned but the beveling provides a slight 'ramp' which allows the end of the tube to ride over the rims of the cases while being inserted. Mine is getting better with use as the bevel is becoming much smoother.

[Mags]

I have not yet done the blunting as from your clarification it isn't something I would want to do now. The H009B tube came from the factory with a slight bevel already inside the tube opening. The tube opening is also slightly flared wider as part of the bevel. When I increased the bevel ramp it also sharpened the leading edge of the tube (ie "...making the leading edge of the load tube thinner (closer to razor sharp"). Am I messing up the technique some how?

[Mistered]

The H009B tube came from the factory with a slight bevel already inside the tube opening. The tube opening is also slightly flared wider as part of the bevel.

If this is in fact the case, i.e. The opening is already beveled and slightly flared then it should be clearing the case rims then. At this point I would clean the inside of the tube as I previously posted about as it being dirty (from the factory) also contributed to my loading problems. Avoid any lube on the inside and spring other than something very thin as protectant and not necessarily lubrication. Load tubes, like SA mags in pistols need to be essentially 'dry' to operate properly.

[Mags]

Is Remington Dry Lube ok? It leaves a dry silicone residue once the spray evaporates.

[Mistered]

Is Remington Dry Lube ok? It leaves a dry silicone residue once the spray evaporates.

Probably dang near perfect! I use Rem-Oil in the spray can and let it dry and wipe of any excess to nearly non existent.
I did NOT disassemble my load tube for cleaning but just carefully used a .45 caliber bore mop to clean and depressed the follower & spring until they stopped compressing and back out a gain a couple times - then ran a dry patch to remove the Hoppes # 9 and then the Rem oil on a patch.
I will be disassembling it when I machine and install a 'better' idea I have for a follower for the load tube - but thats a different subject.

[Mags]

I've used the bore mop on mine as well. Still sounds/feeling like there might be some fine brass grit in behind the follower. Thinking I might need to fully disassemble and clean well. Punch out the locking pin and remove the twist knob, spring and follower.

[Mistered]

Thinking I might need to fully disassemble and clean well.

I agree completely! Cleaning a gun has sometimes eliminated more problems than there ever were to begin with! No doubt you might have some grit or metal residue inside you cannot get to without disassembly.

[Mags]

when I machine and install a 'better' idea I have for a follower for the load tube - but thats a different subject.

Ok I'll bite. Please do share.

[Mistered]

I posted on this previously but basically I am going to turn a follower that has a shorter extended length but will be a bit longer inside the tube and will fit more 'snugly' without canting over. I suspect part of the loading problem we are experiencing might also be due to the follower but it's just a theory I have.

[JEBar]

given the belief that the vast majority work, it might pay to closely examine one that doesn't directly adjacent to one that doesn't .... there has to be a difference