2 methods to adjust the FM-9 ejector into proper relation to the bolt.
This information is intended solely for entertainment purposes only. Do not perform any action based on any of the following information. The accuracy of this information is not guaranteed or warranted. Always bring malfunctioning firearms to a qualified gunsmith for repair. All copyrights and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Ejection failures is one of the biggest problems encountered by 9mm AR owners. The ejector on a 9mm AR is mounted to the lower, while the bolt is in the upper. If the two are not aligned properly, ejection failures happen.
From the factory, almost every lower-mounted blowback ejector is out of alignment. This is an adjustment every 9mm owner should be prepared to do if empty cartridges fail to clear the ejection port (and may want to do anyway for reliability reasons).
In the past, almost all 9mm AR ejectors were made of softer steel and were the thin “finger type” which made them easy to bend into position. Now, companies are using beefier ejectors that are made of hardened steel. These may snap when bent, and can be tough to align with the bolt. Foxtrot Mike’s ejectors are pretty beefy and appear to be hardened as well.
Method one: MAPP gas torch & bending
I had recently purchased an FM-9 stripped lower. Before I built it all out I checked the ejector alignment with several of my uppers and bolts. As expected, it was low and left in the ejector channel of my bolts.
2 stacked set screws hold it in place. You can see the outer screw in the picture below. When I removed one with a 3/32″ hex wrench, I found there was a second one behind it in the same hole. I loosened #2 to get the ejector out. There’s a hole through the ejector for the tip of the inner set screw to lock into, so it’s not the best setup for just tilting the whole thing and friction-locking it in place with the screw. I decided bending would be the better way to go.
Bending the tip to the right required locking the ejector in a vice and giving it a little tappy-tap with a hammer. It moved pretty easily.
Bending “up” was a different matter. Hammer taps were no-go. So was using a wrench. Wouldn’t budge.
I broke out the MAPP gas torch (hot metal is easier to bend), heated the “neck” till it was glowing red (ejector still in the vice, not in the lower!) and gave a little upward pressure with the crescent wrench locked on the tip. 1st test fit was close, but had to do it again to get it where I wanted it.
I loctited the screws back into place and it looks to be good to go. Testing with my upper shows that the ejector is in a good position relative to the bolt and ejection is perfect.
I talk about it in one of my videos, here:
Method 2: Sanding/Grinding
A fellow Redditor “Chrisexv6” used a different method that doesn’t require heating. In his own words:
“My FM-9 ejector is similar…pretty far off (“bad” picture on the blowback9 page about ejector location). I have it removed but was curious:
Can you file or sand down the back side (opposite the ejector “finger”) so the whole ejector piece can tilt a little more vertical? Mine seems both too low in the slot and out of parallel with the bolt, so being able to tilt it up a bit more could solve both issues at once. Not sure if its hardened so it might be hard to do that, but it might also work better than heating it since it could fix 2 issues at once.”
[Removing material from the back and bottom corner would allow the entire ejector to tip back or “pivot” around the hole in the ejector where the set screw locks. By tipping backward, it brings the “nose” of the ejector “up”.]
“About 10 minutes of working (hand filed and a bit of sanding on an oscillating belt sander)
Took some off of the vertical “plate” portion [back of the ejector body], then a bit off the rear of the bottom of the “plate” portion [bottom rear].”
Before and after photos (used with permission):
Alignment is now very good.
So there you have it! Two different methods to adjust the FM-9 ejector so it sits more properly in the ejector channel of the bolt. It requires a little mechanical skill and some tools, but either method gives a good result.
Blowback9.com 