Hello All, I have a remington 722 that the extractor wore out on awhile back and rather than try and find a new one I had a local smith install a Sako style extractor. Lately I have been experiencing weak ejection with this rifle and I am wondering if it is the extractor sitting too high or a weak ejector spring.



Here are a couple of pics of where the extractor is riding in relation the the bolt face.


This shows the amount camber(?) of a round in relation to the fully extended ejector with the rim of the cartridge engaged with the extractor.


Here is the round being pulled over to fully compress the ejector.

My impression is the the extractor should be holding the cartridge closer to the bolt face allowing better performance from the ejector. The ejector spring could also be the problem as it's relatively easy to compress. It is a 70 year old rifle so a weakend spring is certainly a possibility.

Here are some pics of the extractor removed if it helps to have a better look.

The guy that did that put the extractor in the wrong spot, it's no wonder you are having problems.

Explain.

I is in the wrong place on the bolt, it needs to be against the side of the locking lug.

Checked when I got home. I’m not sure what you are seeing but the extractor is about a millimeter from the lug.

Some real insight on this would be appreciated.

Your first and second picture, it appears the extractor is not against the lug as jkob says. Can you take another pic of that side of the bolt? Also, it appears the extractor may not be installed as far down the bolt as it should be. The bottom of the extractor groove should be flush with the boltface. Can you take a better pic of the boltface itself?

I seen some sako extractors installed like this away from the lug but protruding past the bolt face no. That's not like how I install them. How does the bolt close

More pics for those requesting.

That should work, I like milling up to the lug, but that shouldn't be causing you any problem. Your weak ejection in caused by the ejector and spring

I would have found a Remington extractor.

You know how hard it is to find a extractor for a 722

Put in a stronger ejector spring, and make sure the extractor claw is flat and sharp .. all good

Not hard at all, I have 4 of them.

I got about a dozen myself, but try to find one other than in your shop

Thanks for the feedback.

Any recommendations on a spring? Is it the same as a 700? Should I just replace the spring or the spring and plunger?

The spring is the same for a 700/721/722. I would make sure the plunger doesn’t have any rough spots or edges that hang up. Also clean all the brass shaving from the recess and install a new spring.

My old gunsmith friend had quite a few of them when mine gave up the ghost as well. He said they are like hens teeth, so he liked having some in stock...

BTW - my Sako extractors do stick up past the nose of the bolt a bit like that on my Sako 85’s

Spray some carburetor cleaner in the hole let soak and blow it out with a air hose. Like said above 700 spring will work.

You mention " weak ejection", is it discharging the brass from the gun or is it dropping it back into the loading port? If so, that is a different problem altogether and a result of a poorly done conversion

OP,
The pic of the bastardized SAKO extractor cut in the bolt nose was improperly machined.

The SAKO extractor pivot should be a counter bore NOT a through hole to witness the firing pin.

With the improper install you will be hard pressed to acquire proper ejection w/ a spring & ejector change.

Wouldn't that also be a potential safety issue? Any gas leakage normally is directed into the left side action vent hole. There is no action vent hole on the right, so gas could be directed out through the right side lug raceway from this new hole in the bolt.

All noted. I have a spring on the way and will see if that helps. If not am I at a new bolt?

OP,
No,you aren't at a total lose...yet.

A.003"-.004" press fit pin into the through hole for the bastardized SAKO extractor job.

Have a competent 'smith machine the bolt nose for a pinned mini or M16 style extractor.



The 3 rings of steel feature by design is null & void unless you install a bolt w/ the OEM Remington style extractor.

Not to discount anyone else’s experience or knowledge, Tikka uses a through hole, right to the pin. Your ejection issue is likely related to ejector spring pressure and forward positioning of the extractor.

How do they vent the gases from that side of the action in the event of leakage into the bolt? The exposed locking lug raceway otherwise points back towards the shooter's face/head.

Following this thread with interest.

You think it’s set to far forward?

It’s hard to say what it’s doing without having it in hand, but the farther forward the extractor is the less angular work the ejector can do on the case head. I’d just try a new spring and see, but you can also alter the notch on the ejector to get a little more throw out of it.

There’s a vent hole about 90 degrees from the extractor. On a Tikka the extractor rotates slightly past the lug abutment.

I tried to illustrate the relationship between the extractor location and the amount of ejector travel in the original post to see if I could get this answered. Thanks for the tip on modifying the plunger, I hadn't considered that. My hope was that if the extractor was too far forward there might be a different part(extractor) available that was shorter.

I installed a new spring and modified the ejector to give a little more travel and it seems to have helped. The brass is now being thrown fairly well as opposed to just barely falling out and dropping directly below the rifle. It still has trouble ejecting a loaded round but I understand that is normal? Wouldn't mind the extractor living a little closer to the bolt face but I likely live with it as is.