Thanks for all responses, I was able to fix the problem!
Here is what I believe caused the issue:
I did not take the gun apart when cleaning it, but I think I may have swabbed the loading gate with the lever open causing
the bind.
I cut a notch in a dowel rod near the end. I then went through the ejection port and used the notch to pull upward firmly and relieved the pressure on the loading gate. Once the rod was removed I was able to close the lever, then I could tell the
loading gate lever screw was loose! After tightening it up,
we got her sighted in, and now all is well.
Thanks again for everyones help!
