This should be probably be titled "Model 14 Information Bulletin #5" but I have been asked confronted countless times by the question "why doesn't my rifle readily eject loaded rounds".
It's not unusual to have a Model 14 or 14-1/2 that doesn't fully eject a loaded round, my guess is that about 30% of them don't or do it with little enthusiasm. I have no real basis for that percentage and I came to that conclusion based on experiences of guns that have come/gone in my shop coupled with the fact I took the time to test every one of my guns to see how they eject/perform.
I actually like it when the rifle doesn't eject the loaded round half way across the range making you scramble in front of the firing line to retrieve it, rather it sort of just barely exits or just stays loose in the rifle. All of that may be well and good but I still have customers and people calling me about installing a new ejector rod (finding one for a Model 14-1/2 being nearly impossible).
Here is what I found and what I believe (again, my opinion based on experience) and that is EVERY rifle I tried/tested that would not readily eject a loaded round would eject empty or fired brass damn near into the next state.
My thinking here is that Remington designed these guns to digest new/pristene ammunition (with a round nose) and to enthusiastically eject empty/fired brass.
I did replace the ejector rods on 4-5 of the rifles that were hesitant to eject loaded rounds to see if it made a difference and it comes as no surprise that I found they came in different lengths. The longest being a newly manufactured one I got from Numrich some years back but in only one of the five rifles did it improve the ejection of the round. I guess I could mess around with the extractor with the thinking that maybe its holding on to the round with too much resolve and thus the ejector can't adequately do its job. I'll tell you up front, I mess with and/or replace extractors under duress ONLY!!
One other stupid fact is that in order to fill my mind with additional useless information I experimented with Model 14-1/2 bolts by substituting rifle ejector rods in place of the standard one with the wider head. The rifle rods worked just fine on all five (5) bolts I had on hand.
The fact is that "some" rifles won't fully eject loaded rounds but all seem to eject empty brass, its not a big deal don't worry about it, and in the field it may be an advantage. I have yet to find a Model 141 that wouldn't eject a loaded round but feel confident there are a few out there, all of mine ejected loaded (dummies) almost into South Carolina.
This is for information purposes and the information is the "opinion" of the writer.
Behave!
Jim Peterson
Charlotte, NC