Ejector problems 🙈

[Steven Gray]

How bad is working on the ejectors? I know ill need quality screw driver set considering the brownell super set. Is there any special tools required? Are all the ejector parts in the forend? Please don't scould me im trying to learn.

Thanks, Steven.

[John Davis]

Some of the best Parker gunsmiths I know won’t work on the ejectors, if that tells you anything.

[Brian Dudley]

They can be quirky.

When trying to diagnose what is going on, it is best to remove the wood and you can see the operation of most of the parts and you can see what is going on.

[Kevin McCormack]

[QUOTE=Steven Gray;449577]How bad is working on the ejectors?

Like trying to diagnose a bad-running Jaguar.

[Steven Gray]

[QUOTE=Steven Gray;449577]How bad is working on the ejectors?

Like trying to diagnose a bad-running Jaguar.

Sounds like a good time 🤣

[Brian Dudley]

I take it your new VHE is not doing the “E” part very well?

[Steven Gray]

I take it your new VHE is not doing the “E” part very well?

Well yeah the right barrel ejects pretty well but the left is kinda weak it kicks the shell up but not out all the way but with snap caps it kicked the left but not the right at the gun store but when I got home and tried it again with snap caps it kicked both out. But with shells it kicks the right barrel out but the left only jumps up i assume the springs are weak. I called Darlington gun works on the way home and they are 4 to 6 weeks out as of today at 12pm.

[Andrew Sacco]

I took one ejector gun apart. Let's just say it will be my last. You have an extracto-ejaculator. Shoot it as an ejector/extractor unless you're OK taking it apart and not having it to use if something happens.

[Steven Gray]

I took one ejector gun apart. Let's just say it will be my last. You have an extracto-ejaculator. Shoot it as an ejector/extractor unless you're OK taking it apart and not having it to use if something happens.

I understand I was told by another gun smith that parker ejectors were a different animal but id prefer them to work as they should.

[John Allen]

Darlington fixed the ejectors on my 20 gauge DHE. They quoted me 4 to 6 weeks but I had it back in 2 weeks. The work was excellent and the price reasonable.

[Steven Gray]

Darlington fixed the ejectors on my 20 gauge DHE. They quoted me 4 to 6 weeks but I had it back in 2 weeks. The work was excellent and the price reasonable.

How long ago did they do work for you ive heard mixed things about them in recent times since the original owner passed and left the business to his son in law.

[keavin nelson]

A little oil can some times make a difference. Take the wood off and try that first. Also take a look at the chamber and make sure no rust/fouling is inside which can hang up shells.

[Steven Gray]

A little oil can some times make a difference. Take the wood off and try that first. Also take a look at the chamber and make sure no rust/fouling is inside which can hang up shells.

Ill try that bores are bright no pitting or rust but I definitely need to do a thorough cleaning any oil for the bores you suggest? Also what about the out side of barrels also the wood? And any type of oil or lube for the internals? Also thanks for your suggestions sir.

Thanks, Steven

[Keith Doty]

Steven, you might try removing the wood from the fore end then soaking the mechanism with Kroil. Let it sit overnight then blow it out and LIGHTLY lube it, blow again gently. Make sure no "drippy or runny" oil remains before reassembly. I have done this with one of mine that had very sluggish semi-functioning ejectors. I was cured! I have had very good success with Kroil over the years on "sticky" mechanisms. Keep it off the wood.
As far as disassembling the ejectors, it is only for the brave! Most gunsmiths run for the hills when you say "Parker ejector issues".

[Steven Gray]

Steven, you might try removing the wood from the fore end then soaking the mechanism with Kroil. Let it sit overnight then blow it out and LIGHTLY lube it, blow again gently. Make sure no "drippy or runny" oil remains before reassembly. I have done this with one of mine that had very sluggish semi-functioning ejectors. I was cured! I have had very good success with Kroil over the years on "sticky" mechanisms. Keep it off the wood.
As far as disassembling the ejectors, it is only for the brave! Most gunsmiths run for the hills when you say "Parker ejector issues".

What kind of lube do you suggest?

[Keith Doty]

Take your pick from sewing machine oil to any good name brand gun oil. LIGHTLY is the key word here. Excess oil just gathers dirt and becomes a powerful adhesive. It will also run out and damage/soak your wood. Lots of folks leave too much oil in gun mechanisms and cause themselves more misery. Oil soaked wood is no fun.

[Steven Gray]

Take your pick from sewing machine oil to any good name brand gun oil. LIGHTLY is the key word here. Excess oil just gathers dirt and becomes a powerful adhesive. It will also run out and damage/soak your wood. Lots of folks leave too much oil in gun mechanisms and cause themselves more misery. Oil soaked wood is no fun.

