Ejector arrangement for break-open firearm

In a break-open firearm having a frame;

• a barrel housing pivotally mounted on the frame, said barrel housing being formed with upper and lower barrel receiving bores and with right hand and left hand ejector receiving slots;
• an upper barrel and a lower barrel received in and secured to the upper and lower barrel receiving bores of the barrel housing, said barrels and barrel housing being rotatable on the frame from their closed position to their open position and return;
• a right hand ejector slidably mounted in the right hand ejector receiving slot of the barrel housing for longitudinal movement from its forward position to its rearward shell ejecting position and return;
• a left hand ejector slidably mounted in the left hand ejector receiving slot of the barrel housing for longitudinal movement from its forward position to its rearward shell ejecting position and return;
• and means for moving the right hand and left hand ejectors rearwardly when the barrels and barrel housing are moved from their closed position to their open position;
• the improvement in means for retaining the ejectors in the ejector receiving slots of the barrel housing which comprises;
• an integrally formed vertically extending ejector retainer lug disposed adjacent the forward end of each ejector, and an ejector retainer lug receiving recess formed in each side of the barrel housing adjacent the forward ends of the right hand and left hand ejector receiving slots formed therein, the ejector retainer lugs of the ejectors being received in the retainer lug receiving recesses of the barrel housing when the ejectors are at their rearward positions and being moved forwardly out of said recesses when the ejectors are at their forward positions;
• and
• an ejector push rod mounted for longitudinal movement on each side of the barrel housing, an ejector push rod spring urging each of the ejector push rods to their rearward positions, and a push rod receiving recess formed in each of the ejectors adjacent the rearward ends thereof directly rearward of and in alignment with the rearward ends of each of the ejector push rods, the rearward ends of the ejector push rods being received in the push rod receiving recesses of the ejectors;
• whereby the ejectors are releasably retained in the ejector receiving slots of the barrel housing at their forward ends by the ejector retainer lug receiving recesses of the barrel housing and at their rearward ends by the ejector push rods.