[ithacaartist]

Let's look at the physics involved, folks.

An object's direction of travel does not change unless/until there's a force applied to it. Upon ignition, the entire upper moves back. As the receiver's regression is halted by its lug, the toggle links are deflected to transfer kinetic energy into the recoil spring. This does not affect the breech block's direction of travel, which at this point is also shared by the empty casing--straight back. Without having its rim flicked by the ejector, the empty would continue its journey straight back. Although it may disengage itself from the extractor without this influence, there's nothing to make the casing change direction specifically to escape the action. This would result in a jam, either horizontal or vertical.

It's feasible that a gun that is ejecting effectively may not necessarily be doing it correctly--as we've seen in recent discussions in posts about empties' being bent/deformed/gouged as they exit. Slow motion YouTubes show how a shell quite often jangles and bounces around during the trip, yet still makes it out of the action, albeit dependably.

My considered opinion is that the claws of the extractor become/provide a 2-point pivot as the casing is rotated out of its grasp. I think their relative length will bias ejection left or right. I also think that the place relative to the extractor where the rim encounters the ejector makes a difference, after the subject was hashed out on another thread not too long ago.

For blow-back pistols, it's the opposite of Rich's thesis, and the extractor is the part that can be done without. A great example would be that when I've lost an extractor from one of the Erma pistols, I usually don't notice until I've finished the mag. Pointing it doesn't give the view necessary to notice, and the pistol cycles fine... If I still have a remaining loaded mag, I just fire it off anyway, without the extractor.

An ejector's orientation in the action is on a center-line including the extractor and the diameter of the case, as well as its intended direction of travel, right? I can't think of a big exception, if any.