|
This one got us good. We studied the SASS rules about legal features for
Coach Guns and the statement banning the Ejector.
From the SASS Shooters
Handbook under Shotgun Requirements we noted the statement “Any
side-by-side … shotgun typical of the period from approximately 1860
until 1899 without automatic ejectors … is allowed.
We thought we knew enough
to go buy our first Coach Gun. After bringing it home we proceeded to
disable what we thought was the Ejector, removing the pin holding this
piece onto the barrel and gluing it into place. We also learned about
other slicking stuff for Coach Guns and proceeded to do these steps.
A quick test of the Coach
Gun with SASS legal shot shells at our local gun club proved to us that
our work was paying off. We shot a handful of shells and each dropped out
of the barrel easily when it was cracked open. Pack things up, back to the
house and a quick cleaning and oiling we thought we had our Coach Gun
ready for the upcoming CAS club shoot the following weekend.
At the club shoot we
confidently proceeded through the stage shoot, picked up the Coach Gun and
fired off both barrels. The stage required a shot shell reload and it was
then that we were fouled by Murphy’s Law. For some reason the fired shot
shells were stuck so tightly in the chambers that we needed to use a ram
rod to get them out. Well the stage ended with a gun malfunction. A
long-time club member looked at the gun and immediately pointed out that
we had glued down the Extractor, not the Ejector! A quick explanation of
the differences between Extractor and Ejector followed.
The Ejector is a mechanism
to ease the fired shot shell from the chamber. This mechanism has some
linkage or a pin that is operated when the barrels are opened. This
mechanism will be found in all Coach Guns.
Modern break open style
shotguns will have an Ejector that is a mechanism that throws the spent
shells from the chamber. This style shotgun is outlawed from SASS
competitions.
|
