The multi-function design is what attracted me, but unfortunately there's more to the story since I last posted.
Thinking that I simply needed a new hammer coil spring installed, I was interested in purchasing this gun. The owner, it turns out, was less interested in the hassle of getting it repaired than I was, and so agreed to sell it to me.
Thinking I'm about to write a check, I decided to swab the bore and check the rifling, and a good thing I did. About seven inches back of the muzzle there was a short break in the flow of rifling, and a closer exterior exam in slanting light showed a ring bulge that could just be felt with one's fingertips. A squib followed immediately by a good round apparently stuck the first bullet firmly enough in the bore that it took some mechanical removal/butchery and a small piece of the rifling went with it. So what this fellow now has is a great parts gun, unless one relines it at considerable expense. Could be this excess-pressure incident is what caused the hammer coil spring to spool up and prohibit the breechbolt from coming rearward the last 3/8" needed for proper loading function.
Too bad because I especially admired the Utica-made walnut stock for having most all of its original oil finish, an attractive, dark, straight-grained figure, and hardly any blemish....about a 95% stock. A wealth of other parts, too, most in great condition as the exterior bluing is even better at 98%. I suspect that the pressure incident caused the spring damage early in its life and the gun was simply put up.
The current owner bought it off a 'used' gun rack not long ago, not knowing it had problems until just getting around to seeing if I could figure out 'why' it wasn't functioning. He states he never tried firing the gun as he couldn't get the bolt to go rearward enough to even load the gun......which I believe is true....because one can't.
FWIW, he gave me permission to see if anyone here has need of a parts gun. If so, just PM me and I can get you his phone #.
Makes me sick about finding the subtle barrel damage as I was 'red hot' to have a Utica-made 6A that's in excellent shape otherwise. Oh well....
'Thanks again' Steve for your replies,
rob
