BB Ejector Tuning

[azdover]

I've got a new H012X and every now and then, the cartridge rim will hang up on the bottom of the ejector when loading (the circled area in the picture). Any tuning tips on a possible fix? I was wondering if anybody has beveled the bottom of the ejector to help make it a little easier for the rounds to slide into place.

Pete

[leverjc]

I haven't had a problem but why not, if it works it's good. I'll keep that in mind if I start having problems.

[JEBar]

no knowing what its supposed to look like, it appears to be broken to me .... I'd be interested to hear what Henry has to say about it

[GFK]

Welcome. Have you tried removing the bolt and looking at the ejector yet? If it is damaged or not smooth, Henry may send you another one.

[azdover]

Looks normal when removed. No problems with ejection.

[BigAl52]

I can take one out of mine Pete and take a pic of it if that helps

[GFK]

If it looks normal, the next thing that comes to mind is cycling the lever with purpose. I remember when I got my first lever action rifle (2016). It would hang some. But, I was cycling it kind of easy. I wasn't using much force. I was babying it. Then, someone told to cycle it like I meant it. 300 and some odd rounds later, it been cycling fine.

[azdover]

If it looks normal, the next thing that comes to mind is cycling the lever with purpose. I remember when I got my first lever action rifle (2016). It would hang some. But, I was cycling it kind of easy. I wasn't using much force. I was babying it. Then, someone told to cycle it like I meant it. 300 and some odd rounds later, it been cycling fine.

I do that. Still get the occasional hang up.

[GFK]

Huh. Have you tried other rounds? My 1894C doesn't eject MagTech ammo well. The round gets stuck in the breech.

[azdover]

Huh. Have you tried other rounds? My 1894C doesn't eject MagTech ammo well. The round gets stuck in the breech.

Winchester, Federal, Starline and PMC, both factory and reloads, 44 Magnum and 44 Special. Plus snap caps.

I realize some weapons are ammo sensitive, just hope mine isn’t one of them.

[GFK]

Yes, I can understand. As JEBar mentioned, maybe Henry can provide some insight.

[azdover]

Well I couldn't stand it any more, so I whipped out the old angle grinder and sawzall. Figuring I had nothing to lose and with a lot of free time on my hands lately, I beveled and polished the sharp edges on the ejector, similar to the way some folks tune the 1911 extractor in case you're familiar them.

The red line shows where I lightly rounded and polished the front part of the ejector. The yellow circle is where I beveled and polished the part of the ejector that helps hold the case against the bolt face. That part of the ejector formed a 90 degree angle and was fairly sharp, and seemed to be where the case rims were hanging up. Although hard to see, I added a 45 degree angle to the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the that part and then lightly smoothed the corners with a rubber polishing bit. The green arrow shows where I also added a slight bevel to that portion the ejector on the bottom edge facing the bolt face. One other place I noticed that was very sharp is the bottom left corner of the bolt face, highlighted in blue. I also lightly hit that with an India stone and rubber polishing bit.

I took off a very minimal amount of metal - key word is minimal. I've tested the modded ejector with everything I can find from snap caps, 44 Special and 44 Magnum. After this little bit of work, rounds feed much smoother now regardless of whether I cycle the lever gently or with a lot of gusto. If I notice any resistance, I just add little more pressure to the lever and the round pops into place. Before, I had to double cycle the lever to get a sticky round to feed.

As usual, YMMV, etc, etc.
Pete

[JEBar]

tip of my cap for being willing to undertake such a project .... looking forward to your reports down the line

[azdover]

"I might add a slight bevel to the front part of the circled yellow area to see if that helps."

I originally had this sentence in my post above but removed it. On second thought, it might not be such a good idea to bevel this area. When the bolt comes back during the ejection cycle, It looks like this is the part of the ejector the catches the back side of the empty shell case and starts it rotating towards the extractor and ejection port. Pretty sure this part needs to be fairly sharp. If I beveled it, it might skip over the rim and result in a failure to eject.

I've seen an improvement with what little I've done so far, so might as well stop while I'm ahead. More a matter of being lucky than skillful anyway. When the supply line opens up again, I'll order another ejector and experiment with that one. As of now, between the ejector work and my aluminum foil lever mod, I've got a working rifle that I can shoot until the Arizona governor closes the desert for shooting due to the wild fire season.

[leverjc]

Azdover, kudos on your work and the great explanation with the pics. My BB was not ejecting the rounds sometimes and jamming a lot when the bolt was worked slow. I thought I had 2 problems but both were corrected when I bent the ejector to put a little more force on it as the round was collapsing the ejector to much and forcing the round to enter the chamber with an angle from the side.

[azdover]

leverjc,
Thanks for the suggestion. Just to make sure I understand, you were bending the ejector more to the right if looking the rifle from above? Might try that too.

[leverjc]

Yep that's it. When I worked it slow it wouldn't kick the shell out either now is no problem. I think what I did was power what you did was finesse.