The Art and Science of Keeping Your 1911 Running

[kitchen's mill]

Well, its the first time it's ever happened. It was jammed tight with the rim jammed into feed lips of the magazine.

The marks on the case could be new or from previous loadings I don't know.

I'm going to check tension next time I clean it. It is due to be cleaned. It's been over a thousand rounds of cast/lead reloads.

Failure to eject is going to be one or two things, extractor is a good place to start.

If it happens with the last round the ammo in the magazine supports the empty case until the last round, the magazine no longer supports the case.

An easy check is to fire the gun without a magazine in place, that will isolate the extractor. It should function without a magazine.

It may have lost tension or indeed be clocking, but the extractor is a weak link in the design.

Dragging the case back through the feed lips is not uncommon.

I've seen Springfield out of the box do it, tension and prep of the extractor solved the issue.

[willie]

Sometimes the extracted case will catch on the case mouth of the next round in the magazine.

I have owned three Springfield Armory 1911's and each came from the factory with an unfitted extractor. Once I bought a new Colt 1911 45 that had a 9mm ejector causing problems. Also the slide stop can require fitting. The nose of 230 grain hardball can hit the part that passes through the frame. I have seen several instances of this.

Folks today see the 1911 as a complicated pistol, but fitting certain parts is not rocket science. I say that specs really don't apply in the sense that so many variations are found in the guns and in myriads of aftermarket parts. Also when frame holes misalign, that ain't good either. 1911's as a group can be like older Harley's. You always got to be working on them.

[Evil_Ed]

Ooh ooh, let's play diagnose the malf game
Attachment 77622
Attachment 77623
Springfield loaded, 200gr swc @950fps

Yup, as kitchen's mill said...this is pretty much %100 an extractor problem; I've had that exact same issue happen on older 1911s that had zero tension on them and would let the case go before it contacted the ejector. Typically on the last round of the mag, as all the previous rounds would ride the next round in the magazine straight to the ejector and punch out...without that last round there it'll either catch on the mag lips and get stuck (that's fun, too), or simply use a magazine feed lip as an ejector substitute and get punted straight into the still-moving slide...hence the crunch marks in the case mouth.

It's also a good lesson as to why 45 and 38 super ejectors seem awfully short as compared to 9mm ejectors

[03RN]

I will double check with out a mag.

I fitted the Wilson bullet proof extractor and FBFP retainer years ago. I had just double checked tension a year ago when I was fitting parts to my lw champion.

[MichaelOrick]

Thank you for this.

I was issued the M1911A1 by Uncle Sam in the late 70s and early 80s.

One of my match guns had a Remington slide and Colt frame. Commercial sights and trigger. Looked like this.

The armorers kept them running. I cleaned them every time I used them and made sure they were lubed.

[03RN]

I totally stripped and cleaned the Loaded. Like I said. It's been over 1k rounds of unique/lead loads. It needed it.

1st round dropped right through the mag well. Second round started to but the slide closed on it.

I knelt right down and pulled the extractor. Bent it a little and reasembled.

Next 20rds ejected 6 feet to the 3 o'clock.

Thanks all

[Evil_Ed]

I totally stripped and cleaned the Loaded. Like I said. It's been over 1k rounds of unique/lead loads. It needed it.

1st round dropped right through the mag well. Second round started to but the slide closed on it.

I knelt right down and pulled the extractor. Bent it a little and reasembled.

Next 20rds ejected 6 feet to the 3 o'clock.

Thanks all

FWIW When what was a properly adjusted extractor starts to do that, re-bending the extractor will really only work for a short while...it'll go bad, again, and it'll start to happen more frequently. If it happens again in the next few months, consider it time to buy a new one from your preferred vendor of choice and fit it.

I personally go for a C&S spring steel one, but EGW's extractors are pretty top notch and don't suffer from needing a ton of work to fit it and make it "perfect" like the C&Ss do from what I hear...I may buy my next one(s) from them and go that route.

There's a great sticky on 1911forum from Steve in Allentown who goes super nerd on 1911 extractor tension, deflection, and everything else 1911 extractor related. It's a bit overwhelming but at the very least it gives you the bulletpoints on fitting an extractor to your gun in about a permanent manner is as possible for a mechanical instrument..

[03RN]

FWIW When what was a properly adjusted extractor starts to do that, re-bending the extractor will really only work for a short while...it'll go bad, again, and it'll start to happen more frequently. If it happens again in the next few months, consider it time to buy a new one from your preferred vendor of choice and fit it.

I personally go for a C&S spring steel one, but EGW's extractors are pretty top notch and don't suffer from needing a ton of work to fit it and make it "perfect" like the C&Ss do from what I hear...I may buy my next one(s) from them and go that route.

There's a great sticky on 1911forum from Steve in Allentown who goes super nerd on 1911 extractor tension, deflection, and everything else 1911 extractor related. It's a bit overwhelming but at the very least it gives you the bulletpoints on fitting an extractor to your gun in about a permanent manner is as possible for a mechanical instrument..

Thanks

The stock Springfield extractor still works 100%.

I'll get another spare just in case though

[fatdog]

a properly adjusted extractor starts to do that, re-bending the extractor will really only work for a short while...it'll go bad, again, and it'll start to happen more frequently. ..

This has happened to me as well. Good advice.

[03RN]

Is it just metal fatigue that causes the extractor to lose tension over time?

That Wilson combat one is probably 5+ years old with 10-15k rounds through it. It just dropped in as well and passed the 10-8 test back then.

So when I bent it back that was the first time I ever did that. I've heard that once it starts to go it will go eventually many times.