It’s time once again to revisit the constantly talked about firing sequence. Today, the heavy hitters like the trigger, sear, hammer and firing pin take a back seat to the often neglected ejector. It’s true. You don’t technically need an ejector to fire a cartridge, but it sure does keep the process moving smoothly. Who would want to stop after each shot to manually throw out spent casings? Anyone? That’s what I thought. So today, give thanks to your ejector, for it makes our lives just a little easier.

Today, we celebrate the G3 ejector lever – one more of Keepshooting.com’s original Heckler & Koch parts that will keep your G3 in excellent working order for the foreseeable future. Measuring approximately five inches long, the G3 ejector lever is housed in the trigger pack and is secured by a small pin adjacent the hammer spring guide rod. After each cartridge is fired, the extractor works to remove the spent casing from the chamber. As it drives the casing rearward, the ejector pivots on the pin and serves to eject the casing, allowing another cartridge to be loaded into the chamber.

Now, as I mentioned, a firearm could technically get by without this component. In fact, some don’t have extractors or ejectors at all – I’m looking at you Beretta 21A Bobcat. Take comfort knowing your G3 does have an ejector. While you’re at it, pick up a spare for only $3.95.