Looking for an ejector for an L46 in .22 Hornet.

[s_heriger]

My father recently left me his gun collection (most of which I'd already had for years), but one item of particular interest is an L46 chambered for Kilbourne .22 Hornet. I've shot the gun a number of years ago, but hadn't touched it in years while it was still at my father's house, and somewhere along the line someone took out the bolt and seems to have lost the ejector. The gun fires fine, but when the bolt is opened, and shell does not eject.
I am wondering if anyone can help me find a replacement, or if that's something I need to have made. It's a beautiful old gun and I'm currently getting the stock refinished and the barrel re-blued. Can't wait to start shooting it again, but really need to find an ejector.
Thanks
Kelly

 

[paulsonconstruction]

s_heriger:
I'm not quite sure about what you have missing. When you refer to "someone took out the bolt & seems to have lost the ejector" it makes me think extractor rather than ejector. If the part that is missing is on the bolt face area it is the extractor. If the part that is missing is inside the left rear portion of the action it is the ejector. Does the shell not come out of the chamber or does it come out of the chamber but not get kicked out of the action? L46's rely on the operator to pull the bolt back hard enough for the case head to hit the ejector with enough force to kick it out. It's best to post pics when asking about missing parts so guys on the forum know exactly what you need & assist in your search.

 

[s_heriger]

Paul,
I think I may have been referring to the extractor, which is located at the left front section of the bolt. I will take some pics. The shell does come out of the chamber, but just stays attached to the bolt. I took it to a gunsmith who showed me that a part was missing, which I now assume is the ejector. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

s_heriger:
If the missing part is on the front of the bolt it is the extractor. It's on the right side of the bolt if you are holding the rifle like you would be shooting. It's on the left side if you are looking at the bolt face from the front of the bolt. I'm guessing here, but the reason it is not ejecting the case is that without the extractor holding the casehead tight to the bolt face on the right side of the bolt, when you pull the bolt back so that the ejector hits the left side of the casehead it cannot pivot out of the action as the pivot point created by the extractor is gone. Take the bolt out and look inside the left rear portion of the action. The ejector is a small flat horizontal piece of metal protruding into the action. It slides thru a groove on the left bolt lug at the front of the bolt when you pull the bolt back and strikes the casehead. The harder you pull back the harder it ejects. If your ejector is still there, I'm pretty sure my guess is right. There was a thread awhile back about replacing extractors on L46 bolts and someone, I think it was Stonecreek, said an extractor could be made from one made for another rifle that was readily available. Maybe they will chime in and share their knowledge. You probably will need the spring & retaining pin if they are also missing & possibly a detent ball, if it uses one, but any good smith can come up with substitutes for them. Good Luck!
BTW if you ever decide to sell that K-Hornet let me know. Do you know who rechambered the rifle or was it rebarreled.

 

[s_heriger]

The barrel has KILBOURNE stamped on the side near the receiver, right in front of the ".22 Hornet" stamp, which is in a different font. Would that be a rebarrel, or rechamber job? The rifle originally belonged to an uncle of mine who was a master machinist and gunsmith, and my father gave the impression that my uncle had done it, as he experimented with many different loads and rechambering of guns back when it was very popular in the '30s and '40s.
I checked as per your instructions, but still have the same problem. The catch that holds the shell in place is there on the right, but the rod that pushes the base of the shell on the left is missing. No matter how hard I pull back on the bolt, the shell does not eject, but will occasionally fall off the bolt. I will try to get some photos taken this weekend.
I will definitely keep you in mind about selling it. I hadn't really thought about it before, but if I decide to, I will contact you first. Send me an email with your contact info to [email protected] and I'll keep it with the gun.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

s_heriger:
If the Kilbourne was added to the original factory stampings then it was rechambered. The K-hornet gives a little better performance & accuracy than the standard round. It is a wildcat cartridge & the only way to obtain ammo is to fireform your own cases and reload them yourself. Although as a shooter and not a collector I don't have problems with rebarreled or custom modified rifles, the purist collector will consider your rifle to have lost any collector value it had. Others, because of the missing part/parts, would consider it a parts gun or discount it's value based on how much it will cost to fix, if that is even possible economically. I'm still a little confused over what is missing so pictures would be a great help. Once you determine exactly what you need you can put out a call for help in the wanted section of the forum. If you are lucky you may obtain the parts. If not, the other & expensive option is to have them made from scratch by a machinists.

