I just came across something new to me...maybe this has already been discussed and I can't find it.
I have both my 45-120 BC and USH 12GaFH apart for various changes.
While I was checking the USH I noticed there was a mark on the barrel latch shelf indicating only about half engagement.
I checked my BC and saw the latch lever would seat against the barrel and produced ALL THE AMOUNT of engagement the shelf would allow, APPROX 0.170" or roughly 3/4 the width of the latch lever.
After I looked, fiddled, scratched, wondered, scratched again I saw that the angled part of the ejector that matched the lug was protruding even though the ejector itself was seated completely. I scribed the protrusion, pulled the ejector and measured the amout at about 0.040".
There was NO protrusion on the ejector in the BC or on another SB1 frame. On my 17 FB SB1 frame which has no ejector(I manually extract), the fitup for the latch lever is also flat against the barrel.
I swapped ejectors and the protrusion remained the same on the ejector in question indicating the problem was in the EJECTOR not in the the barrel lugs.
I milled off the protrusion, refitted and now the latch lever engagement is 100% or flat against the barrel.
I don't know yet what or if there will be any improvement in the USH's penchant to pop open with heavy loads(it has come open several times using the 50BMG cases, 1100 plus gr slugs with loads equal in ejecta weight to 2 1/2 oz and powder charge to 12ga 3.5" heavy magnum duck/goose loads out of the Lyman shotgun reloading manual) but as soon as I find out I will post it.
I'm wondering if anyone else has come across this same problem or could check it by taking off a barrel and seating the ejector and seeing if there are any protrusions in that same area.
This might be something else to check for when your rifle is popping open or you are doing a new barrel fit or other improvements.
Thanks
Luck
