M21 casing ejection angle

[madppcs]

Was just curious as to why my M21 ejects spent casings at the 1 o clock position. It also tosses them about 6 feet away. I know its got ALOT of steel moving inside the action. Is the angle due to the type of ammo? I shoot factory 168grn SMKs. If I switch to a different grn/manufacturer will the angles change? Nothings wrong, the rifle shoots excellent, Im just trying to get some info

 

[NukeMMC]

That is normal for the ejector/ejector spring and extractor design. We used to trim coils from the ejector spring to tune the brass pile location. It also helped with the "M14 ding" that would appear on the case body from contact with the oprod. See the case ejecting from the Navy M21? Look familiar?

 

[madppcs]

Awesome pic! Yes it does look familiar. I wonder what the coin is for on the shooting mat?

Thanks for the response!

 

[BCP]

I trimmed a couple coils off my ejector spring to make it work with the scope mount. It's kind of weird though since the slower the action moves (aka using lighter loads) the more it seems to eject either straight forwards or barely fall out of the action whereas healthy loads fly 8ft to my 2 oclock.

 

[NukeMMC]

2 reasons for the coin. Used it to loosen/tighten windage lock screw when zeroing irons and also to tighten the bolts on the ART mounts on a couple other rifles.
No comment about shooting M80 in an M21??? We had very limited A170 ammo, so we shot M80 for practice and rough zeros to 600 then used A170 (168gr spun nose Federal) to fine tune zeros. The M80 was actually producing moa groups to 200 pretty regularly!

 

[madppcs]

Awesome info! So what do you shoot now? Handloads? As of right now, I have ONLY fed my M21 Federal 168grn SMKs. Im wondering if itll like the heavy 175s or lighter 149s?

 

[lennyo3034]

Ejecting consistently at 1 o'clock is a good thing. Whenever I replace my extractor and springs with new USGI ones, it returns to ejecting into that position.

 

[JMGlasgow]

It also indicates that your gas system is functioning properly. When it starts getting time to clean, it will eject at about 3 o'clock.

 

[NukeMMC]

Awesome info! So what do you shoot now? Handloads? As of right now, I have ONLY fed my M21 Federal 168grn SMKs. Im wondering if itll like the heavy 175s or lighter 149s?

My rifle at the time had a 1:11" twist and the 175s didn't exist then but it shot the 180s OK. If you shoot 168 or 175 stick to a 10 or 11" twist. If you shoot the 147 an 11 will shoot them pretty well. Our ART scoped rifles has SAK medium weigh NM 11" twist barrels that LOVED M80.

 

[kraigWY]

Most M14/M1A/M21's throw the brass about 1 'o'clock. Mine use to, which means as a HP shooter, it throws it in front of the berm, into the grass, snow, mud, what have you.

I modified the spring on mine so it throws it about 3 o'clock. that way. I then set my shooting stool up to block the brass from hitting the guy next to me. Also it allows for easier brass retrieval.

 

[BCP]

Most M14/M1A/M21's throw the brass about 1 'o'clock. Mine use to, which means as a HP shooter, it throws it in front of the berm, into the grass, snow, mud, what have you.

I modified the spring on mine so it throws it about 3 o'clock. that way. I then set my shooting stool up to block the brass from hitting the guy next to me. Also it allows for easier brass retrieval.

How many coils did you cut, what load are you using and do you have any mods to the gas system on your rifle?

 

[kraigWY]

That was 30 some odd years ago, don't remember. I know the load was M118, M852, or LC Match Cases loaded with 168 or (then 180) SMKs, pushed by 41.5 grns of 4895 and Fed Match primers,

Though I just learned from reading a post in the reloading section that I can't use fed primes, it makes gas guns blow up. Thank God and Algore for the internet. I also learned that I should have died using 7.62 in my M1A, or was it using 308s in my M1A. The internet told me one of the other will kill me, but being old, I can't remember which.

 

[NukeMMC]

That was 30 some odd years ago, don't remember. I know the load was M118, M852, or LC Match Cases loaded with 168 or (then 180) SMKs, pushed by 41.5 grns of 4895 and Fed Match primers,

Though I just learned from reading a post in the reloading section that I can't use fed primes, it makes gas guns blow up. Thank God and Algore for the internet. I also learned that I should have died using 7.62 in my M1A, or was it using 308s in my M1A. The internet told me one of the other will kill me, but being old, I can't remember which.

LMAO ... Those same folks telling us what we never should have been able to do are also the same as the ones who said the M14 could never be as accurate as the M1 Garand ... or the M1 was too inaccurate to compete with the 1903. I have shot so many Federal Match primers thru M14s and M1As I couldn't possibly count them. I remember Dobber using a pull-thru reamer to set up M1As and M1s in the trailer parked by the beach at Dam Neck.
And yes, we hit E silhouettes at 600 with M80 ball pretty consistently.

 

[madppcs]

Seems with more accessories, and mods comes more excuses.

 

[longebow]

I used my dremel with the emery cutting wheel to clip one coil (360 degrees worth) at a time. Clean the coil well with canned air, oil, re-install, shoot/test. I usually ended up cutting 2-4 coils to "train" my M1A back in the day...