 

[s_heriger]

Here's a shot of the bolt. The red arrow points to the gap where the missing piece used to go. The part has been lost in the past few years, because I recall shooting it several years ago and it ejected the shells just fine. Now when I pull the bolt back, the casing remains on the bolt and I have to remove it by hand.
I know about the K-Hornet ammo, as my father collected his fire-formed casings and had a friend who reloaded them for him. I'm also friends with the man, and he's already said he'd be glad to reload for me, as he also owns a K-Hornet.
So I hope the photo provides enough information to identify the missing part.

https://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=az4cq6w59rb64k3&thumb=4

 

[paulsonconstruction]

s_heriger:
A picture says a thousand words! There are no missing parts on the face of your bolt. The place where your arrow is pointing is the groove in the left lug I described in my earlier posts that the ejector slides thru to strike the back of the casehead. The extractor is the claw like piece extending into the bolt face recess on the opposite side at about the 10 o'clock position. In my post of Dec. 6th I described the ejector and it's location in the left rear portion of the action. I tried to get pictures but it's to difficult to get enough light inside the action so you can see anything. If you will look thru the ejection port of the action at the inside surface of the bolt release you will see the ejector or where the ejector is supposed to be. The ejector is a stationary part that is mounted on the inside of the bolt release and also acts as the bolt stop/release. It pivots against a spring to retract inside the bolt release to allow the bolt to be removed when you activate the bolt release lever or in it's extended position, slides thru the groove your arrow points out to strike the rear of the casehead when the bolt is pulled all the way back. The so called "gunsmith" who told you that a part was missing on the bolt doesn't appear to have a clue how a bolt action rifle functions and if your Sako needs a gunsmith for repair I recommend you find a more competent one. A competent smith would have easily identified your problem, if the ejector is missing or broken, & probably had it repaired by now. See if you can take the bolt release lever out of the action to get pictures of the ejector parts if that is what is missing or broken. The elector is a flat piece of steel(the thickness of the groove in your bolt) and has notches or steps machined in the front face that allow it's function as a ejector or bolt stop. If bolt stop/release is functioning, I would guess that the tip of the part that acts as the ejector has broken off. This should not be a hard fix for a good smith.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

s_heriger:
Numrich Gun Parts has a Bolt Stop Release & Ejector, New Style listed on their site for a L46 Sako. Product # is 1173840, if this is what you need.

 

[s_heriger]

paulsonconstruction,
Many thanks for the info. That does appear to be exactly what I need. I looked into the area where everything fits, and it's empty. I appreciate your diligence in helping me out, and if I get the gun fixed and decide to sell it, I will certainly let you know.

 

[s_heriger]

Paulsonconstruction,
As a Sako aficianado, you might be able to help me further identify this gun. I went to the dating/serial# chart on this site, and if I'm reading things right, I have an L46 made between 1946 and 1962.
The stamping on the left side, from left to right, starting at the barrel and ending on the receiver, reads as follows: Kilbourn .22 Hornet Sako Riihimaki No 6280. You've already told me that the Kilbourn was stamped on later, if I recall. Based on what I've read on the dating page, I have number 6280 of 57,000 L46s made.
I'm about to dissemble the gun to get the stock refinished and the barrel blued, and will have the new ejector from Numrich installed at that time.
I'll take a few photos of the gun as it is now, and will photograph it again upon restoration. Photos to follow shortly.
I apologize for my lack of knowledge on these matters. I'm mostly a muzzleloader and double-gun guy, and know very little about rifles and their workings.
Thanks
Kelly

 

[paulsonconstruction]

s_heriger:
From the pics it appears that the safety lever is on the left side of the bolt cocking piece which would indicate your rifle was made prior to 1952. Based on the low 4 digit serial# in the 6000's I would guess it was made in the late forty's. Sako didn't always make things in sequence with the serial #'s so it is hard to put an exact date on the manufacture of this rifle without a hang tag or factory records. The stock, however, is not a Sako factory original. It is probably a custom stock put on by a previous owner or possibly your father. Based on the style and cut of the stock, I would guess it was added in the late 50's or early 60's when the pronounced Monte Claro cheek pieces were in vogue. You have a nice little shooter there that will have more value to you from it's family connection & utility than you would ever get from selling it. Have fun and let us know how it shoots!

 

[s_heriger]

paulsonsconstruction
Thanks a million for all your help. I look forward to getting it restored and shooting again. I believe it was probably my uncle who restocked it, as it was his gun many years ago and he was a gunsmith and machinist who loved tinkering with custom loads and such. I seem to recall my father telling me that my uncle had done the rechambering to make it a K-Hornet.
I hadn't really seriously considered selling it, and I'm pretty sure that at this point I'll keep it and hand it down someday to another family member. I'll be sure and post photos when it's completely restored, and thanks again for all your help.