1917 Ejector Question

[Sticman68]

I have a 1917 US Army that the ejector gear teeth are chewed up badly and I have a replacement ejector out of another 1917 but it barely does not go over the locating pins (C) and does not align perfectly with the cylinder bores.
Can someone tell me how the ejector (A) itself is attached to the ejector rod (B) that has the locating slot in it? I assume it's pressed on with splines or silver soldered, simple pressed?

 

[Hondo44]

I have always salvaged the original extractor star. Lots less work then getting a replacement to fit right. With a small flat tip pin punch and a small hammer, peen the ratchet teeth back to the proper shape. Having the replacement ratchet to copy the teeth shape from is a plus.

Guns I’ve repaired this way years ago have not needed any further repair.

 

[Sticman68]

This one was way too far gone. I got it in pieces at a garage sale ($20) and looks like someone literally ground the teeth flat. Lord only knows why.

 

[steelslaver]

The problem is that the alignment pins were match drilled. You should be able to work them out with some good needle node pliers. Once they are gone the new ratchet should have enough play and line up.enough for you to stick fired cases in the chambers and then drill new holes off set a set of chambers. I have thought of filling the old holes in cylinder with short pins fixed with red loctite, milling them flush, then stick in the replacement ratchet, fill the chambers to align it, the drill trough the ratchet holes, then remove it and loctite new full length pins in place.

The other option would be to drill the holes in new ratchet slightly larger. They are now .050. If you drill them 1/16" (.0625) they may work. They are not intended for positive positioning. Loading the chambers will do that. More than one cylinder has shown to be slightly out of time (not carry up) with empty chambers and work perfectly when loaded

I have messed with quite a few ratchets and cylinders, I can't remember ever finding a ratchet that fit a cylinder other than the one it came with. Those pins are always a bit off.

S&W has not actually improved many things in the last 20 years but way the newer type ratchet mate to the cylinders is an improvement over the 2 pin system IMHO. I can actually swap those from one cylinder to another.

If you get real desperate I have a couple 1917 cylinders.

You could also have a newer model 25 cylinder fit to it. The teeth look different, but the edge the hand works is the same. I have done this, You can even use the big knob off a 1917 type rod, just drill it out and silver solder it on the end of the new rod.

This highly modified 1917 is running a newer 44 mag cylinder reamed to 45 colt and a new left hand thread rod with a big tip soldered over it

 

[Sticman68]

Steelslaver,

I was thinking along the lines of re-drilling the holes (Going oversize) but wanted to be sure there was not an easier option. Still not sure how the shaft is mated to the star but this will get me where I need to be. Thanks for the input. I'll keep you posted if it works.

 

[steelslaver]

0n that era the shaft of extractor has a groove and the hole in cylinder has a tab that rides in that groove. I believe some early shafts may be threaded to ratchet, but I have never had the guts to apply enough torque to un thread one. More likely they are silver brazed on. No exploded diagram I have ever seen shows them as 2 separate parts, always just one and I have a copy of the original triple lock parts drawing. Numrich's 1917 drawing also show it as a single part, while showing the hammer, trigger and rebound slide studs separate from the frame as does the Triple lock drawing