Oil soaked wood is definitely not a good thing

[Stan Hillis]

Well yeah the right barrel ejects pretty well but the left is kinda weak it kicks the shell up but not out all the way but with snap caps it kicked the left but not the right at the gun store but when I got home and tried it again with snap caps it kicked both out. But with shells it kicks the right barrel out but the left only jumps up i assume the springs are weak. I called Darlington gun works on the way home and they are 4 to 6 weeks out as of today at 12pm.

If that is Jim Kelly's old store you are referring to, and if his nephew(?) is still there, it may be worth the wait.

[Steven Gray]

If that is Jim Kelly's old store you are referring to, and if his nephew(?) is still there, it may be worth the wait.

Im pretty sure its jim kellys old shop I dont know if the nephew is there but I heard the son in law took it over but when I said parker ejectors he didn't say no.

[Brian Dudley]

Gun scrubber is great stuff for blasting crud out of an assembled mechanism before oiling anything. It is a high pressure solvent in a can.

[Steven Gray]

Gun scrubber is great stuff for blasting crud out of an assembled mechanism before oiling anything. It is a high pressure solvent in a can.

Thank you for the suggestion I'm pretty sure my local gun store carries this

[Andrew Sacco]

I use Napiers of London a lot. Those Purdey people use it and you can douse the parts in it, it will then blow mostly off with a can of compressed air and it's THIN. Buy a large and small can and refill the smaller can with the bigger one. It never gums up. I won't use CLP because it's too damn thick. But when it comes to oil Steven don't overthink this, it's just oil, not magic fairy dust. Everything on the market works but some are a bit more specialized.

[Frank Srebro]

Just my take on your gun. Parker ejectors use a v-type flat spring not a coil spring and such springs typically don’t get “weak”.

I really doubt any amount of cleaning with this or that solvent or oil will resolve the problem.

Are you sure the left fired shell isn’t hitting the breech face (ejecting too early)? Try ejecting a shell by opening the gun VERY slowly. Even then the fired shell should clear the top of the breech

[Brian Dudley]

That is what I was thinking Frank. The situation could be a timing issue.

Also, you have to look at the hulls sometimes. I personally have had issues with RST hulls not ejecting well, especially when they have been reloaded.

[Steven Gray]

Just my take on your gun. Parker ejectors use a v-type flat spring not a coil spring and such springs typically don’t get “weak”.

I really doubt any amount of cleaning with this or that solvent or oil will resolve the problem.

Are you sure the left fired shell isn’t hitting the breech face (ejecting too early)? Try ejecting a shell by opening the gun VERY slowly. Even then the fired shell should clear the top of the breech

Ill try that im quite sure the barrels where fully opened because the right side flew out.

[Steven Gray]

That is what I was thinking Frank. The situation could be a timing issue.

Also, you have to look at the hulls sometimes. I personally have had issues with RST hulls not ejecting well, especially when they have been reloaded.

Could be a timing issue how are ejectors timed?

[Steven Gray]

That is what I was thinking Frank. The situation could be a timing issue.

Also, you have to look at the hulls sometimes. I personally have had issues with RST hulls not ejecting well, especially when they have been reloaded.

Also the shells were winchester super x 2 3/4

[Frank Srebro]

Ill try that im quite sure the barrels where fully opened because the right side flew out.

Each ejector is timed individually. If that left barrel ejector fires just a few degrees of arc early the rim of the shell could hit the very top of the breech and pop back toward the chamber. Meanwhile the right barrel with ejector in time ejects the shell properly.

Timing of the ejectors is not for those without very deep experience AND with available parts. You can try the solvent, again I doubt it will work, and if the problem persists it will take an expert to fix it. As posted here earlier many otherwise excellent 'smiths decline to work on Parker ejectors. Sorry I don't have any suggestions.

Here's what can happen to a Parker ejector "Floating sear". The center hole is worn oblong, the sear is cracked and there should be a small notch at the crack area that's now worn down but originally like the one opposite it.
.

[Steven Gray]

Each ejector is timed individually. If that left barrel ejector fires just a few degrees of arc early the rim of the shell could hit the very top of the breech and pop back toward the chamber.

Timing of the ejectors is not for those without very deep experience AND with available parts. You can try the solvent, again I doubt it will work, and if the problem persists it will take an expert to fix it. As posted here earlier many otherwise excellent 'smiths decline to work on Parker ejectors. Sorry I don't have any suggestions.

Here's what can happen to a Parker ejector "Floating sear". The center hole is worn oblong, the sear is cracked and there should be a small projection at the crack area that's like the one opposite it.
.

