If you are talking the little black thingie where you put the shells...that is the shell lifter and is necessary and as you say..it keeps crud out of the action. The ejection port is just as long as it needs to be as the ejector is just past the rear of the port anyway. I mean they are working on 10 million of those guns..and I think most of the bugs have been worked out...by now anyway. The most made sporting firearm of all times I think
