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For a properly tuned AR, what is the correct ejection location? Like M1 is it about a 2 oclock location? or a 4ish?
That said, does anyone use a case deflector? If so, what type? At one range, they are fairly poor at keeping the grass mowed making brass dissficult to find. At another, the banks are rather high, resulting in brass toumbling down the hill into weeds.
Thanks, Tom
I really depends on the ammo. Wolf will not eject to the same place as M193 LC, and Black Hills 77s will eject different also. ABout 3 to 4 o'clock is average, range varies with spring. Many aftermarket M4 stocks have recoil springs too heavy, and poor ejection. SPread a clean sheet on the ground to your right, and you should get all the brass. adjust it after a few rounds to center the ejection pile.
My stock Bushmaster sent everything out at 4 o'clock. I sued a GI Brass deflector for a couple years which worked fine. They, I experimented with cutting half a coil off the ejector spring. Everything started going out at 2 o'clock & landing in a neat pile about 2' from me (when prone or sitting, a bit farther if standing).
Last December, I bought a S&W M&P 15. Right out of the box, all the brass piles up at 2 o'clock. They must have tuned the ejector spring at the factory.
I find the ones with the shell deflector go to 2 and the older SP1s seem to go to 4. Usually that's with full factory loads. You could tune your reloads a bit.
It will also depend on the configuration of the weapon. Using the same bolt, the ejection pattern may change from a carbine length gas system, to a mid-length, to a rifle length. Mind you, it won't always. Plus, as rifles have a less abrupt operating cycle, they traditionally have less extractor spring tension. Probably most newer rifles will come w/ the "heavy duty" spring and helper (in a few different forms), as the folk building the bolt assembly don't likely know for sure in what weapon type it will be used.
Don't cut whatever extractor spring you have, rather better to gather an assortment and try different combinations.
Ejector springs- Just have a couple extra in case the cutting experiment goes wrong!
Changing extractors, recoil (buffer) springs, and adjustable gas systems(+ pigtails) may affect the pattern as well... So, if you want to to experiment there are multiple avenues to explore.