Savage 167 20 ga ejection problem

[4v50 Gary]

I'm looking at an old Savage 167 20 ga pump action that has an ejection problem. Sometimes when you pump the handle back, it does not eject. The ejector is a fixed piece and does protrude beyond the bolt face when the bolt is all the way back.

Thoughts?

 

[RaceM]

Exploded drawings I have of the Savage Model 30 pump show the ejector as a 3 piece assembly (plate, spring, ejector rod). If yours is similar I'd suspect the spring of having taken a set or being weak. If yours is more along the lines of a Remington, being a single spring tempered piece, I'd say it's weak and is swinging out of the way of the shell rim instead of giving it a good bump.

 

[4v50 Gary]

The ejector is four pieces: ejector housing, ejector, ejector spring and pin to hold the two in the ejector housing.

I disassembled it today and after inspecting for burrs (none), cleaned and oiled it. While I would like a stronger spring, it was learned that it ejects spent shotshells well but hates unfired shotshells. It's too weak.

Also found that it has failure to fire. Cleaned the firing pin, firing pin spring, firing pin channel/tunnel. Earlier I had cleaned the trigger group too.

 

[RaceM]

Yup, spring tension would be the issue. You could maybe improve that by adding a small spacer between spring and housing until you can locate or make a better spring.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Good idea. A cut down nail should do the trick. Now finding one in this place is another story.

 

[joem1945]

Brownells sell a spring assortment kit. Not too much money.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I've have five failure to fire with it. There is no primer strike on the primer and I'm wondering if there is a headspace issue with this Savage?

 

[RaceM]

The Model 30 has a two-piece firing pin with a spring at the front. Could be crud in the tunnel, buggered up spring, or the rear of the firing pin/extension could be mushroomed and binding.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Firing pin hole is good. The pin and spring and tunnel have all been cleaned as has the trigger group. I think it's headspace myself and I don't have go/no-go gauge in 20 ga.

 

[RaceM]

Only thing I can think of regarding a headspace problem would be that the bolt isn't going fully into battery. With the trigger group out does there seem to be excessive slop between the slide plate and the bolt when in battery? If yes, that'd let the bolt drift back.

One version of the Model 30 had a spring between the slide plate and bolt (bolt support spring) that could cause a problem. Other versions had a one piece firing pin and a different slide plate with a firing pin retractor built into it. If your slide plate has a small tower with plunger I'd look there.