Enfield No2 Mk1** ejector sticking

[scoobsean]

When I break open my No2 Mk1** the ejector 'star' sticks up as it should, but then will not retract when the action is fully opened. However, if a pull the trigger when the action is fully open the ejector retracts every time. Is this something that is common and can it be easily fixed?

Information

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[Peter Laidler]

Something is sticking slightly scooby....... And when you fire the hammer it just shakes the guilty part (the extractor lever) which releases the extractor/ejector. First a word of warning. The extractor lever is the narrow cam shaped thinggy that is sat between the hinge of the barrel and frame. Why it's not called a CAM is a mystery but by confusing it with the LEVER CAM, just complicates things. The first thing to try is to loosen the barrel/frame axis pin. Now open the pistol and see if it releases the extractor correctly now. If so, it indicates that the extractor lever is too tight in the pistol/barrel recess. Smooth until it is a perfect sliding fit. In any case, make sure that it is a perfect sliding fit.. If not then the guilty party is the step on the extractor lever cam which should be tripped to release the spring loaded extractor axis rod JUST before it reaches full height/throw.

This can indicate a worn body where the step of the extractor lever engages on the body but can usually be overcome by careful hand fitting. Make sure that after the careful hand fitting you clean out the spring loaded auxilliary lever and spring that form part of the extractor lever

[scoobsean]

Thanks Pete. It looks like the extractor lever cam. It clicks out when the body is closed but does not click back in when fully opened. I can press it in with a screwdriver and the extractor then retracts

[Peter Laidler]

That's it! From memory, the step needs to be stoned down a thou or so at a time until the swinging barrel just depresses it enough to clear. Then the spring loaded extractor rod will do the rest. Just learning that mechanism and the spring weights that acted upon other this, that and the others was a test of anyone's patience!

We all, all 8 of us in the class had to strip our bench pistol to its individual parts and put everything except the body into a sheet where it was shaken up. Then take one of each part and during the course of the next couple of days, assemble a fully working pistol. The gentlemanly Mr Stone was the class teacher. Inevitably some of the class simply couldn't make up a serviceable pistol of course due to the age and previous wear on the parts so you had to explain the problem, the defective part and the consequences to Mr Stone and only then would he provide a new part - which you'd have to accurately fit to your pistol. Accurate hand fitting at its best.........., no wonder I hated them! But it didn't half teach you the in-depth technicalities of the mechanisms

[scoobsean]

Quick update. I stripped everything down and got the extractor lever out. I polished the faces up and rounded off the step on the lever a little. It works again now with a nice crisp break.