Browning .22 Cal Ejection Problems

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MilitaryRifleGuy

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I am the proud owner of a Browning, .22, lever action rifle (not dissimilar from the one pictured below).

This is truly a beautiful collector's item in fantastic condition, however, I am having some issues with the casing extraction.

I will openly admit that I am not well versed in this type of rifle, but I cannot figure out for the life of me why upon activating the action, spent casing are hesitant to eject (ie I cannot operate the lever smoothly-seems like casing are getting stuck in the "ejection port").

I have only ever used .22 SR with this particular firearm, so my first thought is that it would function better with LR. Could this be true?

Anyway, it is plenty accurate when rounds do go down range (not that that would be telling anyway) and the rifle is in near mint condition. It has only had a handful of rounds fired through it and the previous owner was a CF weapons tech (the current owner is in the infantry-therefore cleanliness/lubrication is not an issue).

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
A few possible things to try come to mind.

Use LR as you suggest.
Use a different brand of .22 ammunition.
Try lead vs copper jacketed ammo, see if there is a difference in feeding.

Do the ejected casings have any obvious marks or dents/crimps after ejecting?

Have you taken the rifle apart?

I would check the the extractor/ejector, although if the rifle is in good condition this isn't likely the cause. It's still good to check.

If you have dummy rounds:
Try loading a single round, and watch the action carefully--if it doesn't happen with a single round loaded you may have a feeding problem loading the "next" round instead of extracting the "old" casing.

Hopefully someone who owns a similar rifle may be able to offer better advice.
 
Awesome-thanks.

All good points. I have checked the casings for obvious markings and have found nothing, however, I like your suggestion re: the feed mech itself (the tubular magazine).

If I remember correctly, the ammunition I used was Winchester and I cannot imagine it would be an ammunition problem, however this is another good point...I'll look into it.

The rifle will be in pieces on my living room floor this weekend- I will let the CGN community know what I can or cannot find.

Thanks again. More suggestions welcome!
 
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If you have not taken a .22 Browning lever action apart before, I would advise you to think twice about it before you disassemble it.

First of All, I would take some brake or carburetor cleaner in a pressurized can, GO OUTDOORS, wear safety glasses, open the action of the rifle, and give it a couple of good blasts through the ejection port. Pay attention to the extractor and ejector. Then see if it still comes out black after a third blast.

Winchester ammunition is known to be a bit dirty, so try a couple more brands too.

The third thing is operation of the lever. You should operate it smoothly with a bit of force, not slowly drag the bolt back. The bolt has to come back fast enough to have the ejector kick the case out of the ejection port.

I would use long rifle cartridges for this rifle, rather than other types.
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Again- thanks a lot.

I think I should try using LR before proceeding any further. I have not taken this rifle apart and it' funny you should recommend using caution-I was thinking the same thing. These commercial rifles seem to be very "party" (instead of "wordy"...get it..?).

Also funny you should mention brake cleaner...I had some "Rem Oil" in an aerosol can and I sprayed the heck out of this rifle between "magazines"...no progress observed.

I will most definitely try .22LR ASAP (which may be a few weeks). Keep the suggestions coming!!

Thanks again CGN.
 
as mentioned, some guns don't like certain brands of ammo while other's love it! we did an all day test of many guns and lots of brands of 22 ammo. The one that came out on top as best shooter with all ammo was my middle son's Ruger s/s M77/22.
 
Check to make sure the ejector spring is in behind the ejector. The ejector will be on the left side of the bolt in a raceway and should almost be in the middle of the bolt face when the action is open and there is spring tension present. If the rifle was apart prior to you getting it, they are easy to botch putting back together.

two-dogs said:
The one that came out on top as best shooter with all ammo was my middle son's Ruger s/s M77/22.
Click to expand...
Mine isn't picky either...
 
Just be careful with the brake cleaner - it can destroy the finish on the wood instantly.
An alternative is to use lots of regular gun solvent, let it soak, work the action, and then blow out with compressed air. Or boiling water and compressed air. Or a pressure washer and compressed air.

Does the extractor move freely, and snap back into place?

Also, carefully clean the chamber.
 
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