Pricey Ejectors

[Victor Wasylyna]

The California Duck Gun that just sold to a lucky member here originally sold for $75: $50 for the gun (“VH”) plus $25 for ejectors (“E”). That means the ejectors accounted for 1/3 of the total sale price. Seems awfully expensive for a bell/whistle.

-Victor

[Dean Romig]

Ejectors were "all the rage" back then. One would pay the price not because he needed them but because he wanted them.





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[Brian Dudley]

And the cost of all the extra individual parts along with the work to each individual gun to get everything installed and working right. There was a whole department in the factory dedicated to ejector fit.

[Brett Hoop]

Far as I know currently no one is taking non ejector guns and performing the alterations to install ejectors at any price. Please correct me if I'm wrong. To my pea brain that says its hard, requires special tooling and would be costly, if there was a demand. Also hammers home the level of those men, in that time, at Parker Bros..

[Bill Mullins]

In researching "The Parker Story" in the early 1990's and visiting with a few of the old Parker/ Remington employees we were told the two most common repairs that were needed on guns returned to the factory were:
1. Ejectors, and
2. Single Triggers

Both were somewhat complicated and required higher skill levels to install.

[Brian Dudley]

Far as I know currently no one is taking non ejector guns and performing the alterations to install ejectors at any price. Please correct me if I'm wrong. To my pea brain that says its hard, requires special tooling and would be costly, if there was a demand. Also hammers home the level of those men, in that time, at Parker Bros..

You are correct. Lefever Arms did a lot of Ejector conversions back in the day. But that was about it.

The amount of special tooling/jigs is not really the killer. That can be done by anyone with some machining equipment and the knowledge of what needs to be done. One operation to the frame and a few to the barrels.
It is more having all the Parts available and the knowledge to fit everything.

[Bill Murphy]

I am much more impressed that a VH sold for $50 retail than I am that ejectors cost $25. Ejectors on an A1 Special were also $25. In 1972, Larry Del Grego Senior quoted me $385 for an ejector conversion but didn't want to do it, even at that price. He quoted 12 to 18 months to complete the job. This price included an entire forend, wood and metal. I suspect that the supply of forends was getting a bit short. At the end of 18 months, I would guess that the price would have been higher. At Del Grego's, I would expect that you pay the invoice, not the estimate after 18 months. I didn't hear it from Larry, but I have heard a rumor that at least once, a graded receiver was ruined when drilling or milling for the ejector main spring plungers. This makes for an expensive job, although I find it hard to believe that the holes are that hard to cut.

[Dean Romig]

There is a jig for that job Bill that is probably foolproof.





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[Brian Dudley]

I would speculate that many ejector retrofits done by Delgrego were actually done by Lefever.

There is a factory jig for drilling out the frame. I have seen photos of it. And unless something went completely haywire, I cannot imagine a frame getting destroyed doing it.

[Scot Cardillo]

There is a factory jig for drilling out the frame. I have seen photos of it. And unless something went completely haywire, I cannot imagine a frame getting destroyed doing it.

Brian, hate to say it but, never underestimate the ineptitude or lack of care by shop personnel at times..hate to say something so negative but, it's just the truth. Especially in todays manufacturing environment.

[Brian Dudley]

True...

[Dean Romig]

Here it is...


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[Scot Cardillo]

love it - thanks Dean..that's cool.

[Brett Hoop]

Dean

Thanks for the jig photos! I hadn't seen them before.

[Bill Murphy]

What a great picture (pictures).

[Bill Zachow]

Dean, isn’t that DelGreco’s?

[Dave Noreen]

When the Remington Hammerless Double Barrel Shotgun was introduced in the Remington Arms Co. October, 1894 catalog, the list prices of the five grades A to E were $45.00, $60.00, $90.00, $150.00 and $225.00. The AE- to EE-Grades with ejectors were $67.50, $82.50, $112.50, $172.50 and $247.50. Or, $22.50 extra for ejectors. Prices were the same in the November 1895 catalog.

By the April, 1897, Remington Arms Co. catalog, which introduced the option of the Remington Steel and Ordnance Steel barrels, the price of ejectors dropped to $5 and stayed there through the last Remington Arms Co. catalog in 1909 showing the Remington Hammerless Gun. Those $5 ejectors are likely the reason we see such a higher percentage of Remingtons with ejectors.

Not being a fan of them, only one L.C. Smith catalog repro is in my library, and I've always been amused by the pricing of their entry-level No. 00. The basic gun was $25 and with ejectors it was $50. The optional Hunter One Trigger was $25 extra

[Dean Romig]

Dean, isn’t that DelGreco’s?

It very well could be Bill.... I don't remember where I got those pictures.





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