Ill try solvent first if the problem persists ill load it up and take it to Darlington gun works they are only about 2 and half hours from me. I talked to them on the phone they said they would do it but they were 4 to 6 weeks out. Thank you for your suggestion and the photo as well

[Andrew Sacco]

4 to 6 weeks out isn't a long time. I have a gun at Eyster since January, and he said he'd get to it right away, and I should get it before bird season...in 2027. I still can't tell if he was joking or not. From my point of view this is another reason to have ten to twelve good backup guns : )

[Steven Gray]

4 to 6 weeks out isn't a long time. I have a gun at Eyster since January, and he said he'd get to it right away, and I should get it before bird season...in 2027. I still can't tell if he was joking or not. From my point of view this is another reason to have ten to twelve good backup guns : )

Maybe if I won the lottery or something I could have 10 to 12 backup guns haha a 1 frame 20ga with 30" or 32" barrels would be nice i would guess that would be the parker equivalent of a fox he in 20ga but if we are talking lotto money 1 or 2 of them as well wouldn't hurt to much 🤣.

[John Davis]

Personally, I think ejectors were the worse idea ever. Single triggers are a close second.

[Andrew Sacco]

Personally, I think ejectors were the worse idea ever. Single triggers are a close second.

I have to agree with you John but single triggers to me are #1 ahead of ejectors. They have no place on a SxS. When I ordered my Perazzi I asked for double triggers since it's the ultimate barrel selector, but the cost was something like an additional 5 grand so I passed.

I have had trouble with exactly ONE Parker and it was a VHE that failed to eject the left barrel and $$$ later and six month wait I got it fixed. Dan at Giacomo's said he was up for a challenge when he took it, then said that will be the last one he does and, "Now I remember why I stopped working on those damn things." I believe he had to make a part? Might be what Frank was talking about.

[Brian Dudley]

No, single triggers are the dumbest.

[Frank Srebro]

I just converted a high condition 12/32/VHE to double triggers. Although its Parker single trigger didn’t balk or double fire, and worked OK to shift R-L and L-R, all 4 pulls had varying creep and were inconsistent. OK for hunting I guess but for sporting I’m more of a trigger toucher than a pull through guy. Now it's got crisp 4.4 and 5.3 pound pulls and I couldn't be happier.

[Daryl Corona]

Personally, I think ejectors were the worse idea ever. Single triggers are a close second.

Amen brother John.:bowdown:

[Kevin McCormack]

I had a cherry little Fox 20 gauge AE Grade with an original Kautzky ST that a well-meaning "gun tinkerer" attempted to "adjust for better pulls." Result was a total dumpster fire: loaded and ready to fire, the gun would go off when you took the safety off, and if you switched it to the alternate barrel, it would go off when you closed the gun! I had Dan Rossiter install double triggers, which he luckily had some original stock left. They looked great and the gun worked flawlessly afterwards.

[Steven Gray]

I had a cherry little Fox 20 gauge AE Grade with an original Kautzky ST that a well-meaning "gun tinkerer" attempted to "adjust for better pulls." Result was a total dumpster fire: loaded and ready to fire, the gun would go off when you took the safety off, and if you switched it to the alternate barrel, it would go off when you closed the gun! I had Dan Rossiter install double triggers, which he luckily had some original stock left. They looked great and the gun worked flawlessly afterwards.

A fox ae 20ga is a really nice sub gun

[James L. Martin]

It's a tough call but I think a single trigger is worst than ejectors. I have turned down many old side by sides because they had single triggers. I sure don't want to pay extra foe either ejectors or a single trigger.

[David Livesay]

It's a tough call but I think a single trigger is worst than ejectors. I have turned down many old side by sides because they had single triggers. I sure don't want to pay extra foe either ejectors or a single trigger.

Then why does everyone ask more for ejector guns?

[edgarspencer]

I had a cherry little Fox 20 gauge AE Grade with an original Kautzky ST.

Just this morning, catching up on a little reading, I ran across an ad for a nice DHE 12ga, but ruled it out when I saw it had a Kautzky trigger. Well, that, and it was a 97 year old ad. I heard it's still for sale.

[Steven Gray]

Just this morning, catching up on a little reading, I ran across an ad for a nice DHE 12ga, but ruled it out when I saw it had a Kautzky trigger. Well, that, and it was a 97 year old ad. I heard it's still for sale.

Single triggers must really suck no matter the maker haha. My sterlingworth 12ga ejector and my 20ga vhe were only one year old when this was released

[John Allen]

I sent the DHE to Darlington in late March of this year and got it back mid April. As to the question about why ejector guns sell for more, I think that many buyers are convinced that they add value for reselling. Ejectors were an add on extra cost option when Parker was in business.

[Channing Will]

The Parker ejector design is a bit over engineered and without the right tools and knowledge they’re best left for professionals. Even then they can be very frustrating, especially if the roll joint and sear legs are not correct.

