Extractor vs. Ejector question???

[luke6417]

I've read through the FAQ's a couple of times and I'm still not sure what I need to do.  I've got a .243  with the heavy barrel.  It has an ejector.  I've had it for about 6 years now.  When I first got it, a case would stick every once and a while.  Then it started more frequently.  Now every case sticks.  The chamber is clean.  Factory and handloads are sticking.  Now here comes my question.  Would converting it to an extractor help at all?  Would placing a BB ahead of the spring help at all?  How can I get this thing to work?

[teddy12b]

I used to have a H&R/NEF with the ejector and sometimes the ejector itself would need cleaning.  Have you considered taking the stock off and spraying the ejector itself with a carbon spray cleaner or something similar?  I'm guessing that there is some hard to reach gunk in there that's causing all your headaches. 

[petemi]

The only ejectors I own now are rimfires and shotguns.  I had the centerfire Handis converted to extractor.......end of problem.  The BB seems to work for most folks.  I'd say try that and perhaps a new spring.  Ya wanna be certain......convert em.  Besides the sticking, I just didn't like crawling around in weeds and snow looking for brass.

Pete

[luke6417]

I have cleaned the ejector and underlug as best as possbile without taking the ejector apart.  Could it be as simple as polishing up the ejector and housing?

[quickdtoo]

All the techniques of improving ejector function are listed in the FAQs, but none are as effective as a factory style extractor or a modified ejector using the factory extractor cam, those are also covered in the FAQs.

Insufficient resizing handloads can cause sticking brass but along with that comes inaccuracy, and it wouldn't apply to factory ammo. I'd polish the chamber per the FAQs and do the ejector tune up to see how it works. Usually brass is barely stuck, so it doesn't take much improvement of the ejector function to get it to work well, I've had stuck brass fly out while I was retrieving a rod from behind the firing line!! 

Tim

[luke6417]

Thanks guys for the repsonses, I'll see what I can do with it when I get home from work today.