Winchester Mod. 21 ejector problem
 

I sold off a Model 21 about 25 years ago and do not remember how it normally extracted and ejected shells. I recently acquired a Model 21 12ga with an ejector problem. I'll try to explain. When you open the barrels (whether there are shells in the chamber or not) the extractors lift to their full extent and you can feel the ejector hammer springs pushing against the extractors. If you fire one side, it will lift the unfired shell all the way up and eject the fired round when it hits the trip. In other words the extractor blades will both then be fully extended. This may all be normal operation, I can't remember.
My problem is the ejector hammers will always trip when the forend is removed if the gun's hammers are cocked when I remove the forend. It is fruitless trying to install the forend until the ejector hammers have been manually reset. I have to push the ejector hammers back and manually operate the sears in the forend to lock the hammers back. This is pretty tough to do! Now, if I fire both barrels but do not open the gun, the forend will come off in the normal fashion with the ejector hammers locked back. However, once removed it cannot be reattached until the hammers in the action have been manually recocked. That is a bit easier than cocking the ejector hammers, and once this is done the forend will snap right on. But as soon as you open the action its back to square one. Obviously the sears are not properly engaging the ejector hammers when the gun is closed. But why are they engaged if you fire both barrels, (but not opening the action) and then remove the forend?
Has anyone ever experienced this problem? Any suggestions?

In normal operation, the ejector hammers do not fire when you remove the forend. Your gun has a bit of a problem, one that I have never seen in more than 50 years of buying and shooting Model 21s.

Like him or not, Tony Galazan is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to 21s. I'm sure there are others, but in his early days, Tony apprenticed under Walter Eiserer, late of Safari Outfitters, and formerly the head smith at G&H.

I thought 21's were like the LC Smith and the ejector hammers return to the uncocked position when forend is removed.
Bob Jurewicz

Bill, apparently Bob was correct, the ejector hammers are meant to return to the uncocked position when the forend is removed. Mine were doing that , so that was not the cause of the problem I was having.
I took the complete forend assembly apart and studied how it worked, and everything about the ejector system was working correctly. Then I noticed a couple of dimple marks along the inside edge of the cut out for the forend catch spring. One of the dimples was limiting the springs travel upward. So when I was trying to attach the forend the spring was collapsing down inside the forend instead of forward to seat in the indent of the barrel lug. Therefore the spring was in a position that was blocking the forend from seating.
I just took a punch and used it to hammer down the disturbance caused by the dimple, and the spring popped into it's correct position. Now the forend snaps on easily! Ready for dove season next week!
A little exploration lead to the proper function of my Winchester model 21.
Thank God it wasn't anything requiring the gun to go to a smith for repair, or it might have been months before I got it back.

I should have looked at a 21 forend before posting.