Hi All, I hope I can help with a bit of advice on RSM’s specifically and Ruger’s in general, but PLEASE! Don’t go working on your beautiful RSM unless you know what you are doing! I don’t want to be an accessory to shade tree gunsmithing
There are 3 things (at least) that you can do to correct the issue of the ejector snapping into position too slowly and the spent case riding up ober it. One is to replace the existing spring with a heavier spring. This is the easiest but not necessarily the best option.
Let me back up a little. We want the ejector fully in position prior to the case rim coming into contact with it when a spent case is being extracted and reliably ejected. The problem referred to in the thread above is very real and can have dire consequences. But is VERY fixable. There are 2 ways to go about this. Get the ejector to snap into position more quickly, or to give it more time to snap into position. Or both.
Replacing the ejector spring with a heavier spring will accomplish the “quicker” into position, but it causes the ejector to push against the bolt with more force and may cause more drag on the bolt, which you will feel and may cause wear on the bolt and wear on the ejector.
A better option in my opinion is to give the ejector a little more time to get into position. This can be accomplished by altering the slot geometry (clearance slot in the bolt) and modifying the ejector geometry. This will allow the ejector to get started on its upward travel sooner, which in turn gets it into position sooner.
Also, it is possible through “torque” or twist on the bolt when cycling the action rapidly for the ejector to rub on one wall or the other of the ejector clearance slot in the bolt. Before modifying anything! you should determine if you can induce interference between the slot and the ejector. If you can, correcting this issue should be the first order of business. This can be done by “tweaking” the ejector SLIGHTLY so it lines up in the slot in the bolt better OR by widening the slot in the bolt. If you tweak the ejector you need to make sure it still runs freely in the slot in the receiver.
There are a number of subtleties involved here that are really impossible to properly convey without a lot of pictures and verbiage, but a good gunsmith can remedy this issue with very little time and expense.
There are a few things that I would absolutely do to any RSM I planned on shooting much or hunting Dangerous Game with:
The .375 H&H doesn’t kick much at all due to the weight of the RSM, but on the .416 Rigby & .458 Lott, I would definitely replace the rubber butt plate with a QUALITY recoil pad. At the same time, adjust LOP to fit you properly.
I would replace the existing front sight with a NECG white bead front sight and dial in the open sights to hit point of aim at your chosen distance. Mine is 25 yards.
I would make certain my rifle has a newer generation claw extractor. The older ones have slighlty different claw geometry and do not feed nearly as well when the round is coming out of the right side of the magazine box. I will try to dig up some pictures of the 2 extractors so you can see the difference.
And last but probably most important. Make sure your ejector is functioning as it should when running the bolt HARD!
It is pretty hard to beat a RSM for the money. I have several and I love them.
I believe it is the responsibilty of the rifle owner to determine for himself if the rifle he intends to hunt dangerous game with is up to the task. Most rifles are not, straight out of the box. Ruger, Winchester, Remington, CZ, etc. I would not assume any of them function without flaw until I had fired at least a few hundred rounds through them and tried to MAKE them fail. If you can induce a failure without doing bizarre stuff, it probably will fail when you need it most. Just my opinion.
I hope ths is helpful and happy hunting!
