221 Fireball ejection

[Rembo]

I recently put together a Fireball on a short 700 stainless action that was originally a 223..

I'm wondering if anyone has had these issues with a factory Fireball..

Extraction is fine, of course but the ejector plunger pushes the case off of the extractor before it clears the ejection port leaving it sitting in the lug recess area, requiring one to fish it out with a fingernail.....usually requiring more than one attempt...OK, sometimes 5 or 6 attempts....most annoying....so, I removed the ejector plunger and thought I could just pull the case off of the opened bolt.....but,...then the cases gets stuck in the extractor slot on the opposite side of the bolt and I had to remove the bolt from the receiver to get the case off....that was a most annoying range session.

The extractor is fine, you can push a case in the bolt face to the edge of the bolt recess opposite the extractor and it won't pull straight out, so it's not the extractor causing the problem.

Seems to me that the short case of the Fireball is obviously creating a more severe angle of the case as it clears the chamber and hits the right hand lug raceway allowing the left side of the base of the case to clear the bolt face recess and thereby allowing it to pop off the extractor...a longer 223 case would have a shallower angle in this position and would stay hooked by the extractor long enough to clear the ejection port...

I know what's causing it..just not sure how, or even if it can be fixed....I cut four coils off of the ejection plunger spring...we'll see if that helps...

are the factory Fireballs acting this way?

 

[Ardent]

My LVSF .221 M700 ran like a dream, never had the issue... Does indeed sound frustrating, and I look forward to hearing how bringing the ejector pressure down worked out. Now that you mention the issue, I am surprised I haven't heard of this occuring in more factory guns... Wonder what the secret is.

 

[44Bore]

Sometimes this can be improved by getting a spare ejector spring and taking a few coils off it to weaken the ejection. Also, working the bolt quickly sometimes helps.

44Bore

 

[Rembo]

Sometimes this can be improved by getting a spare ejector spring and taking a few coils off it to weaken the ejection. Also, working the bolt quickly sometimes helps.

44Bore

tried that....I have another plan...I'm going to extend the retaining notch on the ejector so it sits almost flush with the bolt face when uncompressed...I think this will help give the case a better push to clear the ejection port...providing the case stays on the bolt face until it clears the ejection port..which it did in my tests today....

 

[JJ-65]

Time to revisit this thread. I rebarreled a Rem model 7 that was originally a 204, with a 17 Fireball factory takeoff barrel and was having the same ejection issue. I pulled the plunger out and filed the rear of the pin slot, removed a tenth of an inch and reinstalled the plunger. The plunger now sits flush flush with the top of th bolt. Extraction and ejection are flawless now.

 

[brybenn]

I was going to build a 221 fireball but when talking to the guys at mdt they said id have feeding and ejection issues of i were to use their mags and chassis. I ended up not doing it. Good to know there is a solution if the idea comes up again with a spare action

 

[Yoteboy]

The ejector on Rem 700 factory fireballs (both 221 & 17) are different. They are in a slightly different spot to deal with the small fireball case.