Now this is odd. Have a No. 1 African converted from 458 WinMag to 450 Nitro # 2 3.5".



If you drop the lever all the way and drop in an empty case (fired or not), close er' up, and snap down the lever the case stays in the chamber.
If you do the same thing but pull the trigger, the case pops right out.
Testing with light loads, after firing, everyone extracts/ejects perfectly.
I tried adjusting the allen head tension acrew with no results.
Guessing the modified extractor/ejector is messed up some where as I have a 30-40 #3 "as issued" that worlks 100% all the time.
Thoughts ? Suggestions ? Thanks!

Artshaw,

You said it works ok with light loads, how about with heavy loads? Did it just start doing this?

It sounds like the extractor isn't engaging the cartridge rim until it's jarred into place by the hammer impact.

Shouldn't be doing that. My guess is that they left the 458 extrator in place and didn't put the proper extractor in for the rimed 450 nitro.

Leo, I tend to agree with you, as I talked to Ruger and while there are many different extractors, they all use a plunger and spring to allow the extractor to move sideways around the rim and slip in behind it when the breechblock is raised. The mechanical operation is the same on No.1s with rimmed or rimless cartridges. Guessing the extractor is just a skosh too small/loose to engage the rim without the added "jar" of the hammer dropping.

Not a new problem ..... a "new" rifle, converted 458 Winchester.

The 458 extractor would never clear the big fat 450, so that's out.

The work was done by SSK but their lead loader is away. I'm sure they will correct the issue when he returns. Perhaps the cases they used to test it were a bit larger rimmed than the Betrams I have.

Well thanks to U Tube, Ruger has a complete assemble/disassemble video on the net.

Ruger will not sell any ejectors, spring or plungers to anyone.

You have to "send the gun in". Their tech could not seem to grasp that they never made a 450 Nitro #2 3.5" SO any stock ejector would not work !

I took the beast apart (thanks U Tube), and it comes apart far easier that it goes together.

Cleaned out all the gunk, found a few burrs to dress down and put it together. No change.

Upon careful examination along with Cartridges of the World, I found that this cannon shell is far bigger than anything #1s were ever made in.

When you drop in an empty, close it and then open it just enough to see the ejector, what you see it that it does not go by the rim and slide under it.
If you push it forward an RCH with a punch it goes under and ejects fine. If you dry or live fire it it also works fine.

I assume that the breechblock normally pushes the ejector forward so slide under the rim and that in modifying the 458 WinMag ejector SSK "thinned" it a bit from front to back so that the breechblock does not push it forward. If dry/hot fired that bit of vibration moves things around enough that it snaps under the rim. The spring an plunger assembly is A-OK, once under the rim it works fine.

The boss at SSK is back the 27th but I just hate to ship any gun today, especially a heavy fragile single shot.

Gonna toss an ad in the classified to see if anyone has a 45-70/470/450-400 or 9.3x74 No 1 ejector gathering dust in the parts box.

The saga continues.

Went back to Numrich and WALA ! Found a 416 Rigby ejector, plunger and spring. With some fitting, I hope it will work better than the remodeled 458 WinMag the rifle came with.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions.

Most appreciated !

If the extractor is not clearing the bottom half of the rim, it shouldn't take a very talented gunsmith to make it clear enough (open it up enough) to clear the rim so it can go all the way forward into position.

And, as you only need one of them, it really wouldn't take even a shade-tree machinist very long with a Bridgeport (mill) to make you a whole new extractor either.

If nothing else works, call Dave Lee who lives on Sunshine Road in Roseburg, Oregon and chat with him. I'll bet Dave could be talked into doing it if you sent him an extractor to take the dimensions from, (he would return it undamaged to you) and a cartridge case to fit the new extractor to. He loves to putz around with his mills solving such gun problems. He has also been both a national class shooter AND a very talented machinist all his life.

Thanks, Numrich says it is on the way. I am thinking the 458 ejector (Ruger's term) was over modified and the "hook" too thin from front to back to allow the breech block to push it around the the 450 #2's very thick rim. There is no issue with sided to side (R<L) clearance. the 416 may be an a drop in fix. If not it goes back to SSK who did the conversion.
keep you posted.

I'm curious. Did you get it fixed?

Hope it is now fixed, obviously Ruger does have the proper parts as they have chambered the No1 in 450NE for the "Boddington Elephant Models". I have one in 450 and it is a great rifle.

I have a Boddington #1 in 450 Nitro for sale if anyone is interested. It is NIB.

The problem, as it turned out, was not the rim or case diameter, it was the rim thickness. The 450 Ruger chambers for has a thinner rim. The closest to the 450 #2 is the 45-70. so.... I bought two ejectors from Ruger

I dropped one of the 45-70 ejectors into the 450 for a trial fit to see what fitting might be required.
Dropped in a case and raised the lever expecting it to hang up somehwhere on the 450 rim. Nope closed right up with the ejector under the rim. Dropped the lever and it extracted the empty.
So I tightened up the ejector adjustment screw and tried again. A bit more effort to close but chambered with a positive snap. Dropped the hammer, then the lever a ka-ping, the empty was ejected far enough to be clear of the barrel, sitting in the trough. Easy to dump out were a 2nd shot be needed. I could set the ejector spring even tighter to have it clear the gun, but that's not necessary for range shooting and will, of course, make chambering take more effort.
Just scored another 4X wood No.1 in 458 WinMag. Fiddleback end to end ! It's a "black pad" and has the typical open grain from cheap sprayed on finish. That can all be fixed. Now if I could find an original red buttplate, that would be the final touch.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions.