Browning Gold will not lift shells

[Homochitto Hollow]

I have a Gold Hunter that won't chamber a shell. When I pull the bolt handle back with 2 shells in the magazine, the bolt locks. When I release the bolt, a shell is chambered. After firing the shot, the shell is ejected, the trigger resets, but no shell is chambered. If I manually cycle the action, the carrier does not push the next shell up to be chambered by the bolt. Can someone tell me what kind of problem I have? With no shells in the gun and hand cycling the action the carrier does not move up and down when working the bolt back and forth? If I pull action back and it locks, when I hit release button, it does move upward. Only when I lock it back does it move. Just cycling it does not move. I dropped the trigger guard and couldn't really see anything obvious. After taking some photographs to use in reassembly, I took the trigger assembly apart. I inspected each part and still don't see anything that's obviously worn or broken. I then reassembled the trigger group and checked the operation. Like before, as I move the carrier dog back and forth, the large carrier doesn't move at all. The small carrier only moves about an 1/8". http://s1060.photobucket.com/user/HomochittoHollow/slideshow/

 

[Dixie Gunsmithing]

It sounds like something could be wrong with the carrier, or where the shell supposed to hit the carrier latch that makes the bolt close on its own. I think it is the latter. Especially if, when cycling it by hand, the carrier wont raise, and this is generally due to the carrier's cam not being mashed down when the bolt travels past it. However, the bolt should not lock back, with a shell on the carrier, which is tied to the button that operates the carrier latch. If the carrier latch isn't operating, then the bolt will stay open, and not operate the carrier, even if a shell is on it.

The way these work, is that as soon as a new shell is pushed out of the magazine, and onto the carrier, the rear rim of the shell should mash in the carrier latch, which allows the bolt to go forward, and past it, then mash the cam down on the carrier, thus lifting and chambering the shell. From this, I think you'll find the carrier latch bad, or something fouling it.

Carrier Latch:

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/1308350.htm