M48A ejection problem

[Capybara]

Took my M48A Mauser out to the range last weekend. The rifle is accurate and fun to shoot. What is not fun through is that the rifle continues to not want to eject empty cases very well. After taking a shot and cycling the bolt, the extractor claw on the bolt seems to not want to release the rim of the case very consistently. It takes two or three pulls of the bolt handle to the rear to get it to relinquish its hold on the case.

When I bought the rifle, it was basically new, unused, as many of the M48s are/were and from the beginning, I thought the bolt mighgt have been gummed up with cosmo to I disassembled the bolt and cleaned it up, making sure that there was no cosmo. I suppose the issue could also be the ejector that the extractor claw hits? I am far from a gun smith and I am probably going to take this to a gun smith but before I do that, are there any obvious things I should look at or look for? I can disassemble my rifles and clean them, so I am not totally mechanically incompetent but I am not the best at trouble shooting. Any ideas before I call the gun smith? I mostly shoot 1950s Yugo Surplus 8mm, the stuff with the hard primers. The rifle shoots them no problem, it just seems to get hung up on ejection.

[MasterChief]

Endless apologies if you already knew this:

1. Mauser extractor/ejector mechanisms were designed to work with a smart rearward movement of the bolt.

2. Extractor claw on M48 rifles in new condition can have minor burrs requiring minor (very light, fine) stoning to smooth.

3. Ejectors can be gummed up by dried grease and cosmoline and stick, giving weak ejection.

4. It might "wear in" over time and rounds fired and begin to work fine.

I wouldn't do anything rash. Consider this your first foray into gunsmithing. We await the good news that you have corrected this annoying condition.

Best wishes. Dave

[Crunch130]

When I had an M48A I seem to remember having to pull the bolt back to the rear stop briskly to get it to eject. If it's that way with other brands of ammo, a little polishing or careful relieving under the extractor claw may be in order.

Crunch

[Crunch130]

Augh! MasterChief beat me to it!

[Crusader]

Best of luck - these are among my favorite rifles. If it is brand spanking new it probably just needs to be broken in a bit. The poor girl has sat for 60+ years without being man-handled.

[pacrat]

I suppose the issue could also be the ejector that the extractor claw hits?

Nope, can't happen, no way. Extractor and ejector are on opposite sides of the bolt. And never the twain shall meet.

Suggest you follow advice above and also disassemble the ejector box on the left rear of reciever. And scrub its parts real well. It's one of the places that dried up gummy cosmo loves to hide. The little flat flipper that pops out when bolt is retracted is the ejector. If it doesn't move freely, everytime the bolt is retracted. You get a failure to eject.

JM2c

[Sailormilan2]

If the ejector is gummed up, the ejector won't swing out to be hit by the case to cause ejection.
Have to taken the ejector box apart and cleaned it? The comments about smartly working the bolt are dead on. But all the smart working in of the bolt won't do anything if the ejector isn't in position to do its job.