Browning Auto 5 - Ejection Problem

I keep coming back to this fact: The action works perfectly for the first two, but fails to eject the last shot fired and stay open (maximum capacity). The recoil spring seems very strong to me, so I fail to see how that could be the problem. The extractor and ejector both work well for those shots.

I've even tried firing the Express (1 1/8 ounce) loads without the extra ring with no improvement.

The first thing I did was to disassemble and clean the action. I adjusted the carrier, whose screws were loose, causing the carrier to have too much horizontal movement. Now it works very well, without binding or excess play.

Since the carrier doesn't lift on the last shot, (or only shot), perhaps the latch is at fault. I noticed that the action closing button on the right side seems to have play in it, so the latch may be misshaped?
 
Can you post pictures? If not, OK. But if you can, please post a pic of the inside rear of the barrel extension, which is where the ejector is located.

Jim
 
It is possible that the carrier latch needs to be adjusted.

On the A5, this is indeed done by bending the latch.
 
If the action reliably and consistently locks open by hand with the magazine empty, then it might be safe to assume that the basic mechanisms are in correct working order. In that instance, I would put a drop or two of oil on the magazine tube and ensure that the rings are set up with the bevelled steel insert on the rear/receiver end of the spring, just to make sure that the action isn't short-stroking. Getting the rings set up correctly is important, but so is making sure that the tube has a thin film of lube on it.

If it had a true ejection/extraction issue, then it would try to re-feed the spent hull on every round (and lock up the action as the subsequent round was lifted up into the spent hull).
 
I checked the shell latch very carefully and wouldn't change it, as it appears to work very well, but with minimal shell contact.

The shotgun is in very good condition. Parts don't appear to be worn and the fact that it functions every time with rounds in the magazine, but only malfunctions on the last shot is nothing I can cure without a bunch of new parts to try, so I'll give up on this one and let the guy send it to the factory or to an authorized repair station.

Thanks for all your good advice. I learned quite a bit about this shotgun model.
 
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