Broken ejector housing stud

[coyotejoe]

Was shooting the 50th Anny .44 mag yesterday and noticed the ejector rod housing was loose. I tried to tighten the screw and found it just spun freely, it had sheared off at the top thread. I had to drill and use an easy-out to remove the remaining threaded stub from the barrel. It really seems like a tinkertoy method of attachment, clearly not up the standard of the rest of the gun and not up to the recoil of the .44 mag and I don't even fire full magnum loads, just a 240 swc at 1200 fps. I've ordered a replacement stud but I'd sure like to come up with a better method of attachment, any suggestions?

[flatgate]

Your choice of words is a bit confusing.   Two designs have been used at SR&Co. 
#1 is a simple drill and tap job with the ejector housing screw seating in a threaded hole
in the barrel.
#2 is a soldered on "ejector lug" that is internally threaded to accept a slightly different ejector
housing screw.

Stripped and sheared #1's are usually the result of a "loose" screw.

Sheared #2's are often due to "inperfect" soldering and/or a loose screw.

JMHO,

flatgate

[coyotejoe]

Mine is the former type, just a shallow hole drilled & tapped into the barrel. It clearly was not loose since I was beginning to worry about breaking the tiny easyout before the threaded stub broke loose and came out. That design seems to be OK with lesser recoiling calibers and with the lesser inertia of an aluminum housing but with a steel housing on the .44 mag it clearly is not up to the job. I'm thinking of converting mine to the second system you describe. I may first give it one more chance by installing the stud with a bit of JB Weld on the threads and shoulder of the stud and on the barrel & housing as well.

[flatgate]

One other point to consider is the fit of the housing within it's mount on the Cylinder Frame.  If the housing is not fully "seated" in the cylinder frame then, perhaps, there's enough "slop" to permit the housing to move a bit......

flatgate