Hammers and combination sears get worn and break occasionally, but debris and corrosion is often the culprit for malfunctions. It can be difficult to get all the junk out that accumulates between the hammers and sears without totally disassembling them. Gun scrubber or break parts cleaner is good, ultrasonic cleaning is also good, but sometimes you have to break them down to get all the crud out.
https://i.postimg.cc/k5VT2X8y/IMG-6639.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YS4dvqgz/IMG-6638.jpg
Once you have them apart you should check the combo sear and notch in the hammer for any chips, rounded edges, burrs, etc. The upper notch holds the hammers from falling when you remove the iron from the unfired gun. The lower notch holds the hammer for ejecting fired hulls, the legs of the combo sears make contact on the roll joint in the frame and this is what trips the hammers when you open the fired gun. The surfaces are quite small and under magnification you can see the relationship much better.

https://i.postimg.cc/CKZcRLDC/IMG-6637.jpg
Lightly lubricate them both and then be sure the sear slides are also clean and free to move. The sear slide springs have a tendency to take a set and get weak, sometimes they need to be replaced. The sear slide screw also will break off and if this happens it cannot push the combo sear down into position to hold the ejector hammers properly. The little copper sear spring also needs some adjusting from time to time. These don’t seem to be heat treated springs, just bent copper with a bit of tension memory in the metal. The legs will flatten out and quit pushing the combo sear properly.

Ejector parts are getting harder to find and we just finished making a sample batch of new ejector hammer springs for testing. We grind them in left and right pairs and after some additional testing we will offer them for sale. We CAD modeled them using average dimensions from a handful of original factory springs we had. They’re heat treated 1095 spring steel and so far they’re working exactly like we expected.
https://i.postimg.cc/HxNcVdwc/IMG-6397.jpg

[Steven Gray]

The Parker ejector design is a bit over engineered and without the right tools and knowledge they’re best left for professionals. Even then they can be very frustrating, especially if the roll joint and sear legs are not correct.

Hammers and combination sears get worn and break occasionally, but debris and corrosion is often the culprit for malfunctions. It can be difficult to get all the junk out that accumulates between the hammers and sears without totally disassembling them. Gun scrubber or break parts cleaner is good, ultrasonic cleaning is also good, but sometimes you have to break them down to get all the crud out.
https://i.postimg.cc/k5VT2X8y/IMG-6639.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/YS4dvqgz/IMG-6638.jpg
Once you have them apart you should check the combo sear and notch in the hammer for any chips, rounded edges, burrs, etc. The upper notch holds the hammers from falling when you remove the iron from the unfired gun. The lower notch holds the hammer for ejecting fired hulls, the legs of the combo sears make contact on the roll joint in the frame and this is what trips the hammers when you open the fired gun. The surfaces are quite small and under magnification you can see the relationship much better.

https://i.postimg.cc/CKZcRLDC/IMG-6637.jpg
Lightly lubricate them both and then be sure the sear slides are also clean and free to move. The sear slide springs have a tendency to take a set and get weak, sometimes they need to be replaced. The sear slide screw also will break off and if this happens it cannot push the combo sear down into position to hold the ejector hammers properly. The little copper sear spring also needs some adjusting from time to time. These don’t seem to be heat treated springs, just bent copper with a bit of tension memory in the metal. The legs will flatten out and quit pushing the combo sear properly.

Ejector parts are getting harder to find and we just finished making a sample batch of new ejector hammer springs for testing. We grind them in left and right pairs and after some additional testing we will offer them for sale. We CAD modeled them using average dimensions from a handful of original factory springs we had. They’re heat treated 1095 spring steel and so far they’re working exactly like we expected.
https://i.postimg.cc/HxNcVdwc/IMG-6397.jpg

How long b4 you estimate them being available for sale?

[Kevin McCormack]

Channing, thank you SO MUCH for this detailed post and especially the photos detailing the "Black Art" of trouble shooting and repairing Parker ejectors. Definitely a benefit in diagnosing related problems and suggesting solutions. Your first "crop" of springs is impressive! As time goes on and the world inventory of original replacement parts for these old doubles dwindles and disappears, I believe simply remaking them using modern metals and preparations (heat treating, etc.) will be the way to go if we want to keep on shooting them.

[Steven Gray]

Gun scrubber is great stuff for blasting crud out of an assembled mechanism before oiling anything. It is a high pressure solvent in a can.
I ordered a three pack of gun scrubber, bore scrubber, and barricade. Along with a Brownells 58 piece super kit screwdriver set. I disassembled the forearm and removed the ejector assembly and soaked it in gunscrubber let it air dry and whipped down the excess put a couple drops of gun oil. Did the same to barrel ejector slides. Ejectors seem to preforming as they should now. Thank you for the suggestion.